BLUE EARTH– The Blue Earth City Council revisited a variety of topics that had been previously discussed at a council meeting, during a special council meeting held on Monday.

The special meeting had a full agenda and a full audience of citizens in a standing room only council chambers.

One of the major items on the agenda was a presentation by Blue Earth Light and Water manager Tim Stoner.

At a previous council meeting a citizen had presented several questions and concerns about a new data center being built in Blue Earth.

Stoner said Blue Earth Light and Water started discussions with the data center owner in January of 2024, to see if Blue Earth could meet their electrical power needs.

“We did seven months of due diligence,” Stoner said. “Our rates were low, and our reliability was high.”

Plus, Stoner said all the infrastructure needed was already in place so no increase in local rates would be needed.

“We always want to protect the local rate base,” Stoner said. “We also learned they did not need any water for cooling.,”

This was not an overnight decision, he added.

Several citizens had comments, including Hosu Chang, who had brought up the concerns at the last meeting.

Chang again brought up having total transparency to the public by the council and BELW. She also questioned the potential for noise from the data center.

Stoner said they were told the center is using new quieter fans and noise will go up and out through the roof.

Mayor Rick Scholtes said the city’s responsibility was to issue a building permit and ensure the building was properly built according to code.

“We don’t question every business that is coming here and constructing a building as to what they are going to be doing in it,” Scholtes said.

In the end, Stoner said he would share all the data they had collected with Chang.

In other business at the meeting, the council:

— Approved a preliminary, proposed 2025 levy of $2,450,000, or a 24.56 percent increase over 2024’s levy amount of $1,967,000.

The final budget and levy amount will be presented at the Truth in Taxation meeting on Dec. 2 at 6 p.m. and will be voted on at the Dec. 16 council meeting.

— Heard a report from Blue Earth Chamber of Commerce executive director Sarah Ferguson concerning the issues with the Chamber’s lease of the Giant Welcome Center from the Blue Economic Development Authority.

Ferguson said the EDA minutes of June 13 show some information about an amending of the lease. She also pointed out that the Chamber and Convention and Visitor’s Bureau are ready to work with the EDA and city on the issues.

— Approved a bid from Mensing Construction to do some excavating at two properties on Nicollet to determine why their sump pumps run almost non-stop. The bid was for 10 hours work at $219 per hour.

— Approved accepting a grant to make plans for a new T-hangar at the Blue Earth Municipal Airport. The Federal Aviation Authority will fund 90 percent of the plan development, with the state and city of Blue Earth putting in five percent each.

Blue Earth’s share is $3,950.