MONROE, Wis. — Green County residents and local officials gathered Wednesday evening at the Green County Justice Center for an educational session on data centers, part of the county’s next phase of study after supervisors approved a one-year moratorium in July. Organizers stressed that no data center is currently proposed for Green County.

The session was designed to increase public understanding of data centers and local zoning while also helping elected officials understand what Wisconsin local governments can and cannot regulate. Victoria Solomon, community development educator with University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension Green County, opened the meeting and said it was organized through a partnership among Green County, Extension Green County and the City of Monroe, without outside funding.

About 50 people attended the Monroe session, including roughly a dozen current Green County Board supervisors and the mayor of Monroe. A similar session was held earlier Wednesday in Albany.

Karl Green, a community planning outreach specialist with Extension in La Crosse County, led the approximately 50-minute presentation. He described the infrastructure data center developers typically seek, including access to high-capacity electric transmission, fiber, water and wastewater service, large tracts of land, transportation access and community support.