Tami understands the community and economic development process
At the October 19 City Council Candidate Forum, candidates were asked to weigh in with opinions on the status of “Project Bigfoot” as of that date. In this clip, I explain that the other candidates’ positions not only represent a rush to judgment, but a fundamental misunderstanding - or worse, lack of understanding - of the community and economic development process. Rosemount needs representatives who understand this process and can evaluate any future proposals objectively.
Full response text (October 19, 2023):
Both my opponents went on record with their opposition to Project Bigfoot at the October 3rd City Council meeting. I believe this represents not only a rush to judgment, but also a fundamental misunderstanding of the community and economic development process, which will not serve Rosemount or its residents well.
With regards to Project Bigfoot’s current status:
I support the rights of private landowners to sell their land.
I support the rights of landowners to request rezoning in alignment with guided use plans.
I support expanding our tax base - in this case, the potential to return 280 acres of land to our tax rolls.
I support entertaining developers - any developer - who bring economic opportunity to this town.
I hope Project Bigfoot will culminate in a proposed data center coming ahead of our resident-led Planning Commission for review and public hearing.
It is at that time in the process where we all will have an opportunity to react to the proposal, which likely would include possible building designs, projected noise levels, water usage, power consumption, environmental impact, and other details.
But again, any opposition at this point in time, is not only premature, but is detrimental to the City’s position with this developer and others.
In my research on data centers, I reached out to several communities for their own real-life experiences and perspectives. They assured me that the resident-led Planning Commission process works to mitigate concerns, and they all reported positive long-term benefits.
Russ Trimble, Mayor of West Des Moines, Iowa - home of five Microsoft data centers - shared his perspective that - quote - “A data center is likely to be the single biggest shot of adrenaline your city can get for its economic future.”
Dean O’Connor, Mayor of Altoona, Iowa - home to the largest active Meta data center in the world - shared that Meta has been an incredible partner to his town, investing in the town’s infrastructure and donating to their schools.
I am hopeful that Project Bigfoot results in a proposal for our review and evaluation together through the resident-led Planning Commission process.
And as City Councilmember, it is my job to represent all residents of Rosemount, not just the loudest. If and when a proposal comes before us, we will review it within our processes, and make determinations for the good of Rosemount and its residents.
