Gosport Council approves data center ordinance, water main replacements

In a rare surge of attendance at the Sept. 22 Gosport Town Council meeting, applause filled the community building after an ordinance stymying data center development near and around the town was passed.

The ordinance, introduced at the Sept. 8 meeting, restricts potential developer access to town resources, such as water and electricity, in an attempt to make it “uncomfortable” for one of the sprawling facilities to establish, town council member Michael Miller said.

“I don’t know how you guys feel, but I don’t want one,” council president Marian McGee said at the meeting.

The ordinance mandates that violators be subjected to a $2,500 fine per day, per parcel of land.

Although Gosport is only about 0.4 square miles, just over the size of the average data center site in 2024, Miller said the ordinance would also address the potential for large plots of land, like farmland, to be annexed into the town.

Just a day earlier, at its Sept. 21 town council meeting, the Town of Spencer passed Ordinance 2026-07, which established a 12-month moratorium on data centers.

And just about an hour before the Gosport meeting, the Owen County Commissioners passed their own suspension, Ordinance 2026-011 authorizing a moratorium on data centers in the county.

“No one that I know of has asked to put one in Owen County yet, but we’re going to try to get out in front of this with this moratorium which gives us a year to figure ourselves out, to do a little more research,” commissioner Norman Warner said at the commissioners’ Sept. 22 meeting. “What we don’t want to do is just kind of leave ourselves hanging in the wind and then somebody swoops in and takes advantage of us.”

At the meeting, commissioner Sam Hobbs said the county plan commission will continue researching and working on a more permanent regulation to present to the commissioners.

Public records request dispute

The town council reviewed a public records request made by Gosport resident Dusty Paris-Trisler, who asked the town for records in more than 35 categories from Jan. 1, 2024, to Sept. 21, 2026.

From the start of the conversation, town attorney Terry English recommended the request be denied. He cited the Indiana Access to Public Records Act, which requires reasonable specificity.

Paris-Trisler said the request was filed the day prior and was nearing the 24-hour mark. The public records code, IC 5-14-3, notes that records requested in person or by phone require a response within 24 hours, or the request is deemed denied. Those made by other means, like through email for example, have a seven-day window.

The records requested do not have to be produced by the end of that day, but the request must be acknowledged, which signifies that the agency received it.

“All we’re going to do is promote the transparency and the municipal government establishes consistent procedures,” Paris-Trisler said. “That is not out of the ordinary for people to request records. If you want to tell us what you are willing to provide, we are more than happy to review that.”

English responded that he doesn’t have an issue providing records according to law, however, manpower is limited in Gosport government.

“The fact is that with a two-member town clerk’s office, we can’t stop the operation of the town clerk’s office in order to comply with your records request,” English said.

Town Clerk-Treasurer Don Hall officially denied the request on the grounds that it was excessive. He, like English, said the few office personnel don’t have the bandwidth to take boxes of physical records and make copies of each claim and invoice. Paris-Trisler agreed to reduce her request and resubmit.

Water main project

Using money from a Great Lakes Grant, the Town of Gosport plans to replace water lines in three spots. One of the program’s focuses is giving money to rural and remote areas facing environmental and public health challenges, according to its website.

“It’s supposed to help us pay for water, so we have a lot of old water lines still underground and trying to get bids together to come up with a solution where we can replace some of the older lines that are breaking more often,” Miller said.

The town intends to replace lines on Eighth Street between North and Lafayette streets, on Main Street between Seventh and Ninth streets, and on Main Street between Second and First streets.

The council approved the three projects, which are expected to cost about $198,000, McGee said. She said construction should start as soon as possible.

Also at the meeting, the town council moved to delay 2027 budget approval because the council didn’t have enough information, McGee said. The council instead planned a special meeting for 9 a.m. Oct. 2 at Gosport Town Hall.

The next town council meeting is set for 7 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Gosport Community Building at 301 N. Ninth St. in Gosport.