2027 ballot push tackles water, noise and surveillance
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
While voters focus on November, petition organizer Anita Miller is already looking to next April — with four proposed measures for Colorado Springs' 2027 ballot.
Why it matters: If approved, the measures would restrict large water users, tighten noise regulations and ban city use of automated license plate readers.
What she's saying: Miller said the noise- and water-related ballot ideas grew from conversations with friends, family, neighbors and coworkers — not the fight over Project Taurus — even though some touch on issues at the center of the data center controversy.
- "Why does it feel like we don't have control of our property? Why don't we have control of our privacy?" she said.
The measures would:
- Require voter approval for certain nonresidential facilities seeking at least 200,000 gallons of water in a 24-hour period.
- Set a 45-decibel average noise threshold over 10 minutes near residential properties.
- Eliminate noise hardship permits except for free events, putting Ford Amphitheater's current permit in jeopardy.
- Ban city use of automated location-tracking technology, including license plate readers like those used by Flock Safety.
Zoom in: The water measure overlaps with the broader data center debate, and could affect future data centers, which require enormous amounts of water.
- Project Taurus, the massive data center planned for the city's east side, would need about 200,000 gallons for the initial fill of its closed-loop cooling system, Raeden CEO Jason Green has said. It's unclear whether that one-time fill would qualify under the proposed measure.
Colorado Springs Utilities' intake forms obtained by Axios show other prospective data center projects estimating average water demand of 500 to 600 gallons per minute.
- Caveat: Those are preliminary developer estimates, not actual use.
What we're watching: At City Hall, Council is scheduled to hear appeals of Taurus' approval Sept. 17.
What's next: Each measure needs nearly 25,000 valid signatures. Organizers have up to 180 days to collect them, and Miller is aiming for the April 2027 ballot.
- "This is happening," she said.
Go deeper: Read the petitions and learn more from the organizers