To the editor:

Your recent articles on proposed data centers in De Soto, Tonganoxie and Lawrence captured the real dilemma. Our cities need new tax revenue to meet growing budgets, yet data centers sit at the heart of a controversial technology that remains largely unregulated.

As a long-suffering Lawrence property taxpayer, I know this city’s reliance on homeowners could be eased by growing the commercial tax base. Instead, I watch developers receive tax deferrals time and time again. Data centers could add millions to our tax base, as long as we don’t hand them the same concessions.

But as a conscientious consumer, I also recognize the harm a project of this size could do. Asked about the impact of their facilities, developers offer a dozen different answers that all amount to “we don’t know.” The uncertainty has become so alarming that even Texas can’t ignore it. In August, Gov. Greg Abbott halted approvals of new data centers until state regulators can audit their power and water use, tax breaks and effects on nearby communities.

My conclusion is that it falls to our governments (federal, state and local) to write the rules that will let data centers support our communities safely. This November, I will be voting for candidates who share that view.

Richard Renner,

Lawrence