Festus voters oust half the council after $6 billion data center vote

A 6-2 council vote for a $6 billion data center in Festus triggered a political blowback that North Slope leaders should watch closely: when residents think a major development deal is moving too fast, they can move just as fast at the ballot box.

Festus City Council approved the development ordinance on March 30 after a special meeting at Festus High School, where residents packed the gym and spent about two hours arguing against the project. The plan, backed by CRG, the real estate development and investment arm of Clayco, would cover about 360 acres north of Highway 67 and west of Old England Road.

A week later, voters removed all four Festus council incumbents who were on the ballot, effectively replacing half of the eight-member council. Turnout in Festus was higher than in other parts of Jefferson County, and the challengers campaigned on opposition to the data center and on demands for greater transparency.

The fight did not stop with the election. Opponents have circulated recall petitions targeting Mayor Sam Richards and the remaining four council members. On April 10, Wake Up JeffCo and four property owners filed suit in St. Louis County against the City of Festus and CRG, seeking to reverse the rezoning decision and the development agreement tied to the project. Reports of the complaint also pointed to possible open-meetings problems, adding a governance dispute to the land-use battle.

Resident objections centered on practical concerns that are familiar to any community weighing a large industrial project: water use, electricity demand, environmental impacts and the sense that decisions were being made without enough public notice or plain answers. Some residents said city leaders and the mayor had not been truthful or had held secret meetings. Others said the project was being pushed through too quickly despite neighborhood opposition.

Clayco executive chairman Bob Clark said the project would move forward despite the lawsuit and the election results. He argued that data centers are a long-term growth sector and said the expansion is good for communities, but reports said he struggled to answer detailed questions about water use and water quality.

The new council members were sworn in at the regular meeting on April 13, but the dispute over the data center has kept local politics in turmoil. For places facing high-dollar industrial proposals, Festus is a blunt warning: the approval vote may be only the beginning, and the real cost can show up at the next election.