Brunswick council sets hearings on data center moratorium, fire engine bond

Brunswick’s council agenda put two of the town’s biggest policy questions in the open at once: how far to go in limiting data centers, and how to pay for a new fire engine. The June 1 agenda listed public hearings on both a data center moratorium and a fire engine bond ordinance, setting up decisions that could affect future development, tax dollars and emergency response in town.

The draft data center moratorium would give Brunswick at least 180 days to study the issue and write new rules. The proposal cites concerns over heavy water and electricity use, pressure on the local grid, higher utility costs, noise, heat islands and other environmental effects. At the May 18 council meeting, members removed an earlier draft definition that would have focused on facilities of 10,000 square feet or more, or with 20 megawatts or more of electrical capacity, and instead moved toward a broader temporary ban on projects with 1 megawatt or more of electrical capacity during the moratorium period.

Town officials have said Brunswick has no current data-center proposals on the horizon. The town already has a smaller data center at Brunswick Landing owned by FirstLight, and leaders have said it has not been a problem. Even so, Brunswick is one of several Maine municipalities weighing local moratoriums after Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a statewide bill that would have temporarily restricted large data centers. State Rep. Melanie Sachs has since proposed a broader state-level study and coordination council as lawmakers continue to debate how to handle the industry’s growth.

The fire engine bond item carried a proposed limit of $1,250,000. A town manager’s memo said the council was being asked to set a public hearing for June 15, 2026, and estimated debt service at about $468,378. The Brunswick Fire Department’s 2027-2031 Capital Improvement Plan recommends replacing Engine 1, and Fire Chief Matt Harrington’s memo said Engine 1 and Engine 3 were both bought in 2009, leaving the department with two major apparatus on the same replacement schedule. Both trucks now have high mileage and hours and are becoming more expensive to maintain.

The June 1 agenda also included the Marebrook CFUP, a Davis Fund annual report, a hearing on a mobile home park ordinance, union ratification and appointments committee business. Together, the items showed a council trying to sort growth, capital spending, labor matters and neighborhood rules in public before it moves ahead.