Festus voters oust all incumbents after approving $6 billion data center deal

Festus voters delivered a sweeping rebuke to their city council after officials approved a $6 billion data center on the edge of town, ousting all four incumbents on the ballot and handing victory to four challengers who campaigned on transparency and opposition to the deal.

The winners were Karl Weekley, Allen Joseph McCarthy, Dan Moore and Rick Belleville. Belleville beat incumbent Jim Tinnin 527 to 158 in Ward 4, a margin that reflected the scale of the backlash in the Mississippi River community of about 12,000 people.

The city council had approved the project on March 30 in a 6-2 vote after two hours of public comment at a packed special meeting at Festus High School. The ordinance created a framework for developer CRG, the data center arm of Clayco, on about 360 wooded acres north of U.S. 67 and west of Old England Road.

City officials had tried to sell the project as an economic prize. In a March 20 statement, the city said the development would bring an estimated $6 billion initial investment, about $1.3 billion in property taxes, utility taxes and community benefit payments over 25 years, roughly $45 million in community benefit payments over 10 years, and up to $5 million for a new firehouse. The city also said it negotiated a voluntary buyout program for some nearby homes on Glenkee Court and other eligible properties.

Many residents were not persuaded. The backlash centered on concerns over water use, electricity demand, noise, secrecy and the broader future of the neighborhood. Critics said they still did not know basic facts about the facility, including who would operate it, and some residents argued that city leaders had not been candid about how the deal was negotiated.

Those concerns have now moved into court. Wake Up JeffCo and four property owners filed suit on April 10 in St. Louis County, seeking to reverse the rezoning and the development agreement. The lawsuit alleges unlawful private meetings and violations of Missouri’s Sunshine Law.

The political fallout may not stop with the election. Opponents are also gathering signatures for a recall effort against the mayor and the remaining council members, underscoring how deeply the project has divided Festus just as the new council prepares to take office. The new members were scheduled to be sworn in Monday evening at City Hall.

Festus is hardly alone. In Port Washington, Wisconsin, voters recently approved a referendum by about 66 percent that placed new limits on large development incentives, while a recent Wisconsin poll found 70 percent of voters believe the costs of large data centers outweigh the benefits. Across both states, the fight has become less about one building than about who gets to decide how much land, power and water a community is willing to surrender for the data-center economy.