The Village of Keksokee held a public hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 5 p.m. to discuss the need for a moratorium on consideration or approval of applications for data centers or artificial intelligence and adopting an ordinance imposing a moratorium.
Back in August, Dodge County approved an 18-month-long ordinance for a moratorium on data centers. However, some communities do not fall under the Dodge County zoning ordinance, including Village of Keksokee. This means that the moratorium approved by Dodge County does not apply to communities like Kekoskee and they need to pass their own ordinance if they want a moratorium. They first, however, are required to hold a public hearing to get the public’s opinion on the need for a moratorium. For this potential moratorium, the Village Board decided to look at and follow the same structure as Dodge County.
There were seven people in the audience for the public hearing. One lady, who was very much for the moratorium, asked if the Village is required to follow the county’s ordinance exactly, or if they are able to make changes. Since the village isn’t under the county’s zoning ordinance and have to put up their own moratorium ordinance, they are able to amend the proposed ordinance however they wish. The same woman asked that the village consider extending the moratorium from 18 months to 24 months to allow for extra time to research the potential environmental harms data centers have.
The audience also brought up concerns about the lack of transparency that was seen with the data center in Beaver Dam, and hopes if a data center were to ever be put up in Kekoskee, that the village, land owners and contractors would be completely transparent to community members.
While feedback was overwhelmingly in favor of the moratorium, an attendee noted that data centers and AI fulfill a real technology demand and can be acceptable if strictly regulated and properly sited. Village President, Don Hilgendorf, then commented how this moratorium is a way to proactively research and get these proper regulations.
Regular Board Meeting
Following the public hearing was the regular Village of Kekoskee Board meeting at 5:26 p.m. After approving the agenda as presented and the minutes of the previous meeting on Sept. 20, the board unanimously approved the need and ordinance for a moratorium on data centers and extended the proposal to the requested upon 24 months.
According to the ordinance, a “data center” is described as any building, equipment, structure or other stationary item which exceeds the threshold provided in the ordinance, and which contains electronic equipment used to process, store and transmit digital information for use. The ordinance does clarify that this does not include computer servers or equipment that provides information technology services to a company, such as a bank. This moratorium will be in effect for a minimum of 24 months with the option near the end to have another public hearing and voting to potentially extend the moratorium if felt necessary. This ordinance applies throughout the entire Village of Kekoskee.
The board also appointed Tin Gutjahr to serve the remainder of Gordon Weiss’ term in the Board of Adjustment. This is because Gordon Weiss recently moved out of the Kekoskee area, meaning he can no longer serve the term. Weiss’ term ends on June 30, 2028, and although Gotjahr is taking his spot on the board, it is uncertain if he will also take on the secretary role.
The board discussed several other items on their agenda:
Approved annual village hall deep cleaning proposal for $300
Approved 2027 Kekoskee Fire Department contract with reduced rate to $0.75 per thousand of valuation
Approved 2026-’27 snow removal rate and contract with Town and Country; they also made mention that if there is ever any issue with plowing to let the board know
Approved a $1,500 spending limit for live music for 2027 park event, which will also allow them to book a band more in advanced
Briefly looked over their 2027 Budget proposal and adjusted where they saw fit
Approved the payment of bills and payroll for a total of $32,507.13
At the end of the meeting, the board went into closed session to discuss the possible employment of two individuals. Afterwards, they reopened the meeting where they approved and announced the hiring of Katie Reible and Lisa Eggers as assistant to the deputy clerk. Both individuals will be part-time. A start date is still to be determined.
Coming up on the board calendar is the election beginning on Nov. 3 with polls opening at 7 a.m., and the 2027 Budget Hearing followed by the regular board meeting Nov. 15 and 5 p.m.
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