Meeting report · Committee of the Whole
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Committee of the Whole — March 18, 2026
The meeting featured heavy public testimony (12 speakers) focused on intense quality-of-life concerns and allegations of political targeting, coupled with internal board deliberations that required deferring key decisions.
Public impact
Issues from this meeting with documented community impact.
01
Data Center Zoning and Utility Impact
Potential for significant increases in noise/vibration pollution, increased strain on the electrical grid (potential brownouts), and high water consumption. Affected: Residents living near industrial/commercial zones (M1, M2, ORI) and all utility ratepayers.
zoning change
Decisions logged
Every recorded vote, with timestamps and dissents.
Approval of minutes for Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
Motion made by Alderwoman Smith, seconded by Alderwoman Garza.
Motion carries by voice vote.
Addition of Ordinance M-26-0154 to the consent agenda.
Ordinance prohibiting groundwater use as potable supply at the Royal Laundry site.
Approved
Addition of Resolution 26-0076 to the consent agenda.
Authorization for a negotiator vehicle for the APD Crisis Negotiator Team.
Approved
Resolution authorizing L3 Harris system maintenance agreement (26-00-091).
Amount: $289,100.
Placed on consent agenda
Resolution for citywide pavement patching (26-01-37).
Amount: $1,058,300.
Placed on consent agenda
Resolution for Star Avenue water main replacement (26-01-38).
Awarded to Gerardi Water and Sewer Company for $467,106.
Placed on consent agenda
Ordinance amending Alcoholic Liquor definitions (26-00-098).
Relates to new casino classifications.
Added to consent agenda
Motion to amend the zoning ordinance to increase setbacks to 0.5 miles (2,640 feet) for data center structures from residential, educational, and healthcare districts.
Alderman Baid made the motion; it was withdrawn to allow for further discussion and drafting with staff for the next meeting.
Withdrawn
Consensus on the direction of the ordinance.
The majority of aldermen expressed a preference to proceed with the staff recommendation rather than the Plan Commission's recommendation, though formal votes were not finalized.
Preliminary Consensus
Move items 260112, 260114, and 260115 to unfinished business for the March 24th City Council meeting.
These items related to the data center ordinance were not finalized and will be revisited.
Unanimous (implied by procedural instruction)
Add item 260155 (Property Acquisition) to the consent agenda.
Ordinance regarding property acquisition on the east side of North Farnsworth Avenue.
Approved
Add item 260170 (Airport Lease Extension) to the consent agenda.
Short-term lease extension for FR2 Incorporated at the Aurora Airport.
Approved
Add item 260175 (Transportation Services) to the consent agenda.
Emergency procurement for Go Go Grandparent transportation services through August 31, 2026.
Approved
Adjournment of the meeting.
Motion by Alderwoman Smith, seconded by Alderman Michael Saville.
Approved
Topics discussed
Click a topic to expand quotes and full context.
▶ 00:39 Approval of Minutes
The committee reviewed and approved the minutes from the meeting held on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker, Alderwoman Smith, Alderwoman Garza
▶ 01:02 Mayor's Report
The Mayor highlighted the upcoming grand opening of fire stations 9 and 13, announced summer camp registrations, and announced his first State of the City address.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 04:37 ComEd Power Usage and Data Centers
A discussion regarding ComEd's projected power demands, potential brownouts by 2029, and the impact of large-load data center users on residential power bills.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 09:10 Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) Presentation
Xiaojuan Liu from the Electronic Frontier Foundation presented on the importance of Illinois' BIPA, specifically regarding facial recognition and corporate accountability.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 21:04 Public Comment
Multiple residents provided testimony regarding data center regulations, specifically focusing on noise levels, zoning, and quality of life impacts.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 55:59 BZNE Committee Report
Report on an ordinance prohibiting the use of groundwater as a potable supply at the old Royal Laundry site.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 56:29 Finance Committee Report
The Finance Committee report noted that the March 12, 2026, meeting was cancelled.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 57:44 Purchasing Agreement for Negotiator Vehicle
Discussion regarding an agreement with LDV Custom Specialty Vehicles for an APD Crisis Negotiator Team vehicle.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 58:54 Government Operations Committee Report: Signage
Discussion regarding a new quarterly written report to track signage changes and requests in various wards via a Public Works Excel database.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 60:42 IT Committee Report
Presentation of resolutions for system maintenance agreements, citywide pavement patching, and water main replacement projects.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 61:03 PHST Committee Report
Discussion regarding new quarterly reporting for parking and speed studies, including traffic signal databases and signage updates.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 64:09 RAP Committee Report: Liquor Ordinance
Amendment to the Code of Ordinances regarding alcoholic liquor classifications to accommodate a new casino.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 66:09 RAP Committee Report: Data Center Regulatory Framework
A comprehensive presentation of four intertwined ordinances (including the Responsible Data Center Ordinance and Data Center Privacy Protection Ordinance) designed to regulate data center operations, zoning, noise, water, energy, and data privacy. Later discussion covered noise/vibration standards, parking/decommissioning, building code amendments, warehouse/zoning requirements, proposed amendments including increased setbacks and decibel limits, utility rates/infrastructure costs, and moratorium extension.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 249:58 New Business: Property Acquisition, Leases, and Transportation Services
Review of agenda items including property acquisition by eminent domain, an airport lease extension, and emergency procurement for senior transportation services.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
Controversy & dissent
Where the board, the community, or the agenda diverged.
Potentially controversial issues
01
Data Center Regulatory Framework
The regulation of data centers involves complex trade-offs between economic development (tax revenue) and resident quality of life (noise, vibration, energy, and water usage). Residents expressed significant fear regarding zoning setbacks and the inadequacy of proposed fines.
Board position: The board expressed a preliminary consensus to follow staff recommendations over the Plan Commission's more restrictive recommendations, though they deferred final votes to allow for further technical drafting.
Internal dissent
Alderman Baid introduced a motion to increase setbacks to 0.5 miles, which was eventually withdrawn to allow for further staff drafting, indicating a lack of immediate consensus on the level of restriction.
high concern
Community vs. board tension
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Action items
Who owes what, by when.
Develop a quarterly report for parking and speed studies, including an Excel database tracking signage changes and application statuses.
Assigned: Staff/Public Works
Forward specific requests regarding parking or traffic signals to the PHST committee.
Assigned: Aldermen
Maintain Excel database of signage changes and include status (approved/denied) and ward in quarterly reports.
Assigned: Public Works · Due: Quarterly
Ensure constituent requests for signage are logged through proper channels (e.g., 311) to ensure tracking.
Assigned: Aldermanic Aids
Redo maps to demonstrate the impact of a 2,640-foot (0.5 mile) setback on available M1, M2, and ORI parcels.
Assigned: Staff/Legal
Investigate previous ordinances regarding high-value fines (e.g., the $50,000 fine mentioned by Alderman Franco) to determine what is legally permissible.
Assigned: Legal
Work together to refine proposed amendments (setbacks, zoning, and noise levels) for the next meeting.
Assigned: Alderman Baid / Staff
Check with the Naperville Township Assessor regarding property tax revenue for Cyrus One.
Assigned: Speaker S46 / Staff
Provide the one-page document describing the differences between the city ordinance and the state Power Act.
Assigned: Speaker S54 (Allison Lindberg)
Prepare maps regarding distance requirements and explore reasonable decibel level reductions for the next meeting.
Assigned: Speaker S55 / Staff · Due: Next week
Upload updated research, maps, and finalized FAQ to Legistar and the city website.
Assigned: Speaker S69 / Staff
Notable statements
BIPA is the gold standard... it bans businesses from collecting or disclosing a person's biometric information... without their opting consents. — Xiaojuan Liu · Explaining the protections provided by the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act. ▶ 13:59
We don't want to rely on going back to a thirty-day moratorium extension... this has to pass on March 24th. — Anonymous Resident · Urging the council to pass strict data center regulations in one piece to avoid loopholes. ▶ 21:04
The city has reverted some of those major protective measures that was previously agreed upon... restrictions have been rolled back to include O1 and M1 zones. — Abhi Chaudhary · Criticizing the city for relaxing zoning restrictions for data centers near residential areas. ▶ 35:54
The intention is to gather information on what a policy would look like... there will be more legislative text at some point. — Jason Bauer (Public Works) · Explaining the current stage of the signage reporting policy. ▶ 61:19
Our current moratorium... expires on March 24th... if we don't have new legislation or extend the moratorium that will leave a gap. — John Curley (Chief Development Services Officer) · Urgency regarding the data center regulatory framework timing. ▶ 69:09
We will also be prohibiting modular nuclear installation. — Allison Lindberg (Director of Sustainability) · Detailing energy and resource requirements for data centers. ▶ 79:00
We will also be requiring that we receive an annual compliance certification [for BIPA]... so that if the state law changes, then the data centers that are operating in Aurora will still be operating responsibly. — Allison Lindberg (Director of Sustainability) · Explaining the local data privacy protections regarding biometric identifiers. ▶ 90:00
We can't ban them completely because that's not allowed, and we can't craft an ordinance that makes them legal on paper but essentially bans them in practice. — Unidentified speaker · Explaining the legal risk of 'exclusionary zoning' regarding noise and setback requirements. ▶ 140:18
If you're gonna be talking about changing behavior, you gotta make it have some teeth... if you find me a dollar a day and I'm making a hundred dollars, what do I care? — Unidentified speaker · Arguing that the proposed $1,000 per day fine may not be sufficient to deter multi-million dollar data center companies. ▶ 160:00
My recommendation is, forty-nine decibels from seven AM to seven PM and thirty-nine 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM. — Speaker S47 (Shweta Baid) · Proposing specific noise limits to mitigate wind-blown sound from data centers. ▶ 187:46
The utility tax is... about ten thousand dollars a megawatt. — Speaker S54 (Allison Lindberg) · Providing an estimate of the revenue the city expects to receive from a large data center (e.g., $1M per 90-100MW facility). ▶ 190:09
We will be requiring the data centers to either bring some of their own energy... or we will be asking them to have battery storage. — Speaker S54 (Allison Lindberg) · Proposed strategies to mitigate the strain on the electrical grid. ▶ 195:56
Every decibel that you're reducing is a ten percent reduction, and then you're compounding ten percent reductions. — Unidentified speaker · Explaining the logarithmic nature of decibel scales during the discussion on lowering noise thresholds. ▶ 225:59
Member positions
3 issues · 0 explicit · 0 inferred
Juany Garza
Present
Alderwoman Ward 2
Approval of Minutes
YES
✓
Supported approval of minutes
Michael Saville
Present
Alderman Ward 6
Adjournment of the meeting
YES
✓
Supported adjournment
Patty Smith
Present
Alderwoman Ward 8
Approval of Minutes
YES
✓
Supported approval of minutes
Adjournment of the meeting
YES
✓
Supported adjournment
Shweta Baid
Present
Alderwoman Ward 10
Data Center Regulatory Framework
✓
Proposed increasing setbacks to 0.5 miles for data centers
Data Center Regulatory Framework
✓
Proposed specific noise limits: 49dB (day) and 39dB (night)
Positions marked ~ are inferred from context and may not reflect the member's explicitly stated position.
Public comment
What residents said — verbatim, with timestamps.
12
Total speakers
0
Addressed
0
Partial
12
Not addressed
Anonymous Aurora resident
Not addressed
The speaker urged the board to work together to pass clean data center ordinances on March 24th to prevent loopholes. They expressed concern that failing to pass strict regulations could allow new applicants to bypass oversight or use hardship applications.
Key concern
Urgent need to pass strict data center regulations to prevent companies from exploiting loopholes or old rules.
The board did not respond to this specific speaker during the public comment section; the meeting moved to the next speaker.
Manuel Fernando Cardoza
Not addressed
The speaker suggested testing the influence of the unofficial Aurora Civilian Council (ACC) by attempting to remove an unrepresentative alderman via petition or emergency election. He also mentioned plans to stream city meetings on YouTube with Spanish subtitles.
Key concern
Testing the political influence of citizens to ensure proper representation in specific wards.
The board did not respond to this speaker.
Mavis Bates
Not addressed
The speaker thanked staff for the data center report and advocated for proper zoning to protect residents from noise, vibrations, and resource depletion. She emphasized the need to balance economic development and union jobs with the quality of life for neighbors.
Key concern
Protecting residents from noise, vibrations, and competition for energy and water from data centers through better zoning.
The board did not respond to this speaker.
Rick Lawrence
Not addressed
The speaker accused the Mayor of using public comments to target specific aldermen and orchestrate a campaign to replace them to further a 'green agenda.' He characterized these tactics as corrupt and selective in their application of ethics claims.
Key concern
Allegations of political targeting and corruption regarding the Mayor's handling of certain aldermen.
The board did not respond to this speaker.
Abhi Chaudhary
Not addressed
The speaker noted that the city appears to have rolled back protective measures previously agreed upon with the Planning and Zoning Commission. He specifically highlighted concerns regarding rezoning (moving from M2 to O1/M1), increased allowable decibel levels, and notification procedures.
Key concern
Reversal of previously agreed-upon protections regarding data center zoning, noise levels, and resident notification.
The speaker was cut off by the clerk before finishing his comment; no response was given.
Kay Evans
Not addressed
Living near a data center, the speaker testified that noise levels are significantly higher and more intrusive than the decibel levels suggested by officials. He expressed fear that increasing the number of data centers would exacerbate the current noise issues.
Key concern
The actual noise levels from existing data centers are much higher than reported and impact quality of life.
The board did not respond to this speaker.
Laura Evans
Not addressed
The speaker requested increased separation distances between homes and data centers and lower decibel limits. She also questioned the actual property tax revenue generated by data centers and expressed concern over neighborhood brownouts.
Key concern
Increasing setback distances, lowering decibel limits, and verifying the economic/utility impact of data centers.
The board did not respond to this speaker.
Leo Wright
Not addressed
The speaker described feeling constant noise and vibrations from a nearby data center, stating that current sound walls are ineffective. He urged the city to enforce existing ordinances against current facilities and demanded third-party engineering reports to verify noise claims.
Key concern
Failure to enforce existing noise/vibration ordinances against current data center operators (specifically Cyrus One).
The board did not respond to this speaker.
Danielle Fisher
Not addressed
The speaker urged the city to lead by setting stricter standards than state requirements, specifically regarding distance and decibels. She questioned the effectiveness of 'tier four fans' and suggested limiting data centers to M1 and M2 zones rather than ORI.
Key concern
The need for Aurora to set higher-than-state standards for setbacks, noise, and zoning classifications.
The board did not respond to this speaker.
Kathy
Not addressed
The speaker discussed the potential for AI data centers to require massive amounts of water and energy, which could burden taxpayers. She expressed concern about the proximity of these facilities to homes and churches.
Key concern
The high consumption of natural resources (water/energy) by AI data centers and its impact on residents.
The board did not respond to this speaker.
Julie Maraz
Not addressed
The speaker shared personal measurements showing noise levels far exceeding proposed limits and argued that fines should be increased. She urged the council to increase separation distances and consider the impact of noise on long-term residents.
Key concern
Inadequacy of proposed decibel limits and fines to deter non-compliance by large companies.
The board did not respond to this speaker.
Akshay Chaudhary
Not addressed
The speaker pointed out contradictions in the proposed setback distances and requested continuous, online noise monitoring. He also emphasized the need to address existing data centers rather than just new applicants.
Key concern
Contradictory setback proposals and the need for transparent, continuous noise monitoring.
The speaker was allowed to finish, but the board did not engage in a direct response during the public comment period.
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Report composed by
grok-4.3, gemma-4-26b, grok-4.20-0309-reasoning, grok-4-fast · analyzed 2026-05-30.