CLICK HERE to reach out to Jeremy with any story ideas or news tips.
As the state begins to review applications tied to the ’Stratos’ data center project, community members in Box Elder County are exploring their options to put the issue on the ballot.
Box Elder County officials tell FOX 13 News they handed out applications to hold referendums on each of the resolutions that were passed Monday by their county commission. Box Elder County Clerk Marla Young says an application had been filed with their office earlier this week. But it was then withdrawn on Wednesday as the local group looks for more sponsors before moving forward. There are still questions surrounding the legality of those referendums actually being held.
Once the application does reach her desk, Young says she and the county’s attorneys will need to determine where the project could be subject to a referendum. County officials are looking into whether it could be a county-wide or a state-wide referendum, due to the involvement of the state authority, MIDA. If it does get held in the county, Young says it would likely be a land-use referendum, which would bring different voting thresholds and different timelines than usual.
Utah Code shows that for a third-class county like Box Elder, a land use referendum would require signatures from 16% of all the county’s active voters…as well as 16% of voters in at least 75% of the county’s 'voter participation areas'. Our partners at the Salt Lake Tribune report that this would mean the effort needs to gain roughly 5,400 signatures.
Amid what has already been a highly contentious week for the county, the clerk says this could mark another significant moment. If it does happen, she believes this may be the first county referendum held here in a decade or more. Young says the sponsors have five business days after the resolution’s passage, which gives them until Monday, May 11, to file.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
More than 2,300 protest filings challenge water application for Box Elder County data centerCLICK HERE to reach out to Jeremy with any story ideas or news tips.
Read more »
Questions linger after approval of massive Box Elder County data centerQuestions remain in Box Elder County after county commissioners approved plans for what could become the world’s largest data center.Now, many residents say the
Read more »
Box Elder County approves controversial Stratos data center projectDespite protests, the Box Elder County Commission unanimously approved the Stratos data center project, which aims to support military readiness and national defense. The project is expected to provide energy resilience and data storage for defense operations, with revenue supporting infrastructure at Hill Air Force Base and the Utah National Guard. However, local residents and officials have raised concerns about the project's benefits and environmental impact.
Read more »
Box Elder County official faced death threats amid contentious data center debate, defends actionTim Vandenack covers immigration, multicultural issues and Northern Utah for KSL. He worked several years for the Standard-Examiner in Ogden and has lived and reported in Mexico, Chile and along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Read more »
State agencies start scrutinizing Box Elder County data center projectBen Winslow is a reporter with FOX 13 covering a variety of topics including government, the Great Salt Lake, vice and polygamy.
Read more »
California county discovers trove of unopened ballots from last election in a locked boxThe Humbolt County Office of Elections made an unnerving discovery Monday — a stack of 596 sealed ballots from the most recent election left at the bottom a locked voting drop box.
Read more »