Council to consider dueling data center moratoriums

Montgomery County Council member Will Jawando plans to introduce a two-year moratorium on new permits for data centers at Tuesday’s council meeting — creating an unusual competition between two related bills as the upcoming election continues to impact council business.

Council member Evan Glass introduced legislation proposing a six-month moratorium on Tuesday.

Both council members are running for county executive in the June 23 Democratic primary, alongside council member Andrew Friedson and two other candidates.

Jawando will propose a longer moratorium on new data center permits — two years.

Jawando announced his intention to introduce the moratorium at a Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund rally in March. But Glass was the first to formally introduce legislation.

Neither council member has cosponsors for his bill, and there is no major difference between the two other than the length of the proposed moratoriums.

It is unusual for members of the council to introduce such similar bills so close in time. They will often collaborate on legislation or combine bills with similar goals.

But the data center question has been a hot topic in the county executive race, particularly as the county considers whether to approve a development in Dickerson, which has been controversial with community members.

Friedson has not introduced related legislation, but he issued a statement in March saying data centers should have to “pay their own way” by “protecting local ratepayers.”

Residents and county officials worry that data centers will increase water and air pollution and raise energy bills. There are at least four data centers in Montgomery County, according to the planning board.

Glass has previously tried to rein in data centers. He filed a bill this year to create a task force to assess the potential impacts of future centers, but that bill did not make it out of committee.

“I’m encouraged to see more members of council finally starting to recognize the concerns surrounding data centers,” he said when asked about Jawando’s intention to introduce his own bill.

Glass has tried to position himself as the climate-conscious candidate, citing his legislative work on building energy codes and expanding food composting, among other programs. He’s endorsed by the Sierra Club.

Jawando’s effort may indicate his desire to focus more on climate issues ahead of the election.

“In two years, there will still be demand to build data centers,” Jawando said at the March rally. “But what we can’t get back is clean water once it’s gone. We can’t get back affordable electricity once we’ve locked families into higher bills.”

David Kunes, a spokesperson for Jawando, said more information will be shared at a news conference Tuesday. A spokesperson for Glass did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

Two municipal leaders advocate to put police officers back in schools

Gaithersburg City Council member Yamil Hernández and Rockville City Council member Adam Van Grack are calling for Montgomery County to reinstate a program to put a police officer in every high school.

Citing the Feb. 9 shooting at Wootton High School in Rockville and other incidents, the officials said in a joint statement Thursday that having police on Montgomery County Public Schools campuses could prevent similar problems.

“School safety isn’t just about how quickly someone responds after a crisis begins. It’s about whether a trusted professional is present before the crisis,” they said. “Someone students know, someone they trust, someone they will talk to when something feels wrong.”

MCPS in 2021 ended its school resource officer program, which placed officers in high schools. The decision was made amid a national reckoning over how law enforcement officers treat Black people and local concerns that school-based officers disproportionately arrested children of color.

The district replaced the program with community engagement officers – police who patrol the neighborhoods surrounding campuses and check in on schools each day.

The Wootton shooting reinvigorated debate over the change.

Friedson in April sent a letter “formally requesting that Montgomery County Police and Montgomery County Public Schools convene and develop a strategy to permanently assign sworn law enforcement officers on-site in every MCPS High School.”

Hernández and Van Grack said a new school resource officer program should include changes to the previous model, including “rigorous selection standards, specialized training and clear accountability.”

“Officers should have no role in student discipline,” the statement said. “There must be transparent reporting, meaningful student and parent feedback, and a clear process to remove officers who are not the right fit.”