Hermantown council delays data center vote after protests erupt at Monday meeting
Hermantown council delays data center vote after protests
The Hermantown City Council was poised to approve a Google data center in its community Monday night, until protesters disrupted to the meeting to the point where city officials opted to delay it.
HERMANTOWN, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Hermantown City Council was poised to approve a Google data center in its community Monday night, until protesters disrupted the meeting to the point where city officials opted to delay it.
Hermantown council delays data center vote
What we know:
Protesters opposed to the proposed data center in Hermantown gathered outside council chambers Monday night, continuously chanting, "Shut it down!"
The council meeting was supposed to start at 6:30 p.m. About two hours later, City Communications Director Joe Wiklund told the protesters the council meeting would be adjourned, and would continue at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Hermantown Police Chief Jim Crace then gave the protesters a 10-minute warning to leave, or they would be detained and/or arrested for unsafe and unlawful gathering that disrupts the civil process.
The data center has been a source of contention for months in Hermantown, with opposers wanting more details on Google’s plans. Supporters say the proposed data center will bring the community economic growth.
City Council member issues statement
What they're saying:
Hermantown City Council member Andy Hjelle posted a statement on social media after Monday’s council meeting was adjourned.
"Hermantown has always been a town where neighbors can disagree with respect. People care deeply about what happens here, and passionate discussion is part of small-town life. But shouting down a public meeting to the point where our police officers had to declare an unlawful assembly is completely wrong. That is not who we are, and it is not how Hermantown gets things done.
"Tonight, local folks drove down to City Hall just wanting to take part in their local government. Instead, a coordinated disruption took over the room, shouted down normal business, and drowned out the voices of everyday residents. I want to thank the Hermantown Police Department and our emergency personnel. They stepped into a tense, chaotic room and handled it with total professionalism and restraint. Our officers shouldn't be put in that spot just because a council is trying to do the public's work.
"Every candidate running for City Council needs to come out and answer a simple question right now: Do you stand with our local police and the right of every resident to be heard safely, or do you back this kind of disruption and outside activist pressure? Anyone asking to sit at the council table needs to condemn what happened tonight, plain and clear. You cannot claim to lead Hermantown while making excuses for tactics that trash our public process. Tonight was completely unacceptable and not what Hermantown is about.
Over the past year, I’ve listened to neighbors who have real questions and concerns. Listening to those local concerns is the exact reason our council held the line, negotiated a better deal, and locked down strict protections for residential wells and long-term site cleanup. That’s how local government works: by listening, doing the homework, and putting residents first.
Shutting down public meetings and bringing outside political drama into town doesn't pave a single road, lower a single tax bill, or protect our neighborhoods. It just silences Hermantown families.
When this meeting gets rescheduled, I’ll be right in my chair, listening, protecting our taxpayers, and doing the job you elected me to do."
Hermantown data center
The backstory:
Back in October of 2025, the Hermantown City Council voted 4-0 to rezone more than 200 acres of land for the new data center.
Local leaders had previously been criticized for signing non-disclosure agreements regarding the data center's construction. One county commissioner who did so says she regrets the move, calling it a "breach of trust" before announcing that she now supports a ban on the practice.
READ MORE: Hermantown City Council moves forward with controversial data center
Tech companies have been aggressively building data centers across the country to prepare for a potential increase in demand caused by more demand for AI technology.