WELLSVILLE — Village council is considering an injunction to stop a proposed data center in Yellow Creek Township.

Council has asked village solicitor Chris Weeda to research the options on what steps need to be taken to file the injunction.

Council members unanimously agreed on the action Tuesday after council President Keith Thorn reported receiving information at a recent Columbiana County Port Authority meeting regarding the data center and based on that information he was withdrawing any support for the data center.

Thorn said he was basically told by an Emergency Management Agency (EMA) member that the owners of the business that plan to build the data center are throwing money toward Highlandtown Volunteer Fire Department, offering them new fire trucks and other benefits in an effort to the approval for the data center, which Thorn noted would be located on property that is partially in the village limits.

“I think this is getting ugly and I’m withdrawing my support for the data center,” Thorn said. “I don’t think they should run any line through Wellsville to get to the Ohio River.”

Thorn also brought up the sewage plant and said that the village would have to pay to get the plant revamped because it would not be able to handle usage by the data center and he doesn’t believe they should be allowed to tie into the village sewage plant.

Thorn also said drawing from information obtained from national news that data centers emit a noise that can cause problems with livestock which could result in livestock not laying eggs or producing milk, and it could also cause potential problems to humans as well.

Thorn said he was also against the data center now because of complaints he has heard of that data centers take all kinds of water and drain ground wells which results in wells no longer working.

“I think people that are going to suffer are Wellsville and the lower part of Yellow Creek Township while the upper part of Yellow Creek Township will live like kings,” Thorn said. “You got a fire department six miles away or more to respond to this and who is going to be the fire department there? Wellsville. And what is Wellsville getting out it? Nothing.”

Thorn then asked the council members their thoughts on it and suggested to council members the village seek an injunction to stop the data center.

Council Member Cindy Mick said while there was still a lot she didn’t know about the data center, she was starting to agree with Thorn, and that while she feels they may not be able to stop it, they have been stopped in the past and hopefully they will be able to stop it.

She said if the village is not going to get anything out of it, then hopefully they can stop it.

Council Member Aaron Smith also agreed with Thorn.

After hearing what council members had to say, Thorn made a motion to have Weeda seek an injunction against the company.

Weeda suggested looking into it and doing some research for it first and then make the decision because there are some things that will need to be established before seeking an injunction.