(The Center Square) – The Atlanta City Council will discuss creating a data center task force when it meets Monday, Aug. 17.
The proposed 23-member task force will consider best practices regarding the regulation of data centers, including their effects on electricity, water supply, noise and the tax digest, according to the resolution sponsored by councilmembers Kelsea Bond, Jason Dozier, Jason Winston, Liliana Bakhtiari, Andrea L. Boone, Antonio Lewis, Michael Julian Bond, Matt Westmoreland, and Eshé Collins.
The task force will hold at least six public meetings and two public hearings, according to the resolution. A draft of recommendations will be made to the City Council and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens within 150 days. A final report is due within 180 days.
The number of data centers in Georgia is growing, with more than 200 statewide, according to the Georgia Data Center Ordinance Hub created by Georgia Tech. Thirty-nine cities or counties have issued moratoriums on data center development since September 25, 2025, according to the website.
DeKalb County, Atlanta’s neighbor to the east, is being sued over its moratorium, which was extended until Sept. 26, according to WSB-TV. Shadowbox Studios is seeking $30 million in damages in its lawsuit and claims that county officials told the company that it could build a data center on its property.
Sixteen new data centers are listed in development, according to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
The latest is OpenAI, which announced in July that it is building a large data center in Effingham County, near Savannah. The company said it has contracted with Georgia Power for 3.2 GW of power, which it will receive in phases between 2028 and 2032. The impact on the water supply will be minimal because a closed-loop system will recirculate water, according to the announcement.
Some concerns about data centers are overblown, said Debbie Jennings, senior policy manager with the nonpartisan National Taxpayers Union, in an interview with The Center Square. Data centers provide additional tax revenue to a community and sometimes sign agreements for community projects.
“Moratoriums not only pause development but it also pauses any negotiation that you could make with individual developers,” Jennings said. “You’re shutting yourself out from those discussions on any specific benefits you want to get for your taxpayers such as property tax revenue and great infrastructure upgrades.”