City Administrator’s Corner
By: Aaron Oppenheimer, Sun Prairie City Administrator
August is a special month here in Sun Prairie – the long-awaited Corn Fest season is upon us! But, while there is always time for the festivities, your City Staff is hard at work behind the scenes. Read on for a few kernels of news fresh from City Hall.
As a reminder, Council recently adopted an ordinance adjusting our polling locations from eight to four, one in each district. This change goes into effect starting with the August 11 partisan primary election. To see your polling place and learn what is on the ballot, visit MyVote.wi.gov.
We are excited to announce that we have appointed Penny Holler, MPA, to serve as Assistant City Administrator. Throughout the recruitment process, Penny distinguished herself as an experienced, intelligent, and collaborative leader. Her background in municipal operations, economic development, and organizational leadership, combined with her genuine commitment to public service will make her an outstanding addition to our leadership team. We are looking forward to welcoming her in September.
Last fall, the Council directed City staff to review the City’s ordinances and policies related to potential data center development. In response, we created a cross-departmental Data Center Workgroup to research the potential impacts of data centers, evaluate existing regulations, and develop recommendations for Council’s consideration.
To be clear, there are no proposed data center developments in Sun Prairie at this time. However, as data center development has expanded across the country, and as several high-profile proposals have emerged in our region, the City has decided to take a proactive approach to understanding what a future data center development could mean for our community. The goal of this workgroup is to establish clear policies, expectations, and thoughtful decision-making framework in advance.
The Data Center Workgroup is beginning report-outs to committees and commissions this month. Residents are welcome to attend to learn more about the status of our findings and next steps. The first presentation will be at the Sun Prairie Utilities Commission Meeting on Monday, August 17. To learn more and make plans to view or attend an upcoming meeting, visit the city website.
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