SUBSTITUTE
Public Hearing: YES ☐ NO ☒ Department: Board of Commissioners - District 6
SUBJECT:
Title
Commission District(s): All Commission Districts
To Request an Allocation Split Evenly Across All Commission Districts To Support A Countywide Independent, Third-Party Health And Environmental Study Of Data Centers And Their Possible Impact On The County Not To Exceed $150,000.
Body
Information Contact: Commissioner Edward C. “Ted” Terry
Phone Number: 404-371-4909
PURPOSE:
To request an allocation split evenly across all commission Districts to support a countywide independent, third-party Health And Environmental Study Of Data Centers and their possible impact on the County not to exceed $150,000.
NEED/IMPACT:
For over a year, DeKalb County has been researching data centers to establish a definition, regulatory guidelines, and development standards for the County’s code. Throughout this process, new information continues to be discovered about data centers and their possible impact on residents’ health and environment, one example being the increase of the heat island effect. An independent health and environmental study will ensure a thorough investigation of the impact data centers may cause, reviewing details such as, but not limited to: heat, water use, wastewater, backup generators, noise and light pollution, mitigation efforts during times of drought or intense energy need, and testing requirements for water, air, and noise to ensure the County has a full understanding and all necessary information to develop needed regulatory guidelines of data centers for DeKalb County. Further, this study will also include involvement of stakeholders, research of the current state of health, socio-economic, and environmental factors within DeKalb, identification of overburdened areas in DeKalb, and evidence-based best-practices the Board should consider for specific ordinance language to mitigate possible negative impacts. The Board of Commissioners requests Purchasing and Contracting to establish a Request for Proposal to ensure the best vendor may be chosen.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Estimated $150,000 total for a DeKalb Countywide Independent, Third-Party Health and Environmental Study of Data Centers.
$21,428.57 committed from the Super District 6 ARP Interest Fund 00206.582206.100.000.0000
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommended Action
To approve the allocation and authorize the Chief Executive Officer or her designee to execute all necessary documents.