This story is part of our Quick Hits series. This series brings you breaking news and short updates from throughout the state.
A petition failed to challenge the annexation of land outside of Cheyenne for the development of a data center by Microsoft.
The City Clerk announced on Tuesday the result of the August petition that opposed an ordinance made by the Cheyenne City Council in July. The opposition surrounded a decision by the city council to annex nearly 3,500 acres of land, most of which is meant for the data center.
“Because the petition fell short of the required number of signatures, [the ordinance] will remain in place as passed by City Council,” the clerk’s announcement said.
The petition needed signatures from 10% of voters in the city, or about 2,700 people. After review by the city clerk, it fell short with just shy of 1,800 signatures. If the petition had reached the signature threshold, Cheyenne voters would have had the opportunity to vote for or against the annexation.
The city council heard about five hours of public testimony about the decision during their July meeting. Most of the objections to the annexation cited a desire to slow down data center development.
The failed petition follows a failed May moratorium proposal to stop data center development in the city for one year.
