The Mexico City Council has extended the data center moratorium until the end of November following a lengthy discussion Monday night.

The last item on Monday’s docket was a staff report presented by Deputy City Manager Drew Williford regarding the proposed ordinance regulating data centers within city limits. During the discussion, the council decided it needed more time to gather information and hear citizen input at the public hearing scheduled for Nov. 9.

Waiting until after the public hearing to revise the ordinance and bring it back to city council for a vote would not leave the city enough time before the original moratorium expired. Council members therefore agreed to extend the moratorium until Nov. 30.

“We’ll hold the public hearing at the next meeting, gather that input, and include that within the ordinance to be drafted and prepared for the second meeting in November for additional consideration,” Bruce Slagle, city manager, said.

The second November meeting is scheduled for Nov. 23 at 6 p.m.

Prior to the meeting, the city asked residents to review the ordinance and submit their feedback online through Nov. 4. As of Monday, Williford said feedback had not yet been received by city staff. The deadline for public comment has also been extended to Nov. 9 at 4 p.m.

Public comments can be emailed directly to dhouchins@mexicomissouri.org, and a draft of the ordinance can be found on the City of Mexico’s website.

“Our goal in all of this is to make sure everyone knows everything that’s going on,” Williford said.