PALO, Iowa (KCRG) – Palo Mayor Bryan Busch responded to an i9 investigation surrounding documents TV9 obtained through a freedom of information request about a proposed Google data center at a city council meeting, addressing an investigation into documents surrounding a closed meeting with Linn County officials in early February.
Linn County announced last month that Google had stopped working with Linn County to build a new data center south of the former Duane Arnold Nuclear plant. The company now plans to annex the land into Palo and negotiate terms with that city.
Questions around the timeline and reasons for that decision remain unclear and pit local communities against each other.
Dispute centers on February meeting
The dispute appears to center on a Linn County meeting on Feb. 5. The public notice and minutes from that meeting only show supervisors met in closed session. But emails obtained through an open records request show Palo city leaders were also there…