Guilderland draft minutes report one-year data-center moratorium.

Guilderland's posted draft minutes for September 15 report a unanimous Town Board vote to adopt a one-year moratorium on data centers. The Board extended the six-month period in the original proposal and removed a proposed relief provision.

The record is still marked draft. It is included in the October 6 meeting packet, where approval of those minutes is on the agenda. The reproduced law also makes its effective date depend on filing with the New York Secretary of State. That filing date has not been verified for this article.

From six months to one year

The draft minutes, printed page 93, record Motion 159 adopting Local Law No. 5 of 2026 with two changes: replacing the six-month references with one year and striking the section titled Relief from Provisions. All five Board members are recorded as voting in favor.

The law reproduced immediately after the motion uses the one-year period. Its stated purpose is to give the Town time to consider zoning and code changes addressing data-center siting and construction.

The text identifies concerns about electricity demand, energy costs, water-system capacity, fire protection, noise, waste, and other potential impacts. These are the reasons stated for the Town's review, not findings about a particular proposed facility.

Applications, construction, and expansion

Section 4 of the reproduced law, printed page 94, would prohibit the Town from accepting, processing, or approving applications for data-center siting, establishment, installation, construction, modification, or enlargement during the moratorium.

The definition includes facilities housing computer banks or modular processors, server clusters, cryptocurrency mining, blockchain authentication, artificial-intelligence processing, and general data computing and storage. It does not state a numerical power-demand threshold. Whether a particular operation falls within that definition requires review of the actual proposal and the applicable text.

The reported removal of the relief section matters to applicants: the Board's motion does not preserve that proposed exception process. The reproduced enforcement provision provides for a civil fine of up to $5,000, with each day of a continuing violation treated as a new violation.

The filing date matters

The text says the one-year period begins with filing at the Secretary of State. It provides for expiration one year after the effective date, unless renewed, or earlier if the Town Board resolves that the need for the moratorium no longer exists.

The September 15 meeting date alone therefore does not establish the start or end of the moratorium. Before relying on a deadline or planning a submission, applicants should confirm the filed law and its filing date with the Town Clerk.

A moratorium is a temporary measure, not the permanent zoning rules that may follow. The next records to watch are the filed local law, approved minutes, and any proposed zoning amendments or action to end or extend the pause.