Sepulveda: I had another meeting with Eneus. We are still not getting all the answers we need.

I recently traveled to another Texas city that already has multiple data centers operating. I didn’t tour inside the facilities, but I did see them up close. I was paying attention to the footprint and especially the noise. There was none. The car I was in was louder than anything coming from those sites.

 

That community has embraced data centers because they are within their city limits and they’ve put ordinances in place that work for them. You can see the investment in their community, and in many ways those projects are helping support their tax base.

 

But they are not Harlingen.

 

One of the biggest takeaways for me was how different their operations are. They are using more advanced systems that don’t rely on water for cooling. That matters. They also shared that their power infrastructure had to expand significantly to support that growth, going from one substation to several.

 

I made that trip with board members of EDC and HWWS, along with staff from both, City staff, and Commissioner Rene Perez. He and I have both been sharing updates as we go through this process. I know there were questions about why not everyone attended. Under Texas law, that’s not something we can do. Each commissioner has to conduct their own independent research, and if we are going to discuss it together, it must be posted on an agenda.

 

I also had another meeting with Eneus that included stakeholders from our community, another commissioner, EDC, HWWS, and City staff. We are still not getting all the answers we need.

 

The biggest issue is that the end user of the facility has not been identified. Without that, there are still too many unknowns, including how the facility would be cooled and what resources it would ultimately require. The project is still in very early stages. No approvals have been given. The land is under contract, but that contract is contingent on them being able to move forward. This is not a done deal.

 

At the same time, I’m not waiting around.

 

I am continuing to work with our City Attorney on an ordinance to protect our resources, and we are also working through the legal process of putting a moratorium in place. That has to be done correctly, and we expect that to be on our next agenda.

 

I also want to clear something up because I keep hearing it.

 

This property is in the County. It is not in the City. We cannot simply annex it. Under Texas law, annexation must be voluntary. That means the property owner would have to initiate it, or residents in that area could pursue annexation and vote on it themselves. It is not something we can put on a ballot for Harlingen residents to decide.

 

That said, I am continuing to look at every option available so we fully understand what authority we do have. I also want to touch on something else. There appears to be interest from other developers looking at Harlingen for potential data center projects. While they have not engaged with us directly, it reinforces why this work matters.

 

We have to make sure that any growth in Harlingen is responsible and intentional. This is not about one project. It’s about setting the standard for anything that may come our way.

 

To date, I have not had conversations with the County, but that is my next step. If something is happening near our boundary, coordination matters.

 

And to everyone who has come to our commission meetings, reached out, or taken the time to share your thoughts… thank you. We hear you. We welcome continued feedback. These are important conversations, and your voice is part of this process.

 

So to wrap it up, as of today, this project is still preliminary. There are still unanswered questions. And I still do not see a clear benefit to the City of Harlingen.

 

That doesn’t mean the conversation is over. It means the work continues. And like always, I’ll keep you updated.