TEMPLE, Texas (KXXV) — Temple City Council meetings will have increased police presence following a death threat made against council members amid ongoing community opposition to data center developments in the area.
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An arrest has been made in connection with the threat, which was issued nearly a month ago as residents continued showing up in large numbers to voice concerns about the data centers.
Temple Mayor Tim Davis said the situation has raised concerns about public safety, even as he downplayed the likelihood of serious incidents.
"It is a little bit of a concern, you know, whenever we are just out in public. I would say the chances of something serious happening are very, very small, but it only takes one."
Nohely Mackowiak with the City of Temple said the increased police presence is focused on monitoring behavior at meetings.
"They're just keeping an eye out and seeing, you know, if there's any weird behavior or anything like that, you know, just as they would any other council meeting, just a little bit more police presence this time around, um, after getting those threats."
The last City Council meeting was canceled due to lack of quorum and a low number of agenda items. Mackowiak said residents who attend future meetings need to remain respectful during civil discourse.
"Listen to what the rules are when you are attending a council meeting and our mayor and our city council has not kicked anybody out, just yet from city council chambers, but they do have the right to if things get too unruly in there, so just be respectful, we're all human beings at the end of the day."
Sarah Royer, with the group 'Stop Temple Data Centers,' gave the following statement to 25 News :
"We do not condone division or violence, and since the alleged threat was proven to be entirely unrelated to Temple, it should no longer be used to distract from the real issue. Our community is facing an unprecedented threat to our health, way of life, and financial investments due to the unvetted introduction of 11 data centers.* The council needs to stop deflecting and start answering to the residents."
As data centers remain a relevant topic for the council over the next several months, Davis asked residents to research the type of data centers coming to Temple.
"City council would never do anything that would be detrimental to the city. The city council and executive staff have all done their homework and understand the positive impacts that a data center can bring to the local economy, and we are working hard to be sure that we capitalize on this economic opportunity while at the same time being mindful of the overall safety of our community."
The next City Council meeting is set for Thursday, June 18. There are no data center-specific agenda items.
* Only four data centers have been approved by Temple City Council
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