MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL AMES, IOWA JUNE 30, 2026 The Ames Special City Council meeting was called to order by Mayor John Haila at 6:05 p.m. on the 30th day of June 2026, in the City Auditorium in City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue, pursuant to law. Present were Council Members Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, Gloria Betcher, Amber Corrieri, Tim Gartin, Rachel Junck and Anita Rollins. SPECIAL LISTENING SESSION ON DATA CENTERS: Mayor Haila welcomed those in attendance and acknowledged the large turnout. He noted that City staff had provided an informational presentation regarding the Lightedge colocation data center proposal at the June 23rd Council meeting, and that this special meeting was dedicated solely to receiving public input. Mayor Haila confirmed that no Council deliberations, voting, or decisions would take place during this session. He indicated that the Council was seeking public comment on two distinct topics: (1) the specific Lightedge proposal, and (2) data center policy for the City of Ames more generally. He noted that written comments could also be submitted via email to mayorcouncil@amescitycouncil.org for those unable to attend in person. Assistant City Manager Pa Vang Goldbeck facilitated a live polling exercise using a mobile-accessible survey. Results indicated that attendance was substantially larger than anticipated—and that approximately half of those present had attended or watched the prior June 23rd Council meeting. A notable 76% of respondents reported having read staff materials regarding the Lightedge proposal. Polling results showed an overwhelming majority of attendees were not supportive of the Lightedge proposal, though Assistant City Manager Goldbeck acknowledged that a portion of attendees were supportive, and asked participants to be mindful of that during small group discussions. A word cloud exercise revealed that words most associated with "data center" reflected largely negative or cautionary sentiments. Respondents indicated they primarily received information about local issues from friends, word of mouth, the City website, Facebook, and the Iowa State Daily. City staff and Council Members then facilitated interactive discussions in thirteen small groups. The breakout sessions lasted approximately 90 minutes, during which staff documented the concerns, comments, and questions raised by residents. Following the breakout discussions, the meeting reconvened in the auditorium. Each Council Member summarized the key themes that emerged from their respective groups. Mayor Haila advised that the next regular Council meeting was scheduled for two weeks after the date of this special meeting, and that the data center item was anticipated to appear on that agenda, subject to staff preparation. Mayor Haila noted that all notes and written comment forms from tonight's meeting would be collected and made available online. ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Rollins, to adjourn the meeting at 8:47 p.m. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Renee Hall, City Clerk John A. Haila, Mayor July 14 2026 LIOW0551204