Independence neighbors launch petition to force public vote on proposed data center

Residents opposed to a tax incentive package for a proposed Nebius AI data center began collecting petition signatures Tuesday morning in Independence, Missouri. The effort started one day after the city council voted five to two to approve the deal. The group filed a notice with over 100 voter signatures at the city clerk's office on Tuesday, according to the city's public information officer. Council members declined an interview on the petition. The Jackson County Board of Elections must now verify the signatures. The group also still needs to submit a copy of the referendum petition. Under the city's charter, if the council passes a law that residents oppose, they can file a notice with 100 voter signatures within 10 days to challenge it. That filing freezes the law from taking effect for 31 days. During that window, organizers must collect signatures from 5 percent of registered voters within 30 days of the law's passage. If enough signatures are gathered, the issue goes to a public vote. Justin DeGracia, who lives in Independence, said he rushed to sign the petition. He said many people were out collecting signatures and that he hopes the effort results in a ballot measure. DeGracia said it is not right that a small number of people can make decisions about the community. Nebius, the company behind the data center project, said in a statement that since this is a referendum, the matter is now in the city's hands.