Finance Panel Votes 8-1 to Back Data Center Ban

Finance Committee · Meeting of October 21, 2026

Easton's Finance Committee voted 8-1 to back a bylaw banning data centers townwide. Town Planning and Community Development Director Kenneth Kirkland told the committee the prohibition was meant as a temporary placeholder, saying "the policy was that we wanted to have a prohibition in place" while the technology remains too new to regulate with more tailored rules. Member Arthur cast the lone "no" vote, warning the bylaw's vague wording, including the word "or," could leave the rule unenforceable or open to "arbitrary enforcement." Member Matt Barrowman argued Easton should have modeled a tiered permitting system like neighboring Mansfield's instead of a blanket ban.

The committee also approved a batch of meeting minutes with a correction removing Arthur from the Capital Planning subcommittee.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 1,801 words

Source: the Finance Committee meeting of October 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.