Guide · For local-government communicators

How to post about a data center in your community

A data center proposal is one of the few land-use questions that will fill your comment section whether you announce it or not. Residents are already talking about power bills, water, noise, and traffic. The only choice you control is whether your page is the calm, factual source in that conversation — or a bystander to it. Here is how local governments are handling it, and what the engagement data says actually lands.

The short version. Data centers are one of the most forwarded topics in local government right now: across 1,353 local government posts we tracked, 61% earned at least one share — nearly double the 34% baseline for a typical local-government post. That means residents actively spread these posts, so accuracy and tone travel with them. The posts that work aren’t the ones that take a side loudest — they’re the ones that name the specific site, state the decision or the stage clearly, and answer the two questions everyone asks first: how much water and power, and what does it cost us?

Facebook post: the City of Cleveland announcing a data-center permit was rejected — City of Cleveland — 5.6K reactions, 386 comments, 856 shares. Names the specific site, states the decision plainly.

First: this is a share-driven topic, so post like it

Most local-government content lives on likes. Data centers live on shares — residents forwarding your post into neighborhood groups and to the council members they’re about to email. In our data the median data-center post earned 12 engagements, but the standout is the share rate: 61% get forwarded at least once. Practically, that means two things. Your post will be read by people who don’t follow you, out of context — so it has to stand on its own. And a vague or defensive post gets forwarded with an angry caption attached; a specific, factual one gets forwarded as “here’s what’s actually happening.”

The three postures local governments are taking — and how they frame each

Whatever stage you’re at, another local government has already communicated it. The high-engagement posts cluster into three postures:

Deciding / pausing. Governments announcing a moratorium or a permit decision lead the topic’s engagement. The pattern that works: state the action in the first line (“the Commissioners have adopted a moratorium on new data centers”), then why, then what happens next and where to read the full record. A clear decision with reasoning outperforms a procedural notice by a wide margin.
Welcoming / approving. Governments announcing an approved project frame it as economic development — jobs, tax base, the specific location — and, in the strongest versions, get ahead of the concerns rather than omitting them. Announcing the upside without acknowledging water and power reads as a press release and draws the pushback into your comments anyway.
Explaining / hosting the conversation. Some of the most valuable posts don’t announce a decision at all — they answer the recurring question directly (“What is the significance of the data centers and how much water are they using?”) and point to a recording or FAQ. On a topic this forwarded, being the source of the explainer is worth more than being first with the news.

What makes these posts work

Across postures, the high-engagement data-center posts share the same handful of moves:

Name the specific site. An address or intersection (“the data center proposed at 3560 E. 55th St.”) tells residents whether this is their backyard and stops the rumor version from filling the gap.
State the stage plainly. Proposed, under review, approved, denied, paused — residents can’t tell these apart unless you say which one, and conflating them is where trust erodes.
Answer water and power up front. These are the first two questions in every thread. A post that addresses them — even to say “here is what we know and don’t yet” — keeps the conversation on your facts.
Link to the record. The agenda item, the staff report, the meeting recording. Forwarded posts reach people who want the primary source; give it to them so they don’t reconstruct it wrong.
Say what’s next and when. The next hearing date and how to comment turns a viral post into turnout instead of just noise.

A note on neutrality. Your page can be factual without being a booster or an opponent. The engagement data doesn’t reward taking a side — it rewards clarity. Announcing a denial, an approval, and a pending review all perform well when they’re specific; what performs badly is vagueness that makes residents feel managed. Post the decision your government actually made, with the reasoning, and let the specifics do the work.

See how local governments are actually posting about data centers. Search real local-government posts by topic, filter to your size and state, and see exactly what earned engagement — then borrow the framing. Get a free benchmark for your community → · take the 2-minute tour

A checklist you can paste into a draft

First line = the decision or stage, in plain words.
The specific location.
Water and power: what you know, what you don’t yet.
The reasoning behind the decision (or the criteria under review).
A link to the agenda item / staff report / recording.
What’s next: the date, and how residents can weigh in.

Want to see how communities near you have handled it? GovFeeds lets you search real local-government posts on data centers and any other topic, filter by size and state, and see what earned engagement — so you’re borrowing framing that already worked instead of drafting from a blank page. Get a free benchmark for your community or take the 2-minute tour.