New Albany's multimillion-dollar data center revenue faces a new threat: a proposed Ohio constitutional amendment that would ban large data centers statewide.

Conserve Ohio, a volunteer-led organization, is collecting signatures to place the amendment on the November 2027 ballot, according to an Ohio Capital Journal commentary published Aug. 28. The measure would ban any data center using more than 25 megawatts of power. Meta and Google operate large-scale data center campuses in New Albany's International Business Park, where the amendment could apply.

New Albany collected $10 million in community development charge revenue from data centers in tax year 2024, according to the city's official finances page. A single hyperscaler generated revenue equivalent to $178 million in payroll at the city's 2% income tax rate. The city credits that revenue, in part, for its AAA bond rating from both Moody's and S&P.

The financial stakes extend well beyond New Albany. Under former Gov. John Kasich, Ohio committed at least $2.3 billion in sales tax exemptions to Amazon, Meta and Google, offering 100% breaks for up to 40 years, according to the Ohio Capital Journal. Those exemptions cost the state more than $1.5 billion in 2025, almost 12 times the original $136 million forecast.

Gov. Mike DeWine paused consideration of new data center tax breaks in May 2026.

A Heatmap Pro poll cited by cleveland.com found seven in 10 voters now oppose having a data center near their home, up from 42% less than a year ago.

The backlash is spreading to local ballots. Granville voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to ban large data centers after the village council unanimously placed a charter amendment on the ballot, the Newark Advocate reported. Pataskala and Sunbury have similar measures heading to voters. Conserve Ohio lawyer Nick Owens said dozens of other local petitions are in process, with signature drives underway in Johnstown and Heath.

New Albany's approach differs from the state-level exemptions drawing the most criticism. The city grants real property tax abatements through Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) agreements, not permanent sales tax exemptions. Its minimum payment formula guarantees revenue over the life of each abatement, according to the city's finances page.

New Albany City Council voted 7-0 on Sept. 2, 2025, to approve a CRA agreement with Sidecat LLC for data center construction on 373 acres along Green Chapel Road and Clover Valley Road. That deal includes a 100% real property tax abatement for 15 years on a $750 million project.

Holly Wenzinger, a 27-year-old Bowling Green State University graduate and Conserve Ohio volunteer petitioner, described the statewide response as "existential … bigger than all of us and is really immediate and present." Wenzinger said she was drawn to the issue after a data center moved into her hometown of Perkins Township without notice.

Data center electricity demand has driven up power costs by $23 billion across the PJM Interconnection grid that serves Ohio, according to WVXU.

Ohio lawmakers have not passed any data center legislation. The Ohio Supreme Court ruled against Ashville in August, finding that a data center approval cannot be declared an emergency to block a public referendum. A separate case from Trenton, testing whether residents can place charter amendments restricting data centers on the ballot, remains pending before the court.

No New Albany official has addressed the Conserve Ohio amendment campaign in public statements or meeting records.