HERMANTOWN, MN (Northern News Now/KDAL) – Tensions ran high at the Hermantown City Council meeting Monday night, erupting in protests that prompted a police presence and forced the meeting to adjourn and be rescheduled for Tuesday night.
Hermantown councilors were set to vote Monday night on a series of agreements that could clear the way for Google to build a data center in the city, one day before a court hearing involving allegations that the city violated notice requirements.
If the data center permitting is approved, Google would still needs permits from other agencies before construction can begin. The company anticipates construction could start next year.
About two hours after the meeting was to have started, the Hermantown Police announced that the protest was an unlawful assembly and gave protesters a few minutes to clear the building that was severely over capacity and created a fire hazard.
In a statement following the protest, the Duluth Building and Construction Trades Council and the Hermantown Chamber of Commerce condemned what they described as attempts by agitators to take over a Hermantown City Council meeting before it began.
In the joint statement, Duluth Building Trades Council President Jack Carlson and Hermantown Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kim Parmeter said their members have attended meetings for more than a year as part of the process surrounding the proposed agreement.
The groups said the process included significant public comment, including more than 200 written comments submitted on the Alternative Area Utilization Agreement.
The statement said that they support the ability for citizens to be heard but the behaviors displayed Monday night “were designed to close down the meeting.”
