Sundown Council Joins Talks on Possible Mallet Ranch Data Center
The council voted unanimously after more than an hour of public comment. Mayor Strickland cited water, power and road concerns. No construction plan is finalized.
Sundown's City Council voted unanimously to join discussions about a possible data center on Mallet Ranch land east of town. The vote does not approve a project. According to KCBD's Nov. 7 report, published at 5:23 p.m. CST the same day, no concrete construction plans are in place.
The special meeting began at 8 a.m. and ran until about 9:30 a.m. after more than an hour of community comments. Ranch owners contacted the city about land east of Sundown and asked whether officials wanted to be involved if development moved forward. That request prompted the special session. The city also posted a November Special 2026 Agenda page for the meeting.
What the vote does—and does not—do
Council's unanimous action means Sundown will be at the table for talks about any potential development. It does not authorize building permits, tax abatements, zoning changes or construction. KCBD's account is clear on that point: the project has not been finalized.
That distinction matters while other Texas towns write data-center rules or weigh big projects. Sundown's step is narrower. Officials want a seat in the conversation before any shovel hits the ground. Residents who filled more than an hour of comment time made sure water and infrastructure came first.
Nothing in the available reporting names a developer brand, a megawatt target, a water-use estimate or a groundbreaking date. Treating the vote as if those details were settled would overstate what the council did.
Water, power and roads
Mayor Jonathan Strickland said residents have raised concerns about water, electricity and roads if a data center moved forward.
“Water is a big concern for us out here. We've had drought lots of years. The aquifer is very low. We know that from farmers, ranchers, and even our city,” Strickland said. “Electrical infrastructure is another concern. We don't know how that will affect our community if they tap into the electricity that we have.”
He also said the Texas Department of Transportation wants to be involved in road discussions because heavy equipment could damage pavement and other infrastructure. “There's still a lot of unknowns,” he said.
Those quotes describe concerns, not measured impacts. Farmers, ranchers and the city itself already watch a stressed aquifer. Power capacity and road wear are the other two tests Strickland put on the record. This report does not invent water-use numbers, megawatt loads or a construction schedule the city has not released.
Where Sundown stands
The City of Sundown website lists City Hall at 809 Slaughter Ave., Sundown, Texas 79372, with phone 806-229-3131 and email [email protected]. The city sits in Hockley County on the South Plains, a long way from the suburbs that usually dominate statewide data-center headlines.
For now, the confirmed local fact is limited and important: the council will participate in talks. Residents who spoke for more than an hour made water and infrastructure the test. Officials should keep those questions on the table before anyone treats a possible project as a done deal. A seat at the table is not the same as a signed deal—and Sundown's vote kept that line clear.
Related reading: Schertz Now Requires a Council Vote and Public Hearing for Any New Data Center.
