The Clay Town Board on June 15 postponed decisions on three battery energy storage system special permits until July 20, with officials saying town code language defining parameters for the technology still has not been finished. The same evening, the board opened a public hearing on a proposed one-year moratorium on data centers, artificial intelligence computing facilities and cryptocurrency mining operations, a measure that drew opposition from a labor union alongside support from a councilor and several residents. Deputy Supervisor Joseph Bick, who ran the meeting in the absence of Supervisor Damian Ulatowski, told the board the section of town code needed to define and set parameters for Battery Energy Storage Systems has not yet been established. As a result, Councilor Ryan Russell moved to adjourn public hearings on three separate BESS special permit applications: Nexamp Inc.'s Wetzel Road Storage, LLC (Town Board Case #1243), Nexamp's Long Branch Storage, LLC (Case #1244), and Carson Power, LLC (Case #1245). Each was adjourned to July 20, 2026, on motions seconded by Councilor David Capria, all passing 5-0. The board then opened a hearing on Local Law No. 6 of 2026, which would bar the town from approving zone changes or special permits for large-scale data centers, AI computing facilities, cryptocurrency mining and similar high-intensity computing uses for up to twelve months while officials study the issue. Bick said the local law had been proposed before Onondaga County's County Executive announced funding for a half million-dollar study to gather public input and gauge the impact of such facilities. The IBEW Brotherhood contacted Bick to register its opposition to the moratorium. Speaking in favor, Councilor Eugene Young said such facilities are large-scale and would likely use significant electricity, and that the pause would allow time to understand the impact; residents Michelle Bristol and Kris Beckett also spoke in support, both describing it as a reasonable pause to give the town time to understand what the technology means locally. Bick said the board intends to be as deliberate on data centers as it was in writing its battery-storage law, citing the need for engineering studies, public input and dialogue with Onondaga County. The hearing was closed without a vote to adopt the law. The board also closed a hearing on a zone change for The Reserve at Clay, which would rezone about 20.18 acres at 8201 Lawton Road from RA-100 Residential Agricultural to R-7.5 One-Family Residential to allow roughly 61 single-family lots. Applicant representative Tim Coyer said the Planning Board had recommended approval and that a traffic study found the project would have some impact. Lawton Road resident Chris Underwood questioned the relevance of a traffic study conducted in November 2024, saying it did not account for Micron-related traffic growth, and described speeding, increased traffic and unhelmeted children riding altered e-bikes on the road; Bick said he would ask the Sheriff's Department for increased patrolling. Michelle Bristol asked about environmental impact; Coyer said the applicant had completed a long-form Environmental Impact Study with a mitigation plan that includes preserving some trees. No vote was taken on the zone change. In a separate hearing, Ben Harrell of CHA spoke on behalf of CNY Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, which is seeking a special permit to relocate from Dewitt to a 7,000-square-foot medical office at 5232 Witz Drive, seeing 60 to 100 clients daily. Councilor Young confirmed the practice would not subdivide the parcel and has sufficient parking from the site's prior tenant, Molina Healthcare. Resident Shawn Corbett asked about accessible roadways; Bick said none are currently proposed, though existing sidewalks connect to the site. The board also opened hearings on four proposed special districts (lighting, drainage, sewer and water) to serve Heritage Homes' planned 125-home Michael's Farm subdivision near Waterhouse Road, with unit charges of $64.47 annually for water, $22.00 for sewer, and $121.92 annually for drainage. In other action, the board voted 5-0 to release Harke Farms maintenance guarantee securities to developer COR VerPlank Road Company, LLC — from $18,000 to $0 for the sewer district and from $3,000 to $0 for the drainage district — and approved, also 5-0, an easement and road abandonment and a new drainage easement at Riviera Shores Lot No. 1A, a Limited License letter for 4019 Plum Yew Circle, and the appointment of Michael Becker to the Zoning Board of Appeals to fill the unexpired term of Mary Lou DesRosier through December 31, 2030. No action was taken on a ZBA alternate appointment. The board additionally accepted completed infrastructure, easements and a warranty deed for roads within The Farmstead Subdivision Section No. 8 from developer Maple Road Associates, Inc., which is posting $11,624 in maintenance guarantees, $25,000 for overland drainage, $65,960 for highway work, $1,800 in monument deposits and $12,000 in parkland contributions. The meeting adjourned at 8:19 p.m., 5-0.