Morgan County official clarifies data center moratorium, no secret projects underway

A Morgan County administrator moved Monday to shut down talk of a hidden data center deal, saying the county is in a formal review period, not quietly advancing a project behind closed doors. The county’s six-month moratorium, approved at the April 27 board meeting, is meant to slow any proposal long enough for officials to weigh zoning, utility demand, water use, land impacts and the tax consequences for nearby residents.

The county’s own meeting records show the moratorium was part of a broader rewrite effort. The April 27 agenda included review of wind power, solar, data and battery storage ordinances, and the minutes record a motion to approve a “hard 6-month moratorium” after discussion with State’s Attorney Gray Noll. Public commenters also spoke about the data center at that meeting, showing the issue had already spilled into the open before any application reached the county’s normal approval process.

That process still matters. Under the moratorium, Morgan County is not granting data center approval and is not taking a final position on whether one could be built. Officials are instead collecting information and drafting rules before any future application can move ahead through zoning and other public review steps. That distinction is important in Jacksonville and across Morgan County, where residents are trying to figure out whether the county is facing a real project, a rumor, or both.

The stakes are immediate. Large data centers can bring major property tax revenue, but they also raise questions about electricity demand, water use, noise, lighting and the loss of farm ground or other open land. That tension has already fueled fierce local fights elsewhere in Illinois. In Logan County, about 250 people turned out Jan. 5 to oppose a proposed $5 billion Hut 8 project near Latham, with residents warning about farmland loss, higher electric bills, noise and light pollution.

Logan County officials later were told the project could generate more than $50 million a year in property taxes, and one company document put the figure as high as $65 million annually, compared with the county’s reported $55 million in total annual property tax collections. About 100 people also attended a Logan County Board meeting April 29 to oppose the project and ask for an extension of a 60-day moratorium, underscoring how quickly these proposals can become a flashpoint.

Morgan County’s pause fits into a wider state trend. WGLT reported March 16 that Illinois lawmakers were considering the Power Act, which would require data centers to pay their own energy costs, report water use and work with communities to reduce pollution, while Gov. JB Pritzker proposed pausing a two-year tax credit for data centers. Illinois Times also reported in May that Bloomington and Normal approved six-month moratoriums, putting Morgan County among a growing number of local governments trying to write the rules before the first formal proposal lands.