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Logan County Board
Logan County Board votes for 60-day data center moratorium
[February 26, 2026]
On Tuesday, February 24th, the
Logan County Board held their regular monthly meeting in the
second-floor courtroom of the Logan County Courthouse starting at
6:00 p.m. This meeting was attended by all members, with the
exception of Kathy Schmidt. Present members included Chairman JR
Glenn, Vice Chairman Dale Nelson, Lance Conahan, Michael DeRoss,
Keenan Leesman, Kevin Knauer, Bob Sanders, Gil Turner, Jim
Wessbecher, Joseph Kuhlman, and Hannah Fitzpatrick.
The focus of this article is on the Zoning and Economic Development
Committee and the proposed data center moratorium. Lincoln Daily
News will provide further coverage of the full meeting in a later
edition.
The Zoning and Economic Development Committee has only one action
item, a 90-day moratorium on accepting new data center applications.
For more information on the original proposal please read
LDN’s interview with Board Chairman Glenn published last week.
As soon as Committee Chairman DeRoss brought the motion to the
floor, he immediately proposed an amendment. This amendment was to
define data centers as “a facility whose primary services include,
but are not limited to, storage, management, and processing of
digital data that is used to house computer and network systems,
including associated components such as servers, network equipment
and appliances, telecommunications, data storage systems, systems
for monitoring and managing infrastructure performance, internet
related equipment and services, data communication connections,
environmental controls, fire protection systems, and security
systems and services.” DeRoss stated that this was not his own
writing but cited ILCS 605 as his source for the definition.
A vote was taken on adding a clear
definition of data centers, and the vote was unanimous. This was the
first of several amendments that would be attached to the original
motion.
Next, Nelson reminded the Board that the county currently has a
moratorium on applications for battery storage facilities until
April, with the possibility of renewing the moratorium at that time.
DeRoss clarified that the state will eventually force the county to
end the moratorium. A law passed in early 2026, The Clean and
Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA), requires all Illinois
counties to allow the building of battery storage facilities should
they meet certain requirements outlined by the state. This act,
which takes effect June 1st of this year, removes the ability to
deny battery storage facilities from Illinois counties.
DeRoss then proposed another amendment to the moratorium motion. He
stated that he wanted to include funding in the motion to hire Brown
Hay & Stephens to give legal advice on the ordinance that the board
has been working on regarding data centers. It was stated that this
law firm was used several years ago when the county was creating
ordinances for wind and solar farms. The vote on this amendment was
also successful, being 10-1 in favor. Kuhlman was the single ‘no’
vote.
Knauer then proposed an amendment to extend the moratorium from 90
days to 180 days, citing the next Illinois legislative session as
his reasoning. People have been wary that, since the Illinois
Congress is requiring counties to accept battery storage facilities,
and since they already have required them to accept wind and solar
farms, data centers may be next. Knauer stated that, if they wait
until after that session, they would be able to see if any
legislation was going to come down requiring counties to allow data
centers to be built.
Leesman voiced some concern with this motion believing 180 days may
be too long. Leesman’s point was that he wanted to make sure
something “worse” than the data center did not come to replace it.
Due to its location near a large substation, Leesman stated that he
could see a large battery storage facility getting the land before
Hut 8 or another data center company. He also stated that the
negative environmental impact of a battery storage facility could be
worse than a data center.
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DeRoss stated that
he was against the amendment. He stated that the board members
get paid a small stipend ($75 per meeting) to make decisions for
the county. If a 180-day moratorium were placed this would
“foreclose” on any options the county had. He continued that
they could vote to institute another moratorium after the 90
days should they determine it was necessary.
A vote was then held on this
amendment, and it proved to be much more contentious than the
previous. The amendment failed in a vote of 4-7. The ‘yes’ votes
were Conahan, Knauer, Sanders, and Kuhlman, while the ‘no’ votes
were Glenn, Nelson, DeRoss, Leesman, Turner, Wessbecher, and
Fitzpatrick.
After this third vote, DeRoss asked if it would be possible to table
the vote on the full discussion until their special board meeting in
early March to get a report on the Hut 8 data center from an
independent expert. Glenn stated that would be possible but also
stated that an amendment could be made to pass the moratorium with
the contingency that the board would hire someone to do a report.
DeRoss made this motion, stating that he would want the Zoning and
Economic Development Committee to bring an individual to their
special regular meeting to get some answers to questions such as the
impacts of water usage and energy consumption. A vote was taken on
this amendment and passed unanimously.
The next amendment was the final amendment proposed, with DeRoss
suggesting that the county lower the moratorium from 90 days to 60
days. Concerns were mentioned earlier that, if a 90-day moratorium
were approved, it would be too long for the time frame that Hut 8 is
working under with Ameren. With the concern that Leesman mentioned
earlier in the meeting, some felt the board would have more options
at the end of a 60-day moratorium than a 90-day. Greg Irwin from Hut
8 was asked to speak on the matter. He stated that Ameren would need
Hut 8 to start paying for the infrastructure upgrades required for
their proposed data center 45 days after Ameren comes back to them
and states that they are ready, which Hut 8 is expecting around
April. He stated that a 60-day moratorium would likely be short
enough that their project would still be possible at the end of it.
As for 90 days, Irwin stated, that would kill the project all
together.
Conahan stated that he would like Ameren to come speak on the
situation and the potential rise of electricity costs. Glenn
responded that he voted to bring on an expert to get those kinds of
answers. Nelson, who works in the energy sector, stated that Ameren
would not come before the board and make any claims on what may
happen to energy costs. Glenn seconded this sentiment, stating that
he does not know of any instance where Ameren came before the Logan
County Board. DeRoss stated that, even given that information, he
would do his best to get in touch with Ameren before their meeting
in early March. Knauer mentioned that, if he could not get a 90-day
moratorium for the county, he would agree to vote for a 60-day
moratorium.
The vote was then held on the
amendment to make the moratorium 60 days. This amendment passed with
a vote of 10-1. Sanders was the only ‘no’ vote.
A vote was then held on the full motion. At this point, the fully
amended motion was for a 60-day moratorium on data center
applications, with a definition of data centers, bringing on Brown
Hay & Stephens for legal consulting, and bringing on an expert to
conduct a report answering the questions the county and board have
regarding the Hut 8 data center. This amended motion passed with a
vote of 9-2. The two ‘no’ votes were Sanders and Turner.
[Matt Boutcher]
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