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Residents urge council to address CWLP IRP and data‑center zoning; budget workshop dates repeated

Springfield City Council · January 7, 2026

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Summary

Residents urged the council to ensure CWLP includes an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) in upcoming budget discussions and to study zoning and power capacity before data-center proposals proceed; the meeting reminded the public of several budget‑workshop dates.

At the Jan. 6 council meeting, resident Laurie McKiernan told the council she expects municipalities to plan for an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for municipal utilities and warned that Springfield could face data‑center development pressure similar to Batavia, Illinois.

McKiernan said a recent Batavia approval showed how a municipal utility's substation capacity and negotiations with a developer can leave a city responsible for grid upgrades. She urged the mayor, council and City Manager Mordock to "begin looking at what Springfield can do regarding data center zoning regulations," and said the city should study impacts before permits are filed.

McKiernan also reminded the council that state or regional rules may require municipal utilities to complete an IRP by 2027 and asked that CWLP planning and the IRP be mentioned in upcoming budget hearings.

Vanessa Knox used public comment to repeat the schedule for the city's budget workshops—Jan. 14 (overview and visitor bureau), Jan. 15 (library, OPED, HR, public works, OBM), Jan. 22 (police, fire, CWLP)—and encouraged residents to attend.

The council did not take action on zoning or CWLP planning at the meeting but received the requests and public interest in advance of the budget workshops.