Marion County directs staff to draft two-year moratoriums on commercial battery storage and data centers

Marion County commissioners voted this week to ask county counsel and planning staff to revise draft moratorium resolutions for commercial battery energy storage systems and data‑processing/data‑center uses in the unincorporated county and to return with recommendations next week.

The move follows a presentation from the county counselor outlining draft language and urging the board to define threshold limits — for example, a kilowatt cutoff that would separate small residential or farm uses from larger commercial installations. "Moratoriums are handy in that regard," the county counselor said, describing them as a temporary tool to allow planning and zoning to research health, safety and welfare impacts and recommend regulatory language.

Commissioners debated scope and duration at length. Several members said they were concerned a broad, undefined moratorium could unintentionally ban small-scale systems such as home backup batteries, electric-vehicle storage or school-bus batteries. Others emphasized the county needs time to collect data on local water and electric demand and potential rate impacts before setting firm limits.

Rather than adopt a final moratorium immediately, the board directed staff to revise both draft resolutions with a proposed two‑year moratorium period, charge the planning and zoning commission with investigation and public education, and return proposed language and criteria for exceptions next week. The motion to pursue revised two‑year moratoriums passed by majority voice vote.

What happens next: county staff and the planning and zoning commission will gather information on likely water, cooling and power demands for large data centers and commercial battery installations, propose cutoff thresholds and exception criteria, and present a revised resolution for the board to consider at its next meeting.