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Iroquois County board swears in District 4 appointee, approves temporary moratorium on data centers
Summary
At its April 16 meeting the Iroquois County Board appointed and swore in a replacement for the late Scott Watts, approved a one-year moratorium on new data-center and warehouse developments to allow ordinance updates, and advanced several solar project permits and related decommissioning and landscape agreements.
The Iroquois County Board on April 16 appointed Ken to fill the District 4 vacancy left by the death of Scott Watts and administered the oath of office, confirming the appointee will serve until the first Monday in December 2026 ahead of an unexpired-term election for the remainder of the 2028 term.
The board approved routine business including payroll and claims, and took a unanimous committee recommendation to adopt a temporary one-year moratorium on data-center and warehouse developments to allow county staff and the board time to study effects on the electrical grid, water usage and related ordinance updates.
Planning and zoning work continued on several renewable-energy applications. The board advanced Commerce Street Solar LLC’s decommissioning agreement and landscape-management plan for full board approval after the committee recommended the items; committee reports also deemed other solar applications complete for public hearings.
During committee reports the county’s finance and IT committees described recent internet outages and failover performance, and finance staff said auditors were given access to software to support the FY audit process. Planning and zoning staff and the county attorney outlined that many projects coming forward carry site-specific conditions above state statute minimums.
Public-health officials told the board the county has been placed on a stop-payment list by the Illinois Department of Public Health for missing audit materials, a status that could block the Airway County Public Health Department from submitting third-quarter billings and put more than $79,000 at risk if not resolved.
Votes at a glance: - Appointment, District 4 county board member: motion carried; appointee sworn and seated. (Appointment effective through Dec. 2026; unexpired-term election to fill remainder through 2028.) - Payroll and claims: approved on motions/roll call. - 911/ETSSB lease renewal: approved (two-year renewal at $14.06/sq ft, $24,675.30/year). - Commerce Street Solar items (decommissioning agreement, landscape plan, building-permit recommendation): advanced by committee and recommended for full-board approval. - Temporary moratorium on data centers and warehouse development: committee recommended and the board moved to implement a one-year moratorium to allow ordinance updates.
The meeting also received reports on county maintenance (snow removal costs and equipment repairs), animal-control operations and adoption contracts, various road/highway bids (one bid rejected), and other committee matters. The board entered an executive session under litigation exceptions and later reconvened in open session. The meeting adjourned after voting on the listed motions.
The board’s next procedural steps include preparing ordinance updates required by recent state legislation for wind, solar and battery-storage regulations and resolving outstanding audit deliverables with the state to remove the county from the stop-payment list.
