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Grant County approves 24-month moratorium on data centers in unincorporated areas
Summary
The Grant County Board of Commissioners voted March 2 to impose a 24-month moratorium on data centers in unincorporated parts of the county pending legal review and ordinance drafting, after residents raised concerns about impacts to farmland, water and utilities.
Grant County commissioners on March 2 approved a 24-month moratorium on data centers in unincorporated areas of the county, voting to direct the county attorney to draft moratorium language for consideration at the next meeting.
Commissioner Stewart moved to propose the moratorium and Commissioner Polling seconded; commissioners allowed public comment before taking the voice vote, which passed. The motion covers only unincorporated areas under county jurisdiction and is explicitly “pending legal review and process.”
The moratorium was proposed after commissioners and staff reported an influx of calls about potential data-center proposals near I-69 and State Road 26. Commissioner Middlesworth—who led the discussion—said he opposed data centers on unincorporated farmland and asked staff and the county attorney to draft appropriate protections.
During public comment, Marion resident Molly Early urged commissioners to act now to protect farmland, local aquifers and community character, and said she had gathered nearly 500 petition signatures in a few days. “The time to act is now,” she told the board, warning of long-term impacts on water and infrastructure. Chris Kelner, who is organizing public listening sessions and managing a county survey, encouraged residents to respond to the survey (open through March 19) and to attend listening sessions to provide input.
County staff and several commissioners emphasized the moratorium would create time to study zoning, utility capacity and tax incentives before any project moved forward. Commissioners noted the county does not control city and municipal land-use decisions inside Marian or Gas City, and the moratorium was described as limited to unincorporated areas.
Next steps: the board directed the county attorney to draft moratorium language for review at the next regular meeting and scheduled additional public engagement through listening sessions and a public survey.
Votes and procedure: the moratorium motion was made on the record, public comment was taken, and the board adopted the moratorium by voice vote.
