Chilton County commissioners begin discussion on possible local guidelines for data‑center siting

Chilton County commissioners opened a preliminary discussion about whether the county should adopt local guidelines for data‑center siting after members noticed cleared and leveled parcels that prompted questions.

Commissioner Bone said the county does not have zoning and that he is not in favor of general zoning, but that the commission should consider industry‑specific regulations. "We don't have any zoning in the county and I want to make it clear that I'm not for zoning the county. However, I think there need to be some regulations on a particular industry," he said, suggesting options such as a residential buffer zone or other siting guidelines if a data center were to pursue land.

Other commissioners and staff discussed possible approaches that would not amount to general zoning but that could require certain projects to come before the commission, for example if their power draw exceeded a threshold. Commissioners noted data centers' modern designs often use closed‑loop cooling and thus lower water demand than older facilities, a factor that makes Chilton County attractive to developers. Several commissioners said they would like to draft possible language and place the item on the next meeting agenda for further consideration.

No binding policy was adopted at the work session. The discussion was framed as an initial fact‑gathering and drafting step; commissioners asked staff to collect sample resolutions (one member referenced Columbia's resolution as an example) and return suggested language for a future agenda.