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County economic development plan presented; council to consider data‑center moratorium draft next month
Summary
Miami County's new economic development plan, focused on radiological medicine, food manufacturing, logistics and workforce housing, was presented to Peru council. Separately, councilmember Tim Fischer and local coalition urged a moratorium on data centers pending ordinance development; Fischer will bring a draft for a July 6 vote.
The Miami County Economic Development Authority presented a draft county plan to the City Council on June 1, outlining target industries, site readiness and implementation steps. Brooke Robertson introduced the initiative and Matt Aor of American StructurePoint described key findings: strong local manufacturing and health‑care clusters, a wide labor shed, and strategic sites along U.S. 24 and U.S. 31 deemed most shovel‑ready for industrial expansion.
Aor highlighted target sectors including radiological medicine manufacturing (aligned with new employers in the region), food and beverage manufacturing, advanced supply‑chain logistics and tourism; the plan recommends aligning capital improvement planning, workforce training and housing strategies to attract and retain targeted employers. He also described analysis of infrastructure needs (water, sewer, electric, roads) and suggested the county and city coordinate on capital stacks, grant opportunities and shovel‑ready site preparation.
On a separate agenda item, Councilmember Tim Fischer and Tori Pendell of the Coalition for Utility and Environmental Protection urged the city to adopt a temporary moratorium on new data‑center approvals or to adopt the county's moratorium language while the city finalizes rules. Fischer said he will prepare a final moratorium draft for council consideration at the July 6 meeting; Pendell cited potential strain on local utilities and water resources as reasons to pause approvals while regulations are written.
Why it matters: the economic plan maps opportunities for business attraction and identifies infrastructure and workforce actions the city and county can advance together. The moratorium discussion aims to give local government time to craft regulations tailored to the city's utility capacity and land‑use priorities.
Next steps: planning staff will post the draft plan and circulate materials; Fischer will submit a moratorium ordinance draft for council consideration on July 6. The county is also holding a public meeting on data centers on June 8.
