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Residents urge Effingham County to explore zoning and raise concerns about data centers
Summary
During public comment, residents urged the Effingham County Board to consider modest zoning or an exploratory committee to address data centers, questioning the county’s statutory authority and citing Illinois statutes 55 ILCS 55-1041 and 55-1042.
During the public comment period at the Effingham County Board meeting, residents urged the board to consider zoning options to give the county more authority over large developments such as data centers.
Maryanne Hoffligger, speaking for a local community alliance, asked where the county derives authority to regulate subdivisions and whether that authority would allow the county to use zoning or moratoria to manage data center development. She said she examined Illinois law and asked the board, “where in where does the county here get the authority to say regulate subdivisions?”
Board members and staff responded that county authority to regulate subdivisions is tied to state statute and cited 55 ILCS 55-1041 and 55-1042 during the exchange. Officials noted recent legal advice from association counsel that imposing a moratorium on data centers is difficult without county zoning. The chair said the county could open an exploratory committee to research modest zoning approaches if there is interest among board members and residents.
Longtime local resident Herb Baker told the board he and other community members are concerned about data centers in rural areas and urged proactive measures. Baker also said he believed a neighboring county had signed a non-disclosure agreement related to a proposed data center in the past — an assertion he presented as recollection rather than a board action.
Why it matters: without county zoning, officials said, the county’s practical ability to regulate or impose moratoria on developments such as data centers is limited. Residents urged the board to investigate modest zoning options to give the county more input over future large-scale projects.
Board response and next steps: board members acknowledged the concerns, pointed to statutory constraints, and said they could appoint a small exploratory committee to research zoning options and report back. No formal action on zoning or moratoria was taken at the meeting.
