County attorney recommends 90‑day extension of data‑center moratorium to align with LaGrange

The county attorney reviewed a draft ordinance and an accompanying draft resolution to extend the county’s moratorium on data centers, saying the 90‑day pause is intended to give staff and elected officials time to study infrastructure, annexation and appropriate regulatory responses. He recommended aligning the county’s timing and, where possible, substantive provisions with the City of LaGrange (the city adopted a 180‑day moratorium shortly after the county) and suggested a 90‑day extension so the county and city can coordinate their approaches.

The attorney noted several policy choices the board must consider, including potential district locations, parcel sizes, and different regulatory approaches for data centers versus crypto‑mining because of differing infrastructure needs. He also flagged coordination needs with neighboring jurisdictions (Hogansville, West Point, Owensville) and the importance of identifying buffers where annexation could change jurisdictional authority. Board members asked whether the county could require buffers on property that would be annexed into a city; the attorney said the county’s authority would be limited and coordination with the city would be essential.

The board discussed timing and the attorney said staff could prepare a resolution for the evening meeting with a variable duration plugged in (e.g., 90 days) or leave the duration blank for the board to decide. No final extension vote was recorded in the work session; staff indicated a vote would be required at the later meeting if the board wants to extend the moratorium.