Members Cite the Need for Economic Development
The McDonough County Board voted 13-7 at its August 19 meeting against a one-year moratorium on any data center and high-impact technology facilities in McDonough County. The resolution was first brought forward earlier this month to the Law & Legal Committee by board member Ken Durkin, where it passed 6-1 to move to the full board for consideration.
Voting against the moratorium resolution at Wednesday’s meeting were Eric Blakeley, Eric Chapman, Clayton Cook, Dave Cortelyou, Mike Cox, Craig Foster, Travis Hiel, Vicky Kipling, Ryan Litchfield, Jared Royer, Jerry Raby and Riley Smith. Voting in favor of the moratorium were Ken Durkin, Joe Erlandson, Allen Henderson, Mike Kirby, Terry Thompson, Dana Walker and Roger Ward.
“Illinois is experiencing a lot of growth in that area and the state government has yet to pass any regulations that would safeguard local communities from the potential of experiencing significant hardships to their local resources, including water, power grid, land, noise, etc. Concerns throughout the state were significant enough that Gov. Pritzker paused the state’s data center tax incentive program in June 2026,” Durkin told The Community News Brief earlier when he brought the resolution forward at Law & Legal. “I felt it was important for the Board to consider this issue and establish the position that McDonough County is not ready to entertain any data center facilities within McDonough County for at least the next two years so safeguards can be established so that McDonough County residents can be assured that the best decisions are being made on their behalf.”
Following the vote at Wednesday’s meeting, Durkin said he was not surprised by the outcome. He’s hopeful the state legislature will come through with proper guidelines and rules that counties can use to further develop their own set of guidelines to protect residents.
“Potential revenue should not be the only factor for acceptance, and this really should be up to our residents to decide,” Durkin said. “They will need to be vocal regarding their opinions and the board will need to listen. While I’m disappointed, I’ll keep moving forward.”
At the Law & Legal Committee meeting, member Ryan Litchfield cast the lone “no” vote. At the full County Board, it was Litchfield who led the discussion against voting for the moratorium, citing economic development, as well as it not being prudent for the board to pass a non-legally binding moratorium. Other board members voting against the moratorium also mentioned the economic impact of data centers and if the resolution passed, it could send the message that the county doesn’t want to work with developers. Royer also said he didn’t want to limit property owners’ rights.
After the meeting, The Community News Brief talked to Litchfield, who represents District 3, about his opposition to the data center moratorium and leading the charge against the resolution. When asked if he had talked to economic development experts regarding any potential financial benefits, he said while he had not, he personally is “pro-innovation” and does not want to hinder money-making opportunities for the region. When asked if he had researched the noise levels and the environmental impacts of data centers, Litchfield said he had looked into both.
“The noise comes from the generators and no one size fits all regarding data centers. Just because some facilities are noisy doesn’t mean all of them are,” Litchfield stated.
Before a data center company could build in the county, he said they’d have to prove their commitment to the community that they’d “be a good neighbor.” The final question for Litchfield was: Would he be okay with a data center being built next to his family’s home.
“Depends on how close,” he answered. When an example of a one-half mile, or a few blocks was given, Litchfield responded with “I’d be okay with one next door. We already live among the wind turbines.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has proposed a statewide pause on data center tax incentives as of July 2026 to evaluate their impact on the power grid and utility costs for local residents. According to the resolution, under the Counties Code (55ILCS 5/), counties have the authority to regulate the siting of certain industrial facilities and to protect public health and safety through ordinances and agreements.
In other business, the Board approved the list of election judges; the sale of 20 tax deed properties; to award 2026 centerline striping to America’s Parking Remarking of Valley Park, MO at a cost of $19,303.69; the purchase of a 2026 Mack snowplow truck for $322,856; and seal coat work on approximately 25 miles of county road during the 2027 season at a cost of $1.08 million. Board Chair Eric Blakeley also told the board a new solar company, Colchester Sun LLC, has applied for a permit. The application will be discussed at next month’s Law & Legal Committee, and a public hearing will be scheduled at a later date
