Despite a resolution affirming DeWitt County's lack of ordinances regarding data centers, interest from developers is beginning to stir. 

At Monday night's DeWitt County Land Use Committee Meeting, Chair Buck Carter shared a shift in opinion on data centers since last month's proposed moratorium. After attending a seminar about them with Pat Ryan, he says it could be beneficial to look at creating an ordinance in partnership with a legal firm. 

Although there were conversations last month about a lack of interest in the County, Joe Witte alerted the board to an interaction he had with a data center developer recently. Witte proposed notifying the full board at this month's meeting, to give them a month to decide if they would like to pursue an ordinance. 

Hiring a legal firm to assist in creating the ordinance could expedite the long process and help the board finish the ordinance before there is turnover in November, should they be interested in doing so. 

Ryan consulted with Kelly Murray, Executive Director of the Illinois Association of County Board Members, and she agreed that utilizing the legal expertise of a firm that has created data center ordinances could be a good idea. 

The Committee agreed that it would be a smart choice to notify the full board next week of the interest and take a vote in May on whether or not they would begin the process of developing an ordinance. 

Last month, the board passed a resolution that affirmed their lack of ordinances regarding data centers, which, for the time being, disallows developers from making applications.