The Hancock County Board of Supervisors has tabled a move to pass a moratorium on data center construction in the county.
Supervisor Gary Rayhons said county officials should focus on writing an ordinance to define how a data center would be allowed to operate in Hancock County. “I see a moratorium as a Band-aid on something that needs stitches,” Rayhons said.
Supervisor Bud Jermeland said the county should have an aggressive timeline to complete an ordinance that would define the parameters for data centers as well as crypto mining, solar farms and battery storage facilities. Supervisor Florence “Sis” Greiman — the only member of the board to support a mortorium — says she doesn’t know what the hurry is. “I feel that it’s important to just slow things down. I think as we look through our agendas that we do have some problems with our ordinances that we would like to maybe work through,” Greiman said. “And I think this would just give us some time to do that.”
Earlier this month the Hancock County Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously rejected a request to rezone county land near Garner for a potential data center. Ater that vote, two members were disqualified from the commission because they live within the city limits of Garner. The Hancock County Board of Supervisors will have to appoint two new members to the zoning board.
(Reporting by A.J. Taylor, KIOW, Forest City)