Mayor Touts Data Center Benefits At Well-Attended Elk Grove Town Hall
Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson hosted a town hall to discuss data centers, addressing over 500 residents' concerns about revenue, electricity, water usage, and fire safety. Residents raised questions about AI power demands, noise from generators, and proposed a ban on gas-powered generators and a cap on new data centers. The village currently has 20 data centers operating and 19 more in the pipeline.
Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson hosted a well-attended town hall at Belvedere Banquets, drawing over 500 residents to discuss data center developments in the village. The event aimed to provide facts regarding the village's 20 operating data centers and 19 proposed facilities.
Mayor Johnson's presentation covered various aspects, including the significant revenue generated by data centers for the village ($45 million in property taxes in 2025), electricity reliability (rated #1 in the country by ComEd), and water usage. He noted that modern data centers use closed-loop cooling systems and that overall village water usage has decreased by 32% in the last 25 years. Fire Chief Richard Mikel also addressed fire safety concerns, stating that there has never been a data center fire in the village, and facilities are equipped with advanced protection systems.
Residents' questions focused on noise from backup generators, the increased power demands of AI data centers, potential health impacts, and the future of the 100-acre WGN antenna site, where a data center has been proposed. Some residents advocated for a ban on gas-powered generators and a cap on the number of data centers allowed in the village, though Mayor Johnson indicated a reluctance to limit future village boards. Johnson also clarified that while data centers may incorporate AI elements, none specifically for AI have been built or proposed in Elk Grove Village.