Morgan administrator talks data center speculation, moratorium during board meeting
A Morgan County administrator addressed speculation about data centers and clarified the county's six-month moratorium on such developments. She debunked rumors of existing data centers and discussed a petition advocating for a longer moratorium, which had issues with clarity and signature validity. The county is using the moratorium period to prepare necessary ordinances and regulations for future data center applications.
Morgan County Administrator Susie Castleberry provided clarifications regarding data center developments and the county's six-month moratorium during a recent Board of Commissioners meeting. Castleberry aimed to dispel rumors of secret data centers already operating in the county, stating no applications had been received since May 27 and no evidence supported the claims.
The board is currently one month into a six-month moratorium on data center applications, which was approved on April 27. This period is intended for the county to prepare necessary ordinances and application requirements. Castleberry referenced a social media post by local developer Rabbi Rob Thomas, who suggested that the region's insufficient electrical capacity for industrial-grade loads already acts as a "de facto moratorium" on large data center projects.
Furthermore, the county reviewed a petition advocating for a 12-month moratorium, but Castleberry noted several discrepancies with the signatures, including many from outside Morgan County, duplicates, and comments indicating signers were unclear about the petition's purpose. She emphasized that the current moratorium prevents official project submissions and that future county regulations would apply only to unincorporated areas, with the county observing Jacksonville's efforts to create its own ordinances.