Linn County data center committee to evaluate possible changes to existing ordinance
Linn County, Iowa, is preparing a 40-member advisory committee to study possible changes to the county’s data center ordinance. The committee is being formed during an 18-month moratorium on new data center proposals in unincorporated areas, with formal approval and applications expected in October.
The Linn County Board of Supervisors is preparing to establish a 40-member Data Center Advisory Committee to gather resident, municipal and regional input on how the county should regulate data center development. The committee is expected to meet six to eight times and examine energy use, water resources, siting, land use, existing regulations and facility decommissioning.
The committee’s work will occur during an 18-month moratorium on consideration of new data center proposals in Linn County’s unincorporated areas, which is scheduled to expire at the end of December 2027. Supervisors postponed formal action on the committee until a Monday work session, when they are also expected to consider a contract with the East Central Iowa Council of Governments for backup facilitators. The committee’s recommendations will guide potential updates to the county’s data center zoning ordinance.