Posted in Aunt Blabby, BACOG, Building Department, Clown Car, Cuba Township Road District, Elections, ePacket Agendas, Equestrian Commission, Ethics, Finance Committee, Financial Reports, Flock Cameras, Heritage Fest, Horse Boarding, Immigration, Insurance Committee, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Disconnection, Land Use, Lennie, Look For The Union Label, New Normal?, Open Meetings Act, Pension Funding, Police Pension Board, Politics, Property Rights, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Riding Club Commission, Roads & Bridges Committee, Simple Minds, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Traffic, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Clerk, Village Code, Village Engineer, Village President, Village Treasurer, Yabba Dabba Doo, Zoning Board on October 26, 2026| Leave a Comment »
The Village Board of Trustees will be conducting their regular monthly meeting this evening beginning at 6:30 PM. Topics on their agenda include pretty much nothing of particular interest (which is cause for concern since we’re usually kept in the dark).
A copy of their agenda, including info on listening to the meeting, can be viewed and downloaded here.
Posted in BACOG, Capitol News Illinois, Commodius Maximus, Daily Herald, Deception, Democratic Socialists of America, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Ethics, Land Disconnection, Land Use, Look For The Union Label, OP/Ed, Plan Commission, Politics, Press Release, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Privacy, Property Rights, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Resident Spotlights, School Districts, South Barrington, Springfield, Taxes, The Center Square, Unions, Village Code, Village of Barrington, Zoning Board on October 23, 2026| 1 Comment »
Rep. McLaughlin Hosts Press Conference with Northwest Suburban Mayors – February 26, 2026 | Screenshot via Facebook
On February 18th of this year, one headline read, “Pritzker to propose statewide zoning laws to spur homebuilding, limit local control.” The report stated his BUILD Act would (and still does):
“…drastically limit local governments’ authority to restrict the types of structures that can be built on property zoned residential.”
“Accessory dwelling units — attached or detached secondary residences such as granny flats, backyard cottages and above-garage apartments — would be legalized on all properties zoned for residential use.”
“…would establish statewide timelines for inspections and reviews and allow third-party inspectors ($$$) if municipalities miss deadlines.”
Objections to Pritzker’s plan was very quickly spearheaded by Rep. Marty McLaughlin who gathered many community leaders in a room for a press conference February 26th. The headline following that press conference read:
In recent months, Pritzker rarely speaks of the BUILD Act since he doesn’t want it to be a fatal plank in local campaigns, but it by no means has gone away! It’s just been muted until after the November 3rd elections…
Last Friday, The Center Square reported:
“Leaders in Illinois are suggesting a package of legislation aimed at increasing housing affordability and supply in the state may be kicked further down the road, after proposals stalled in May after disagreements between stakeholders.
The Building Up Illinois Developments housing plan, or BUILD, was recommended to the legislature by Gov. J.B. Pritzker early this year, but largely sat on the back burner during the last session of the assembly.
The plan is an extensive proposal that would make sweeping changes to zoning and regulations statewide, aimed at increasing supply, reducing overhead costs, and speeding up development timelines.
At an unrelated news conference Thursday, Pritzker said he thinks the housing legislation may be put aside again during the six-day fall veto session in November and December, in favor of waiting until the 105th General Assembly begins to reintroduce the initiative.
‘It’s a short session, as you know, the veto session. So, I do believe that you’re going to see that in the coming full session starting in January,’ Pritzker said.”
The same article continues:
“Multiple bills in the BUILD proposal would have to be re-introduced and go through the legislative process again in January if not passed sooner.
Pritzker said he remains committed to his end goal with the legislation.”
Pritzker views McLaughlin as a vocal stumbling block. The same is true of Hills, so the Democrats are spending literally millions in the current campaign to silence them.
For information on where, when and how to vote, click here.
Related: “McLaughlin’s press conference video recording regarding Pritzker’s proposed municipal zoning powers grab posted,” “‘It’s just a bad idea’: Suburban officials oppose Pritzker’s plan to reduce local control over residential zoning,” “Pritzker to propose statewide zoning laws to spur homebuilding, limit local control,” “South Barrington Mayor Paula McCombie provides an update of Pritzker’s proposed BUILD Act,” “Village of Barrington President shares perspectives on Pritzker’s BUILD plans,” “(Ignoring public opinion) Pritzker says of BUILD Plan for homes would not cost taxpayers”
Posted in Clown Car, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Education, Elections, Guest Essay, Immigration, Land Disconnection, Land Use, Lipstick On A Pig, Look For The Union Label, Pension Funding, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Real Estate, School Districts, Snowflake Effect, Taxes, The New Normal?, Topics Of Interest, Transparency, Unions, Village Code, Wirepoints on July 7, 2026| Leave a Comment »
By: Mark Glennon* | Wirepoints
Gov. JB Pritzker left no doubt about where he stands in the growing schism within the Democratic party about its surge toward the radical left. CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked him directly on June 30 if it’s good that Democratic primary voters recently chose Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) candidates over more moderate Democratic incumbents.
Pritzker answered that as long as they are talking about affordability and oppose Trump, “those are the people who are winning” and embracing progressive/in Democratic Socialist candidates is “the recipe for winning in 2026 and beyond.” Here’s the clip:
Many key Democrats are revolting against the growing elements of socialism in their party. As the left-leaning Guardian put it:
Over the last few days, prominent party figures have moved away from unifying under a “blue no matter who” banner to push for a more formal break with their left flank, and said the moment may have arrived for Democrats to confront their more socialist wing.
No less than veteran Democratic political advisor James Carvill recently said “it’s time for Democrats to talk the S-word: schism,” He added that some DSA-aligned candidates “have no place in the Democratic party” and, of the broader coalition: “I’m not in that fucking political party.”
Other prominent Democrats speaking up against the party’s growing leftism include Jaime Harrison, the former chair of the Democratic national committee, former New York governor David Paterson and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. And the left-leaning Atlantic wrote that, while the DSA is “anything but Democratic,” its clever subversion of the Democratic Party will be difficult to stop.
In case you don’t already know – and you should – here’s some of what the DSA supports:
For the sake of the nation, we can only hope that, on this, America agrees with James Carville: “I’m not in that f-ing party.”
*Mark Glennon is founder of Wirepoints.
Editorial note: Maria Peterson (pictured below with JB Pritzker) appears to have made a profession for years running for offices with the financial backing of JB Pritzker, among others. In 2022 she ran unsuccessfully for Illinois State Senate and in 2024 she lost her bid for Illinois House 52nd District Representative.
Maria Peterson and JB Pritzker | Courtesy Maria Peterson’s Facebook page
Currently she is feverishly campaigning again for 52nd District Representative, and there is absolutely no doubt if successful, she will back all of JB Pritzker’s initiatives and likely those of the Democratic Socialists of America. This includes Pritzker’s stalled “BUILD Initiative” which would strip property rights from residents and place all zoning controls in the hands of Springfield politicians and unions.
Please don’t consider this as our being negative, as some might. Instead, think of it for what it is – fact.
Posted in Agendas, Algonquin Rd, Aunt Blabby, Barrington Hills Park District, Barrington Hills Polo Club, Big Brother, Big Red, Cellular Service, Countryside Elementary School, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Financial Statements, FPDCC, FRVPC, Horizon Farm, Horse Boarding, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Disconnection, Massbach Hounds, Open Meetings Act, Organizations, Overhead, Politics, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Riding Center Advisory Committee, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, School Districts, Taxes, Transparency, Unions, WTF on June 17, 2026| Leave a Comment »
The Barrington Hills Park District Board/Riding Cult of Barrington Hills will hold a closed session meeting Monday at 6:00 PM. The sole topic on their agenda is:
A copy of the agenda can be viewed here.
Posted in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Ethics, Fools and their money, Immigration, Land Disconnection, Land Use, OP/Ed, Organizations, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Real Estate, School Districts, Springfield, Unions, Zoning Board on April 22, 2026| 3 Comments »
More than two months ago we posted, “Pritzker to propose statewide zoning laws to spur homebuilding, limit local control.” Shortly thereafter, local community leaders almost universally voiced their opposition to Pritzker’s plan to diminish local control and property values via his “BUILD,” plans.
Needless to say, we were dumbfounded when an email was forwarded to us with the subject line, “Call For Action: Support the BUILD Plan to Increase Inventory.” That message was sent by, “North Shore-Barrington Association of Realtors (NSBAR).” Since most recognize the reputation (many) realtors have, suffice it to say consider the source as we continue…
The NSBAR message begins with, “Please contact your legislator and tell them to support the BUILD Plan to increase housing inventory and ease housing costs for Illinois families.” State Rep. Martin McLaughlin has not been shy in voicing his opposition to Pritzker’s land grab plans stating, “It’s just a bad idea.”
The NSBAR pitch states the BUILD plan will, “Eliminate local housing bans.” One does not need to read further, but those wishing to can do so here.
All we can advise is when buying or selling a home, choose your representative and attorney wisely.
Related: “Village of Barrington President shares perspectives on Pritzker’s BUILD plans,” “(Ignoring public opinion) Pritzker says of BUILD Plan for homes would not cost taxpayers,” “Gov. JB Pritzker’s ambitious housing plan for Illinois: More four-flats, looser rules,” “Pritzker to propose statewide zoning laws to spur homebuilding, limit local control,” “McLaughlin’s press conference video recording regarding Pritzker’s proposed municipal zoning powers grab posted,” “‘It’s just a bad idea’: Suburban officials oppose Pritzker’s plan to reduce local control over residential It’s just zoning”
Posted in AI, Audio Recordings, Clown Car, Comprehensive Plan, Crime, Data Center, Deception, Dumb and Dumber, ePacket Agendas, Ethics, FOIA, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Disconnection, Land Use, Lennie, New Normal?, Newsletter, OMA, One Barrington Hills, OP/Ed, Open Meetings Act, Perjury, Plan Commission, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Simple Minds, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Transcripts, Transparency, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Clerk, Village Code, Village Director of Administration, Village Government, Village President, Zoning Board on April 3, 2026| 3 Comments »
Village of Barrington Hills board members (l-r) JC Clarke, Laura AB Ekstrom, Brian Cecola, Marsha McClary, David Riff and Jessica Hoffmann. Not pictured: Thomas Strauss.
Our Village Board of Trustees met Monday evening. This marked the third meeting since their December 2025 meeting when residents were blindsided to learn, “110 Acre AI data center campus pitched to Village Board.”
The first speaker Monday night expressed their continued dissatisfaction with the Board as follows:
“All right. Good evening. My name is Aaron Becker. By now you probably know who I am.
I’m speaking tonight in regards to the Village attorney’s letter in response to my questions from January 27th,and I’ve got a couple other comments as well.
I really appreciate the Village responding in righting to my quick response. However, I ask respectfully and directly why several of my explicit questions and requests were not answered at all. They were just omitted, so… .
The response explains why it believes its past actions were lawful, but it does not confirm whether any of the safeguards I requested would be implemented. My question tonight is simple: was the omission intentional?
In the Village Summer 2021 newsletter, residents were told by Trustee Ekstrom, she’s not here today, and I’m going to quote her, ‘Most residents know that they can attend the Village Board meetings, many may not realize that committee and commission meetings are also open to the public. Our Village is a community above all else and having input from our residents reflected in our decision making is not only welcome but encouraged.’
I’ll say this much, I genuinely appreciate that perspective and I believe her. With that in mind, here’s some feedback:
Please confirm that all off-record communications with Brennan Development Group will stop.
Please stop project specific merit discussions absent of formal filings.
Please confirm that unsupported tax claims will not be repeated by the Village without substantiation.
Please confirm that records will be preserved.
Please do everything in your power to maintain true independence of the Plan Commission.
I’d also like the Board to reflect on some of the statements Board of Trustees members have made in the past. In the same Summer 2021 newsletter, residents were told by Trustee Strauss that quote, ‘We live in a special community, and the Board is committed to maintaining our heritage.’
And Trustee Riff said, ‘I would like to make certain that we remain focused on the budget, protect our residential zoning rights (or rather zoning laws), and ensure that our community remains safe and secure for all residents.’
So those are strong words. And they matter. So I’ll ask each of you as Trustee members, do you believe that based on all of the emails we have now seen and read that you have honored those commitments? That you are protecting our residential zoning rights. And that you are maintaining our heritage as a Village.
I’ll be honest, I don’t. I read all the emails. I don’t believe it.
You have to go to bed at night. You have to look yourself in the mirror and say that you believe you’ve protected the residential zoning rights with your actions and your words.
My wife spoke last month about actions and words and holding people accountable when their actions and words don’t align. And that’s what we’re here doing asking of our leaders for continuity between their actions and their words.
That’s all I’m asking. When you say you’re going to do something, follow through and do it. Please.
So, to summarize, respond to the five requests I had in the letter either acknowledging you made a mistake and how you’re going to fix it, or that you made no mistake.
Either way we deserve clarity we deserve responses to those.
That’s my comment. Thank you very much.”
The audio recordings from the March 30, 2026, Board of Trustees meeting can be found here.
Related: “Do you trust our Board of Trustees? We don’t. But you decide for yourself once we have finished. (Follow-up),” “Do you trust our Board of Trustees? We don’t. But you decide for yourself once we have finished. (Part 3),” “Do you trust our Board of Trustees? We don’t. But you decide for yourself once we have finished. (Part 2),” “Do you trust our Board of Trustees? We don’t. But you decide for yourself once we have finished. (Part 1),” “110 Acre AI data center campus pitched to Village Board”
Posted in Agendas, AI, Audio Recordings, Clown Car, Data Center, Deception, Dumb and Dumber, Ethics, FOIA, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Disconnection, Minutes, Newsletter, OMA, One Barrington Hills, OP/Ed, Open Meetings Act, Plan Commission, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Simple Minds, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Transcripts, Transparency, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Code, Village Director of Administration, Village Government, Village President, Zoning Board on March 13, 2026| Leave a Comment »
There was no mention of the data center discussions which began in October in President Cecola’s quarterly Village Newsletter distributed last week. So much for transparency.
Last week we published a series of editorials to enlighten residents on the, “110 Acre AI data center campus pitched to Village Board.” We referenced Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) records we obtained, and several people have asked if they might obtain a copy.
Those records we were provided, edited only to eliminate redundancy such as multiple copies of the “Data Center Overview,” can be found here.
Related: “Do you trust our Board of Trustees? We don’t. But you decide for yourself once we have finished. (Part 3),” “Do you trust our Board of Trustees? We don’t. But you decide for yourself once we have finished. (Part 2),” “Do you trust our Board of Trustees? We don’t. But you decide for yourself once we have finished. (Part 1),” “7 things to know about Illinois data centers,” “Data Center group concerned over pause,” “110 Acre AI data center campus pitched to Village Board”
Posted in AI, Audio Recordings, Data Center, Ethics, FOIA, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Disconnection, Land Use, Minutes, OMA, OP/Ed, Plan Commission, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Simple Minds, Topics Of Interest, Transparency, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Code, Village Director of Administration, Village Government, Village President, Zoning Board on March 6, 2026| 2 Comments »
Source: Brennan Investment Group December 15, 2025 presentation to the Barrington Hills Board of Trustees
Last month during the February 23rd Board of Trustees meeting, Trustees and attendees heard public comments from:
This marked the second Board meeting since the now infamous, “110 Acre AI data center campus pitched to Village Board,” was made public and residents were afforded an opportunity to share their thoughts. To follow are the Public Comments of one resident who spoke after having benefit of the review of records received from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for documents related to the Data Center pitch:
“I’m Karen Traska… It’s kind of good that I’m following him because I might have a few of your answers.
You know, before I came here, I was pretty mad. And now I’m standing in front of you guys and I’m sad. Like, I’m really sad.
Last time I was standing up here, we were talking about this data center that came out of nowhere, right? It just sort of popped up. They just showed up like 5 minutes before the meeting. It wasn’t on the agenda because, you know, they just kind of showed up, and, the last time I was here, I was also waiting for my FOIA request, and I got my FOIA request.
So turns out, October 8th, our Village Administrator, Anna Paul, put a meeting in the calendar with the Brennan Investment Group and what seems to be their attorneys for the data center. October 21st, you guys had the meeting with Brennan.
…November 10th, Brennan followed up with Anna to see what the feedback was. A week later, November 17th, Board of Trustee meeting. It wasn’t on the agenda. It wasn’t brought up.
December 15th, 2 months after the meeting, Board of Trustee meeting again. It wasn’t on the agenda, but now, as we all know, a 25-minute presentation discussion, but apparently not even some of the trustees knew about it until that moment. Community didn’t know about it. We couldn’t show up to listen or engage. It wasn’t until mid-January that word really gets out to the community.
All hell breaks loose, right? We’re all here at the meeting, January 26th. And President Cecola, Brian, you sat here and repeatedly stated that no one, no one on this Board wanted a data center, right? No one wanted it. And nobody raised their hand, contradicted him. No one said, well, actually, no, I did.
Well, Tuesday, December 16th, the day after the presentation with Brennan, Trustee Strauss, who’s not here unfortunately, to Wes Levy, the Village Treasurer, and Anna Paul, the Village Administrator.
Wes, nicely done last night. Can you ask Anna to share the information we received last night from Brennan Investment Group about a possible data center development?
Levy responds, hi, Trustee Strauss. Anna brought this one to my attention a couple weeks ago. I am sure there will be concessions and property tax forgiveness as part of a deal to bring them in, but if they do come, it will be significant revenue.
Then Strauss emails Cecola,
Brian, my opinion is we need to take this very seriously. Opportunities like this do not surface often. We would need to make certain we can lock up the project and the necessary requirements short-term and long-term, but based on the location, I believe the developer is for sure going to be very open to making concessions.
Same time, Trustee Hoffman was sending an article citing energy usage concerns. Thank you.
And Strauss replied with an article of his own regarding some small town in Quincy, Washington, and how they love the data center. He shared,
I have done a lot of research the last 2 days, and these centers are legit. Below is a small community and the impact that I sent to Brian yesterday. And it was all these statistics. To which then Trustee Clarke responded, Thanks. I agree with Trustee Strauss.
That’s just what was sent to me. There were 2 emails with a staff member and the attorney not sent to me, apparently due to some attorney-client privilege, which I don’t understand because I thought the village was the client, like the residents were the client, but maybe not. I will be asking about that later.
Allegedly, other conversations were had off record with more than just Strauss and Clarke being in favor of the data center. Allegedly, allegedly, allegedly.
I do want to thank Trustees Ekstrom and Hoffman, whether in emails that I received or in public meetings in front of all of us, or both, for standing up for our Village and its unique character, as well as for calling for transparency, not just in the community but within your own Board. I hope in the future we can go back to the transparency that we had with our previous Village President.
Again, this whole thing makes me really sad. So that’s all I have to say. Thank you.”
A transcript of comments from the February 23rd Board meeting can be found here, and the audio recordings of the entire meeting can be found here.
The Village posted the following after the February 2nd Special Plan Commission meeting was cancelled:
“Based on initial feedback, the developer for a possible data center in the Village of Barrington Hills has decided not to go forward with a presentation at the informational Plan Commission meeting.
At this time, the Village considers this matter closed and does not anticipate any further discussion.”
Few if any believe the matter to be closed.
As an aside, the Plan Commission last met on October 2nd, 2025, just six (6) days prior to the Brennan meeting being scheduled by the Village Administrator, per FOIA documents obtained. See Draft Minutes of the October 2, 2025, Meeting.
We thought the timing to be interesting. We also find it interesting that the FOIA records show no evidence of contact between the Village and Brennan Investment Group in advance of October 8th, 2025, when the Village scheduled the October 21st, 2025, meeting. Nothing. No emails with introductory materials, no emails confirming the meeting.
Editorial note: In “Part 1” of our series we neglected to include the “Data Center Overview” posted by the Village on January 16th, 2026. This has since been corrected.
Related: “Do you trust our Board of Trustees? We don’t. But you decide for yourself once we have finished. (Part 2),” “Do you trust our Board of Trustees? We don’t. But you decide for yourself once we have finished. (Part 1),” “7 things to know about Illinois data centers,” “Data Center group concerned over pause,” “110 Acre AI data center campus pitched to Village Board”
Posted in AI, Audio Recordings, Data Center, Ethics, FOIA, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Disconnection, Land Use, Minutes, OMA, OP/Ed, Open Meetings Act, Plan Commission, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Simple Minds, Topics Of Interest, Transparency, Village Board, Village Code, Village Director of Administration, Village Government, Village President, Zoning Board on March 4, 2026| 2 Comments »
Village of Barrington Hills board members (l-r) JC Clarke, Laura AB Ekstrom, Brian Cecola, Marsha McClary, David Riff and Jessica Hoffmann. Not pictured: Thomas Strauss.
On December 22, 2025, the Observer posted an article: “110 Acre AI data center campus pitched to Village Board.” If you’ve not read the post, please do so before proceeding.
There are some points we should have included but didn’t because of our desire to post before the holiday. Those added points include:
The Minutes from the December 15th meeting, which were approved and voted on unanimously by the Board at the January 26th meeting, summarize the twenty (20) minute “110 Acre AI data center” pitch” as follows:
We have no doubt a significant amount of extra time, expense effort was devoted to this since the Observer provided residents a heads up in its article 110 Acre AI data center campus pitched to Village Board, and, before the December minutes were approved, the Village posted what follows on its Facebook Page and Website on January 16th:
“Special Plan Commission Meeting to Welcome Resident Input
For the Consideration of a Possible Data Center Development
A data center developer has approached the Village regarding a large property within the Village, at the edge of its southwest boundary (see figures A & B). As an informational step, the developer provided a brief overview presentation to the Board of Trustees at its December 15, 2025, meeting. The PDF of the presentation may be viewed by following this link: Data Center Overview
During the presentation, the developer stated that, if a data center were ultimately built, the Village would experience a significant financial impact, including increased annual utility tax revenue in the millions for the Village and a reduction in residents’ property tax contributions. The developer estimated that the site’s property tax could increase from approximately $3,000 annually to as much as $20 million annually after reaching full operation. These figures were presented by the developer and have not been independently reviewed or verified by the Village.
A data center is not a use contemplated in the Village’s Comprehensive Plan. The Board of Trustees believes that any consideration of such a proposal should begin with a public information session and meaningful input from its residents.
Importantly, no decisions have been made, and the Village is not endorsing or approving a data center development. At this time, the Village is seeking resident input. As a preliminary and exploratory step, the Board has asked the developer to make a public presentation at a Special Meeting of the Plan Commission.
Residents are encouraged to attend the presentation at a Special Meeting of the Plan Commission:
Monday, February 2, 2026, at 6:30 p.m.
Countryside Elementary School
205 W. County Line Road
Barrington Hills, IL 60010
Questions or comments before or after the meeting may be submitted to datacenter@vbhil.gov.
The primary purpose of this meeting is to allow the developer to present its concept and potential benefits, and to give residents and the Plan Commission an opportunity to share their initial thoughts, questions, and concerns regarding whether the Village should consider this type of development.
Following the presentation, the Commission and members of the public will have the opportunity to make comments and ask questions. It is expected that many questions will require additional review and follow-up. Any responses would be provided at a future meeting or through other forms of communication.
If, after the presentation and public input, it is determined that the Village is willing to consider the proposal, the Village would then work to define a transparent process that will include additional opportunities for public engagement. The structure and scope of any such process have not yet been determined. The developer has committed to covering the costs associated with the review process, including the Village’s use of outside consultants, facilities, or experts, as such reviews may occur.”
The Village Website doesn’t allow for comments, but their Facebook post was commented on 56 times and shared 44 times.
With all of this unexpectedly hitting the fan for the most part in less than a month, one might assume many residents would appear at the January 26, 2026, Board of Trustees meeting. Well, they did.
In our next post we’ll share what those residents had to say.
Related: “7 things to know about Illinois data centers,” “Data Center group concerned over pause,” “110 Acre AI data center campus pitched to Village Board”
Posted in AI, Ethics, Hoffman Estates, Illinois Policy Institute, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Disconnection, Land Use, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Transparency on March 2, 2026| Leave a Comment »
The state’s data center boom is reshaping energy, water use and taxes. Here’s what residents should know about the costs, jobs and incentives involved.
By Brennan Park | Illinois Policy Institute
Data centers are expanding across Illinois amid the tech industry’s rising demand for cloud computing. Supporters say the facilities bring investment and jobs, while critics worry about rising energy costs, environmental effects and tax incentives.
Illinois lawmakers are considering passing more stringent regulations on the growth and operation of data centers, with bills recently introduced in the House and Senate. These bills would require “hyperscale” data centers to expand renewable energy and “strengthen equity, transparency, and labor standards in clean energy initiatives,” among other new rules.
Here’s what every Illinoisan should know about the data center boom and tradeoffs the state makes to be a part of it.
1: Illinois is already a major data center hub, with the growth accelerating
Illinois boasts the fourth-highest number of data centers in the country, at 244 sites. That’s because the state provides much of what data center developers need: energy, environment and space.
These facilities need large amounts of reliable, clean electricity. They also require a cool, stable climate and ready access to water to prevent overheating. Illinois’ weather, rivers and proximity to Lake Michigan provide those conditions.
Flat land and industrial sites also make it easier and cheaper to build large-scale facilities. Illinois has a lot of both.
Most of the current development is concentrated in Chicago and its suburbs, with new projects from companies such as STACK Infrastructure, Prime Data Centers and Prologis.
Aurora is home to Prologis Project Steel, with 24 completed data center buildings, and Project Cardinal, with 14. Southern and central Illinois are also proving attractive. CyrusOne is slated to host a 600-megawatt data center campus in Springfield, one of the largest proposed in the state.
Article continues here.
Related: “110 Acre AI data center campus pitched to Village Board”
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