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Logan County Board
April Zoning and Economic Development Committee meeting
[April 07, 2026]
On Monday, April 6th, the
Zoning and Economic Development Committee of the larger Logan County
Board held their monthly meeting in the first-floor courtroom of the
Logan County Courthouse. Four of the five committee members were
present including Chairman Michael DeRoss, Hannah Fitzpatrick,
Joseph Kuhlman, and Bob Sanders. Absent was Vice Chairman Kathy
Schmidt.
The meeting was set to start at 6:30 p.m. but was late with
committee members attending the Transportation meeting held at the
Highway Department building. The meeting did not start until roughly
6:45.
There were three items on the agenda, each under new business. All
proved to be largely uneventful, however, as there was not much
information to share about any of them.
The first item was regarding the new zoning ordinance that
specifically lays out requirements that data centers would need to
follow if approved to build within the county. The committee was set
to hold a vote on this matter, however DeRoss shared that it is not
yet ready. He shared that he met with two lawyers and Al Green of
the Zoning department. The lawyers stated there were some things
that needed to be added to the ordinance, and so it was tabled, with
DeRoss hinting there could be a special meeting regarding this item
should it become ready before May’s meeting.
The second item on the agenda was an update on the Pike Creek wind
farm. DeRoss and Green shared that there was not much progress made
on this matter. Green shared that the company was supposed to have
been working on things regarding their permit over the last two
years but are only now trying to get everything moving at once. He
shared that there had been some change in leadership at the company
that is trying to get permits for the wind farm, and so they have
been working on catching the new person up.
Additionally, Green shared that they had had a meeting with the
company, Bret Aukamp of the Highway department, and himself last
week. Green said, “it’s like they forgot everything we talked
about,” referencing the lack of information the company seems to
have on what needs to be done. He also shared that the company is
blaming the Iran War for some of their issues but stated that does
not account for the lack of progress made over the last two years.
The final agenda item was regarding an update about Hut 8 and their
proposed data center outside of Latham. DeRoss asked the committee
if they had had any communication with Hut 8, and no one had. DeRoss
stated that the only contact he had with them was being asked when
the county was going to have the data center ordinance worked on and
passed.
This led to Green’s Zoning and Economic Development Officer’s
report. Green shared that both the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) and
the Regional Planning meetings for the month had been canceled.
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DeRoss moved on to
public comments. Many of the people in attendance had things to
say, with the first woman speaking asking about deadlines for
Hut 8 and whether the 60-day moratorium would be extended.
DeRoss stated that he did not set the deadlines for Hut 8, so
could not speak into that. He did say that it was possible for
the moratorium to be extended, but that it would ultimately be
up to the full board. He stated that it was his opinion that the
board should vote on it sooner rather than later, but that they
want to get it done right, not fast.
The same woman continued that she has made a pros and cons list
about the proposed data center. She states that the cons were a
lengthy list, while the only pro was the tax money.
The next commenter wanted to know about the location of the
Sugar Creek wind farm. Green stated that a map of the project
could be found online. Lincoln Daily News previously published a
map of this project that can be viewed
here. Green was able to confirm that this map is still
largely accurate, with some notable changes being the removal of
seven wind turbines and changes in access points.
The man who spoke next wanted to know
why there were so many wind turbines in Logan County when compared
to other locations in the state. Green stated that this was due to
the infrastructure that the county has, referring to things like
substations. He also reiterated that the state has taken away the
ability of Illinois counties to say no to these types of projects.
The commenter asked why the county does not simply refuse and was
told by DeRoss that they could be sued. Green and DeRoss then shared
that Madison County had recently done this and lost in court. DeRoss
stated that he has not seen any county or municipality successfully
deny a solar or wind farm that met the requirements set out by the
state.
There were more comments about money and where it would be spent,
with DeRoss not having an answer off the top of his head. He also
took time to explain that the tax revenue for the county would be
smaller than it would be for school districts. He did state that he
could get the woman answers to her questions.
The final commenter asked about any headway being made with the
person who is supposed to conduct the energy study on the proposed
Hut 8 data center. He wanted to know whether the county was looking
for someone to conduct a water study. DeRoss shared that, since
reaching out to Mr. Pruitt, the person who is set to conduct the
energy study, he has gone “radio silent.” DeRoss stated that he has
reached out to others about finding someone else to conduct the
energy or water study, and that Mr. Pruitt’s name is the only one
that comes up, and no names have come back for a water impact study.
With the comments being answered, and there being no other business,
the committee voted to adjourn.
[Matt Boutcher]
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