Champaign County Weighs Data Center NDA Ban and Tax Incentive Limits
Champaign County, Ill., is considering an ordinance that would prohibit county board members and employees from entering nondisclosure agreements for county business. A separate resolution would oppose property-tax abatements, payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreements, and other concessions for hyperscale data centers. The proposals reflect board concerns about transparency and tax avoidance, though no rural county data center applications have been filed yet.
Champaign County's 21-member board is set to discuss two data-center measures at a committee-of-the-whole meeting, with no vote planned. One would bar board members and county staff from signing nondisclosure agreements about county business, not only data-center matters. The other would oppose tax abatements, payment-in-lieu-of-taxes deals, and similar concessions for hyperscale data centers.
The proposals follow Mahomet's Sept. 28 disclosure of talks with Clean Cloud Energy about a rural site west of Champaign. Mahomet ended discussions a week later after public objections, including transparency concerns. No rural county data-center applications have been filed, but the resolution points to rumors and public reaction as reasons for a formal stance.
If adopted, these measures could shape how transparent local negotiations over large data centers are, affecting residents, county staff, developers, and taxing bodies. A ban on NDAs may give the public more insight into county dealings, while limits on tax concessions could reduce incentives for hyperscale projects. That may alter where such facilities locate or how costs and benefits are shared, though the county has not yet received a rural data-center application.