Godfrey Approves 6-Month Extension Of Data Center Application Pause
Village officials to weigh possible impacts of data centers over the next six months while deciding how to regulate them at the local level.
Village of Godfrey Board of Trustees: Public Safety, Finance, Board Meetings
GODFREY – Godfrey trustees took action this week to stop any data centers from being proposed in the village until at least 2027.
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Village Board members unanimously approved a resolution which extends the village’s previous moratorium on data center applications by another 180 days, or six months. The newly approved pause will last until Jan. 31, 2027.
Trustee Rick Lauschke said village officials should use this extended time to talk about the issue in depth, learn the facts about data centers, and weigh the potential pros and cons.
Village Attorney Bryan Dooling told trustees the moratorium cannot be extended any further, making the next six months their final chance to decide how to regulate data centers at the municipal level. While Dooling was unsure if a local ordinance regulating or banning data centers would conflict with future state law, he suggested trustees could amend any approved ordinance to later align with state law.
“I haven’t done any deep diving, but I haven’t seen anything positive about these – environmental problems, water problems,” Dooling said. “The state has not moved forward to regulate these, whether it’s to ban them or kind of force communities to accept them – so at this point, it’s really on the municipality.”
Lauschke suggested putting measures in place to address the potential root problems presented by data centers. If the concern is that a data center would draw too heavily from the local power grid or water supply, Lauschke said the village should require developers to provide their own power or water infrastructure to meet the facility’s needs. He urged trustees to make a decision soon in the absence of stricter state regulations.
“I don’t want to get caught waiting for the state, the state doesn’t do anything, and then we don’t have anything done,” Lauschke said.
Dooling agreed, adding: “The sooner we address it, the better.”
A full recording of the Aug. 4, 2026 Godfrey Village Board meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.
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