Godfrey Group Looking Into Data Center Regulations

Village of Godfrey Board of Trustees: Public Safety, Finance, Board Meetings

GODFREY – Godfrey officials are preparing to take action on data centers as they research how other communities are regulating the controversial facilities.

Economic Development Director Jim Mager announced at the Sept. 1, 2026 Village Board meeting that a working group has been assembled to recommend rules on data centers in Godfrey.

The group currently consists of Mager and Village Engineer Rich Beran, as well as Trustees Gerard Fischer and Rick Lauschke.

“We have had a meeting and got a good start,” Mager said. “What we’re doing right now is we are simply collecting data of what’s going on around the nation and what other communities are doing [with] ordinances.”

Trustees voted last month to extend the village’s existing moratorium on data center applications by another six months. Lauschke said at the time that village officials should use the extended period to talk about the issue in depth, learn the facts about data centers and weigh the potential pros and cons.

Mager said once the group has completed their research, they will present recommendations for a potential ordinance on regulating data centers in the village.

He noted Village Attorney Bryan Dooling will help draft the proposed ordinance. Dooling has previously said the responsibility of regulating data centers rests mostly at the local level in the absence of state regulation.

“I haven’t done any deep diving, but I haven’t seen anything positive about these – environmental problems, water problems,” Dooling said previously. “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.”

A full recording of the Sept. 1, 2026 Godfrey Finance Committee, Public Safety Committee and Village Board meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.

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