Tazewell County has taken a first, temporary step toward preventing data centers from being built on county land.
The county board onWednesday approved a zoning code amendment that prohibits "any use of land which is not explicitly allowed under the code or as adopted by supplemental ordinance."
The word "prohibits" replaces the phrase, "shall be ... allowed under [the] category ... to which it is most analogous."
The amendment was recommended for approval by the county's Zoning Board of Appeals [ZBA], community development director Jaclynn Workman, the land use committee and the state's attorney's office.
Board member Greg Sinn cast the lone "no" vote on the amendment, saying it puts the county at risk.
The land use committee is working on more stringent measures related to data centers that it will bring to the full board in the next few months.
Data centers, which are seen as crucial to fueling artificial intelligence, have become controversial as critics fear the centers will drain vital resources, such as water.
A developer has expressed interest in building data center in the city of Pekin. The city has since said it's not interested in the project, but the developer has not yet formally submitted a plan.
Board member appointed
The Tazewell County Board has a new member.
Minier resident Eugene Glueck was sworn Wednesday at the start of the board's monthly meeting.
The appointee is filling an open seat in District 3, replacing Aaron Phillips, another appointee.
Phillips was appointed in early 2025 after board member Bill Atkins resigned on New Year's Eve 2024 following his re-election to the board the previous month.
Atkins left the board after being named the city attorney in Moline.
Phillips resigned early this year because he moved from Washington to Metamora, which is in Woodford County.
Glueck will serve until Nov. 30.
He was one of four candidates who ran for four open four-year seats in District 3 in the March 17 Republican primary.
Presuming Glueck wins in the Nov. 3 general election — there currently are no other candidates for the seats — his four-year term will begin Dec. 1.
The other District 3 Republican primary winners were incumbents Dave Mingus and Tammy Rich Stimson and candidate Jason Magarity,
District 3 runs along the eastern ring of Tazewell County, from Fondulac and Washington townships to Hittle and Boynton townships.
Glueck resigned from his position as a Little Mackinaw Township Board trustee to take the county post. He'd been a trustee since 2019.
He's a territory sales manager for Martin Equipment in Goodfield, responsible for John Deere construction equipment sales in four counties in central Illinois, according to his resume.
Glueck wrote in his resume that he grew up on a grain farming operation in Tazewell County.
He and his wife Lisa, whom he describes as "conservative Christians who value the freedoms we experience in the United States," have two adult children.
Six members are leaving the 21-member board this year. Russ Crawford, Mark Goddard, Greg Longfellow, Greg Menold and Max Schneider are not running for re-election.
Solar farm approved
Also Wednesday, a one-year extension of a special use to allow the construction of a 3.5-megawatt commercial solar farm in a field in an agriculture preservation district immediately south of and adjacent to 13127 Hilst Road in Green Valley was approved with conditions Wednesday by the board.
The conditions include the installation of chain-link fencing, maintenance of vegetation, and the planting of cover crops such as wheat or rye to prevent sentiment and erosion control issues before construction.
The ZBA and land use committee recommended approval of the extension.
The original special use approval took place in 2024.
