By Allison Peck
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Just over a month after Lincoln County commissioners voted against a temporary moratorium on data center development, the issue is set to return to both the Board of Commissioners and the Planning Commission during meetings Monday and Tuesday.
Commissioners are scheduled to discuss and consider a data center moratorium during their regular meeting Monday, with the item listed for 9:45 a.m. on the agenda. The Planning Commission is then expected to continue its review of potential data center regulations during its regular meeting Tuesday.
The upcoming meetings follow a June 8 vote in which commissioners rejected Resolution 2026-21, a proposal that would have temporarily paused data center development while additional regulations were considered. The measure failed on a 3-2 vote, with Commissioners Joe Hewgley, Chris Bruns and Jerry Woodruff voting against the moratorium, while Commissioners Kent Weems and Micaela Wuehler supported it.
Although the moratorium failed, commissioners and Planning and Zoning Administrator Judy Clark stressed at the time that work on strengthening the county's data center regulations would continue regardless of the vote.
Clark told commissioners county staff had already begun drafting potential updates to the regulations and planned to continue working with the Planning Commission to address concerns surrounding issues such as water use, electrical demand, setbacks and noise.
Since then, public interest in the topic has continued to grow as residents have attended county meetings and weighed in on how future data center development should be regulated in Lincoln County.
Monday's agenda does not include additional documentation explaining why the moratorium has returned for consideration or what action commissioners may take.
The Board of Commissioners meeting begins at 9 a.m. Monday at the Lincoln County Courthouse. The Planning Commission is scheduled to meet Tuesday to continue its work on potential regulatory changes.
Both the Board of Commissioners and Planning Commission meetings are open to the public. Those unable to attend Monday's meeting can watch the proceedings live on Lincoln County's YouTube channel.