Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – People who have been showing up at city council meetings these days say Springfield is not doing enough to protect itself from data centers, and the city council’s repeal of a CWLP rate classification for such projects is not doing much to quell speculation that a data center is indeed poised to come into the city. In fact, some commenters wonder if city leaders are actually okay with hosting a data center.

The centers have been criticized for, among other things, heavy use of electricity and water. Opponents also say they suspect local leaders stand to benefit personally from the centers. One has said though, that there will never be a data center in the city.

Supporting the repeal but stating the city’s vigilance cannot end there, commenter Don Hanrahan said, “We’re waving a proverbial red flag in front of these tech bro billionaires that are coming looking for data centers in central Illinois. If nobody is looking into this, to paraphrase the famous astronaut, ‘Houston, we have a problem.'”

The repeal vote passed the council, 9-1, with Ald. Roy Williams opposed.