Community benefits agreements, or CBAs, are legal documents for the investment and enforcement of specific provisions between a data center developer and a community. In the latest in WGLT's ongoing series about data centers, some sources tout CBAs as a tool of trust — while others say they are empty promises.

At least 42 people commented at Friday’s special hearing of the City of Bloomington planning commission that sought public input on potential data center regulations.

The City of Bloomington said it will not enact a new fine or fee structure related to data center regulations. Hyperscale projects require a special use permit, which can be revoked by the city.

The regulations will be discussed at two Planning Commission public hearings on Oct. 16 and Nov. 16, at 4 p.m. on both days at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts.

A new study predicts data centers expected to be built in Illinois over the next decade would create thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in new property tax revenue.

How much potential water exists in Bloomington-Normal and McLean County is difficult to tell. Experts tell WGLT the lack of understanding and potential differences in each and every data center's need for water make it impossible to say how much one would need or use.

If Bloomington-Normal government leaders decide they want to bring a data center to the community, they would need to demonstrate that the community has the energy capacity to sustain it. That remains an open question.

The forum is scheduled for 5-8 p.m. on Aug. 26 at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts. Questions will be submitted electronically before the event.

The emergence of a new class of data centers has garnered bipartisan opposition in communities across the state. What was once seen as an avenue for economic growth has become a political issue in Illinois.

'Money, Money, Money' is what data centers promise to prospective communities willing to host them. In hubs Aurora and DeKalb, WGLT visited the sites to understand what their property tax revenue can offer and what projects are possible.