In a tale of two data center cities, Aurora and DeKalb are two examples of how location, regulation and revenue affect the residents where they sit. WGLT visited both to find answers.

The owner of the home on Fairway Drive said he posted the sign to raise awareness that not everyone opposes the idea of a data center near Bloomington-Normal.

Normal City Manager Pam Reece said Bloomington is giving Normal the opportunity to participate in the city's public forum on Aug. 26 at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts.

The city recently announced its planning commission will meet publicly at 5 p.m. Aug. 26 at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts. There will be a panel of experts and others who have experience with data centers.

The City of Bloomington will host a public planning commission meeting focused on hyperscale data centers at 5 p.m. Aug. 26 at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts.

Harrison Meece wants to be on the team bringing a data center somewhere in McLean County — but only on the people's terms. He said as various moratoriums are put in place, now is the time to do more education for residents.

Development of large-scale data centers is booming across the Midwest and South. As some communities push back, local and state governments are trying to catch up on how to regulate the new development.

The city council also approved a change to council meeting procedures, and a $7 million park project funded by grant money.

The Normal Town Council on Monday unanimously approved a six-month moratorium on the development of data centers. Bloomington City Council members appear ready to do the same next week.

Data centers may have a big geographical footprint, but they don't necessarily use a lot of water compared to other industrial facilities. WGLT gathered some data to help put data center water use in context, based on what's been approved in Joliet between here and Chicago.