{"id":28004,"date":"2026-01-08T15:51:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T21:51:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/granitecitygossip.com\/?page_id=28004"},"modified":"2026-01-08T16:16:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T22:16:32","slug":"madison-county-board-chairman-chris-slusser-data-center-visit","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/granitecitygossip.com\/index.php\/madison-county-board-chairman-chris-slusser-data-center-visit\/","title":{"rendered":"Madison County Board Chairman Chris Slusser Data Center Visit"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new year, a new look at Madison County\u2019s economic future<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Press Release January 8, 2026<\/strong>
MADISON COUNTY BOARD
157 N. Main St.
Edwardsville, IL 62025
(618) 296-6200<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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The next chapter of Madison County\u2019s economic story may not look like steel mills or smokestacks \u2014 and that realization came into sharper focus for local officials during a recent tour of a Google hyperscale data center in Nebraska.
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Madison County Board Chairman Chris Slusser was among the officials who took part in the tour on Dec. 10, 2025, organized through Greater St. Louis Inc. The delegation included Madison County Economic Development Director and Enterprise Zone Coordinator Cathy Hamilton, Granite City Mayor Mike Parkinson and Troy City Manager Jay Keeven, along with officials from Missouri communities already hosting or considering large-scale data centers.
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Slusser said the visit was prompted by growing public opposition and moratoriums in neighboring counties, particularly after last-minute decisions elsewhere fueled fear, speculation and widespread misinformation online.
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\u201cI kept seeing the same concerns over and over \u2014 noise, water, power, pollution \u2014 and I realized if we didn\u2019t truly understand this ourselves, we\u2019d be reacting instead of leading,\u201d Slusser said. \u201cSo, I wanted to see one in person, not just read about it.\u201d
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A skeptical approach<\/strong>
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Slusser stressed he did not arrive in Nebraska predisposed to support data centers.
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\u201cI\u2019m cynical by nature,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t go in with rose-colored glasses.\u201d
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Instead, he said he spent months researching the issue, watching how opposition campaigns were forming across the region and trying to understand what was driving resistance.
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\u201cWhat I saw was fear of the unknown,\u201d Slusser said. \u201cAnd fear spreads fast online.\u201d
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That skepticism carried into the tour itself. Slusser said he intentionally focused many of his questions on local government officials rather than corporate representatives.
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\u201cI wanted the good and the bad,\u201d he said. \u201cGoogle can tell you how great they are. The city manager is the one who has to deal with complaints.\u201d
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Inside a hyperscale campus<\/strong>
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The Nebraska campus sits on more than 260 acres and is set far back from public roadways. Slusser described extensive security measures, controlled access points and landscaped buffers designed to minimize any outside interference \u2014 critical in environments housing thousands of servers.
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Visitors were required to present identification, receive security badges and follow strict access protocols throughout the campus.
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\u201cIt felt like entering a military base,\u201d Slusser said.
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While the group was not permitted onto active data center floors \u2014 which are closely guarded for security and proprietary reasons \u2014 Slusser said the delegation toured administrative areas and met with data center leadership, technical managers, government affairs staff and local municipal officials.
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One observation stood out immediately.
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\u201cThe loudest thing we heard the entire time was our bus,\u201d Slusser said. \u201cI\u2019m not exaggerating.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Addressing the top concerns<\/strong>
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Slusser said nearly all public opposition centers on three issues: noise, water use and electricity demand.
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Noise, he said, was the concern he was most interested in evaluating firsthand.
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\u201cThere\u2019s this idea that these places hum constantly or roar all day,\u201d Slusser said. \u201cThat just wasn\u2019t the case.\u201d
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The only routine noise source, he said, comes from backup generators that are tested periodically. In Nebraska, local ordinances limit how many generators can be tested at once and require sound measurements at the property line.
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\u201cThey wrote those rules up front,\u201d Slusser said. \u201cAnd it works.\u201d
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On water use, Slusser said modern data centers increasingly rely on closed-loop cooling systems that recycle water internally and can often use non-potable sources. He said water availability is not a limiting factor in Madison County.
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Electricity demand, however, remains the most misunderstood issue.
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Slusser said data centers must undergo a rigorous approval process through the regional electric grid operator, which evaluates whether sufficient generation and transmission capacity exists before approving a project.
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\u201cIf the power isn\u2019t there, they don\u2019t get approved,\u201d Slusser said. \u201cIt\u2019s that simple.\u201d
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He also emphasized that rejecting a data center in one community does not insulate neighboring areas.
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\u201cWe\u2019re all on the same grid,\u201d Slusser said. \u201cIf it gets built next door, it still affects the system.\u201d
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Jobs and long-term economic impact<\/strong>
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Critics often argue that data centers create relatively few jobs compared to traditional manufacturing. Slusser said the Nebraska visit challenged that perception.
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While developers may initially cite 100 to 120 core technical jobs, Slusser said officials there reported more than 700 permanent employees at large campuses, including positions in security, facilities, food service and maintenance.
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Construction impacts are even more significant, he said, with multi-year buildouts employing thousands of union trades workers.
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\u201cThese are massive projects,\u201d Slusser said. \u201cTwo- to five-year construction timelines, thousands of workers, hotels full, restaurants full \u2014 we\u2019ve seen that movie before with refinery expansions.\u201d
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He also highlighted ongoing demand for skilled trades, particularly electricians and HVAC technicians. Data centers operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and require constant maintenance.
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\u201cOne building can spend over a million dollars a year just on filter changes,\u201d Slusser said. \u201cThat\u2019s local work, year after year.\u201d
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The tax base question<\/strong>
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Perhaps the most consequential takeaway for Slusser was the fiscal impact.
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Research conducted by the Madison County assessor into comparable Midwestern projects shows that even with tax abatements, hyperscale data centers can become among the largest property taxpayers due to the value of both the structures and the server equipment inside them.
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\u201cOne data center can rival or exceed our largest existing taxpayers,\u201d Slusser said.
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If multiple facilities locate in Madison County, he said, the impact could be transformative.
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\u201cThat\u2019s how you expand the tax base,\u201d Slusser said. \u201cAnd when you expand the base, you can invest in infrastructure, pay down debt and still have room to ease the burden on residents.\u201d
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Planning, not panic<\/strong>
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Slusser said sites currently under discussion are within municipal boundaries and generally located in industrial or rural areas, not residential neighborhoods. Local zoning ordinances, he said, will play a critical role in managing construction impacts and long-term operations.
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His focus now, Slusser said, is coordination \u2014 ensuring cities share information, learn from other regions and adopt clear standards early.
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\u201cWe would never intentionally bring something here that would hurt our communities,\u201d Slusser said. \u201cWe\u2019ve asked the hard questions.\u201d
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He acknowledged that energy policy remains a broader challenge but said rejecting data centers outright does not address underlying infrastructure realities.
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\u201cThese facilities are going to be built somewhere,\u201d Slusser said. \u201cThe question is whether we approach this with facts and planning, or fear and misinformation.\u201d
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Looking ahead<\/strong>
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Slusser said data centers are likely to play a growing role in the regional economy as demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence accelerates.
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\u201cWe\u2019re not going back to the 1950s industrial economy,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is what modern economic development looks like.\u201d
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For residents wary of change, Slusser offered reassurance.
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\u201cI had the same concerns,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s why I went. And what I saw convinced me this deserves a serious, informed conversation \u2014 not a reaction.\u201d
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