Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson pushed back against growing opposition to data centers in Illinois, arguing that much of the public debate is being driven by misinformation and a lack of understanding about the industry.
Johnson joined Chicago’s Morning Answer Tuesday with Jeanne Ives and Jim Iuorio, who were filling in for Dan Proft, to discuss the controversy surrounding data centers and their role in local economies. Elk Grove Village has been home to data centers for roughly 27 years, making the community one of the most established data center hubs in the Midwest.
Johnson said the industry has evolved significantly since the first facilities arrived in the village. He noted that residents largely paid little attention to data centers for years, despite driving past them regularly, but that opposition has grown rapidly as the facilities have become a larger topic in political and media discussions.
One of the most common criticisms involves water consumption. Johnson said modern data centers in Elk Grove Village use closed-loop cooling systems and consume far less water than critics often claim. He compared the water usage of a data center in his community to that of approximately seven homes.
Noise has also become a concern in communities considering data center developments. Johnson said Elk Grove Village has zoning and placement requirements designed to minimize noise from generators and cooling equipment. He noted that the village’s highly reliable electrical grid means generators generally operate only for periodic testing rather than serving as a constant power source.
Johnson acknowledged that data centers can create challenges when communities fail to establish appropriate rules, but argued that Elk Grove Village’s experience demonstrates that the facilities can coexist with nearby businesses and residents.
He also defended the industry against criticism over electricity costs and environmental concerns, saying data centers are increasingly paying their own costs and adopting greener technologies. Johnson said he agrees with calls from both Gov. JB Pritzker and President Donald Trump for data centers to pay their fair share of infrastructure and energy costs.
The mayor argued that data centers also provide an important economic benefit to local governments, particularly through property taxes.
Johnson specifically addressed recent criticism of Cook County’s property-tax incentives for data centers. He said the county’s 6B incentive is not exclusive to data centers and is available for new construction or substantial rehabilitation of buildings that have been vacant for at least two years.
According to Johnson, Elk Grove Village has issued 53 such incentives over the past five years, with only nine going to data centers. He argued that focusing solely on the tax reduction obscures the fact that the data centers often generate more property-tax revenue than the businesses or properties they replace.
Johnson cited one example in which a completed data center that was not yet operational generated approximately $1 million in property taxes. Once the facility became fully operational, its tax bill increased to more than $5 million.
That additional revenue, Johnson said, has a direct impact on local taxing bodies. He estimated that the increase generated approximately $1 million each for the local high school and elementary school districts, along with hundreds of thousands of additional dollars for the park district.
Johnson argued that communities should look at the actual tax revenue being generated rather than simply comparing the discounted tax bill with what a facility might theoretically pay without an incentive.
He also emphasized that tax incentives are part of a competitive process among Illinois counties. Elk Grove Village competes with areas in DuPage and other counties for commercial development, and Johnson said companies can choose another location if the tax structure is more favorable elsewhere.
The mayor also discussed a controversial proposed data center site near an Elk Grove Village residential area. Johnson said the property had previously been considered for a truck depot that could have brought approximately 850 trucks through the area around the clock.
Instead, the village worked with residents on a proposal to develop a data center, including screening and other measures designed to limit its impact on nearby homes. Johnson said residents supported the proposal during years of meetings and public hearings, with no one objecting to the project at the time.
He said the sudden opposition illustrates the difficulty of changing course after a project has gone through the established approval process.
Johnson also questioned why opposition to data centers has escalated so dramatically in recent years. He said the facilities were largely unknown to the general public a few years ago but have now become a major political issue.
The discussion comes amid a broader national backlash against data centers as demand for computing power accelerates because of artificial intelligence. Ives and Iuorio pointed to concerns over electricity, water, environmental impacts and the influence of large technology companies, while Johnson argued that many of those concerns can be addressed through reasonable regulation and better public understanding.
Johnson said the United States also has a strategic interest in maintaining its lead in artificial intelligence and computing infrastructure. Data centers are essential to that technology, and he warned that efforts to prevent their construction in the United States could ultimately benefit competing countries.
While Johnson acknowledged that data centers are not perfect and that communities need to establish appropriate rules, he said Elk Grove Village’s nearly three decades of experience demonstrates that they can be good neighbors while generating substantial tax revenue for local governments.
For Johnson, the debate ultimately comes down to getting the facts right. He argued that communities should consider actual water usage, noise controls, electricity costs, tax revenue and the alternatives for vacant commercial and industrial properties before deciding whether data centers belong in their communities.
Johnson said Elk Grove Village’s experience provides a case study for how municipalities can balance development with the concerns of residents while benefiting from an industry that has become increasingly important to the modern economy.