Ogle County Board Meeting Schedule for July 2026 and Data Centers in the News
Good morning everyone - we hope that you and your loved ones enjoyed the Fourth of July holiday weekend!
Here is the basic rundown of Ogle County Board meetings for the month of July (agendas have yet to be shared for this month): Ogle County Board Committees (Minutes & Agenda)
July 14th (beginning at 8am):
8am - Road and Bridge Committee
9am - HR & Risk Management
10am - Assessments, Planning and Zoning
11am - SA, Court Svc, Focus House, Judiciary, & Circuit Clerk
12pm - Ethics & Governance
1pm - County Facilities, Security, & IT
2pm - Long Range and Strategic Planning
3pm - HEW, Solid Waste, and VAC
4pm - Finance and Insurance
4:30pm - Executive
July 21st, 5:30pm - Ogle County Board Meeting
July 23rd, 6pm - Regional Planning Commission
July 30th, 6pm - Zoning Board of Appeals
A number of people have inquired about gathering contact information so that they are more readily able to organize with one another regarding the issues surrounding data centers coming to Ogle County. We have set up an email account that will allow us to generate a secure contact list that we will then be able to share with those interested in connecting. We ask that you use the following in your subject heading: “OCDC Community Contact Consent”, followed by your preferred contact information (name and email). Our email account will be: ocdc.community.outreach@proton.me
We hope that this will prove helpful in not only connecting folks interested in these issues but those looking to build community.
In the news, we have a great deal to share with you all this week...
Regarding “closed loop” systems:
Meta data center water discharges suspended after contaminating the city's reclamation water supply with bacterium — system offline for months for cleaning, closed-loop cooling system purge spread rare metal-resistant bacteria in Cheyenne’s water system.
Meta’s AI Data Center Caught Leaking Deadly Bacteria Into Water Town Uses for Irrigation
Cheyenne suspends datacenter wastewater after rare bacterium traced to Meta's AI site.
Regarding “the grid”:
Power company hikes data center bills by 30%, cuts residential electricity costs by 1.3% — Oregon approves change through POWER Act, pushes developments using more than 20 Megawatts of power to pay their fair share.
They welcomed 37 data centers to town. Now their schools have to dim the lights to cut energy costs.
"Grid Instability Intensifies" Heatwave Drives Up U.S. Data Center Costs, Shifting the AI Infrastructure Bottleneck From Semiconductors to Power
Regarding data centers and the AI industry:
A Michigan Couple Says a Nearby AI Data Center’s Constant Hum Is Ruining Their Home
US residents angry at datacenters ‘being shoved down our throats’ are recalling officials.
Execs Confused and Horrified by the Huge AI Bills After Thinking They Could Replace Workers for Free
How Data Centers Preserved Their $2 Billion Virginia Tax Break
‘It’s smoke and mirrors’: hope turns to fear in Scottish village chosen for AI datacentre.
Meta to build its first $13 billion data centre in Canada
Data Center Emits Constant Screeching Noise Directly Into Man’s House
Proposed data center would pull from lake that supplies most of Fort Worth’s water.
Wisconsin residents sue Microsoft over noise caused by new data center.
Data centers emitting more CO2 than thought.
Meta Paid Hundreds of Contractors to Pretend to Be Teenagers While Barraging Its Competitors’ AI With Disturbing Content
Rapid spread of AI may worsen global inequality, UN warns.
CNBC: Generative AI Doesn't Work, And Big Tech Is Out Of Hypergrowth Ideas
AI is outpacing the rules, Europe’s top bankers and regulators warn.
Amazon's carbon emissions grow by 16 percent in 2025, on the back of record data center capacity additions.
We hope to see many of you this next week and the week following at various committee meetings and at the full Ogle County Board meeting on the 21st.
Please continue to engage civically with civility. And carpool if you can.