Benson County adopts one-year moratorium on data-processing centers after county briefing

The Benson County Commission on a unanimous voice vote adopted a one-year moratorium on data-processing centers, authorizing the chair to sign a state's-attorney-prepared moratorium document.

The commission heard a presentation from Aaron Burst, executive director of the Association of Counties, who said counties commonly use temporary moratoriums to buy time for zoning decisions. "Most counties that haven't been approached yet have offered some sort of moratorium, where they say, hey, we need a little bit of time to figure out our zoning," Burst told commissioners. He described three approaches counties take: a short template ordinance, a detailed county-specific zoning ordinance for data centers, or treating such projects under standard industrial zoning rules.

Burst answered commissioners' questions about scale, revenue and local impacts. He said some hyperscaler projects have brought large tax revenues to rural counties: "Dickey County is now bringing in about, $1,500,000 in extra property tax a month," he said, and cautioned that the scale of power and transmission needs make local decisions complex. Commissioners cited concerns about power, water use, visual impacts and long-term reclamation costs; several argued that a moratorium gives the county time to develop specific setback, bonding and zoning requirements before any permit or project moves forward.

The moratorium passed after a motion to adopt the state's-attorney draft and a second; the chair announced the motion carried and will sign the document. County staff and the zoning board were directed to study zoning options and return recommendations during the moratorium period.