Stoddard County Commissioners hold open meeting on data centers

STODDARD COUNTY, Mo. (KFVS) - As a growing number of data centers break ground across Missouri, some Heartland communities are asking if their community could be next?

The Stoddard County commissioners held an open meeting to discuss rumors and concerns about the possibility that Artificial Intelligence-related data centers could be built in the county.

Presiding Commissioner Greg Mathis told the crowd that, right now, there are no confirmed plans to build such a center. But Mathis also said that if a company chooses to build in Stoddard County, the county may have little say in the matter.

“The bottom line for counties is, for Stoddard County in particular, we do not have planning and zoning,” Mathis said. “That being the case, we have no input as to whether a data center comes in, doesn’t come in, or the ramifications, anything around it.”

Mathis said the county called the meeting after a commissioner attended an informational session about data centers hosted by the Missouri Association of Counties roughly two weeks ago. He said details from that meeting spread online, and “things got a little bit out of hand” as people shared partial information.

Even without a confirmed project, residents at Monday’s meeting voiced concerns about how a potential data center could impact Stoddard County.

“People across the country are starting to realize these are not just abstract technology investments,” one resident said. “They impact land, water, electricity rates, housing, agriculture and the overall health of the community.”

While commissioners emphasized the county’s lack of zoning authority, some residents argued local leaders could still influence what happens — especially if companies come looking for incentives.

“They may not have come and asked yet, but they will come, and they will ask these three men what could be in it for us if we build it here, ‘What kind of tax breaks,’” one resident said.

Mathis acknowledged the issue isn’t going away.

“It’s just something people need to follow,” he said. “It’s coming. It’s not stopping. The amount of data that’s needed within our country — boom — it’s exploding.”

Nearly half of Missouri counties lack zoning regulations outside of cities. Stoddard County is one such community. Cape Girardeau County is also included in that group.