About 50 showed up Saturday in Joliet for a two-hour protest against a proposed data center south of the city.

On the surface, their answers share common ground: residents shouldn’t pay for data centers’ energy and water demands. But the candidates diverge on how much state oversight is warranted

City says public hearing on data center will still be 5:30 p.m. and vote will follow, but council meeting will start at 4:30 p.m.

The City Council is slated to vote on the Joliet Technology Center on Monday.

The Yorkville City Council voted at 12:51 a.m. Wednesday in favor of a 1,037-acre project the city says will redefine the town’s future.

The city on Thursday announced that data center developers have pledged $100 million contribution to Joliet days ahead of City Council vote on the project.

The developers of the Project Steel and Project Cardinal data center projects in Yorkville submitted up-front checks following the mayor's request. The vote is Monday on Project Steel and the $275 million school referendum remains on March 17 ballot.

The city of Yorkville is laying the groundwork for the complicated process of hiring contractors needed to pull off the high-powered engineering data centers need.

Plan Commission voted 7-1 for project with few questions after more than four hours of public comment and sends it to the City Council for approval on March 16.

The proposed 795-acre data center next goes to the Joliet City Council on March 16 for a final vote.

Hundreds of residents showed up to City Hall for the Joliet Plan Commission's special meeting on the proposed data center development on Thursday, March 5, 2026.

The Joliet Plan Commission votes Thursday on the plan for a 795-acre data center, and the City Council will follow on March 16. Residents continue to question the development.

Joliet sets March 16 meeting for City Council vote on data center, which will be reviewed by the Plan Commission on Thursday.

Yorkville city administrator Bart Olson said as the city has grown, the tax burden has shifted from commercial and industrial to residential. “Which isn’t good, that’s not something we want," he said.

From Capitol News Illinois: The debate over how to regulate data centers in Illinois is intensifying as lawmakers struggle to balance a host of competing interests.

A page on city of Joliet website posts documents on proposed data center, including estimated electricity usage and property taxes over 30 years.

City acknowledges for first time that data center project will be considered at a special March 5 meeting of the Joliet Plan Commission.

In justifying the increases, the city of Yorkville said just one building for the 228-acre, nine building CyrusOne data center campus will require almost 300 inspections.

Dillan Vancil: Congress should stop using band‑aid bailouts and fix trade policy so farmers are not collateral damage every time there’s a trade war. Read Vancil's full questionnaire here

Executive at open house says Joliet Technology Center could be on special March 5 agenda for Plan Commission with City Council vote to follow.

Aligned, a company that builds data centers, is hosting an open house from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday to share information on a potential data center in Coal City.

The developers of the CyrusOne data center have reduced the plan to eight warehouses totaling 2.1 million square feet and downsized the substation by half its original size.

From Capitol News Illinois: Illinois lawmakers are pursuing data center regulations to address concerns about price increases, electricity shortages and environmental impacts

The Rochelle City Council discussed a potential development agreement Monday with Project Crossroads, a much talked-about data center development.

Hillwood and Power House Data Centers, the companies proposing the Joliet Technology Center, will host the open house.

Brian Sager: Data Centers are becoming the ‘unnecessary evil of modern society.’ Arguably, their location is and should be driven by underlying available resources, such as power grid provisions, and regionally increasing data demands. Read Sager's full questionnaire here

Neil Khot: There are serious concerns that warrant congressional investigation, including potential ethics violations, failures to comply with court orders, and unconstitutional actions by ICE and other federal law enforcement agencies. Read Khot's full election questionnaire

Neil “Muggsy” Gallagher: The real leadership I will provide for this district will protect farmland, get trucks out of our communities and stop my Republican opponents’ attempts to fund services for illegal immigrants. Read Gallagher's full questionnaire here

Judy Ogalla on a top priority for the Will County Board: Lower taxes, I voted for a ZERO percent Levy increase for 2026. In previous years, I have consistently voted against property tax increases. Read Ogalla's full election questionnaire here

Frankie Pretzel on a top priority for the Will County Board: We must stop raising our levy year after year which results in higher taxes. Read Pretzel's full election questionnaire here

Don Tracy on top priorities for the U.S. Senate: I will push for common sense solutions that make life more affordable for working families. This includes lowering energy and gas costs, health care costs, taxes, and inflation. Read Tracy's full election questionnaire here

Steve Botsford, U.S. Senate candidate: Allowing large financial firms to buy up large numbers of single-family homes distorts local markets and makes it harder for families to buy or rent at reasonable prices. Read Botsford's full election questionnaire here

Pamela Denise Long on immigration priorities: 1. No amnesty. 2. Change the “nation of immigrants” rhetoric. 3. Change the “legal good/illegal bad” narrative: Mass immigration both legal and illegal hurts the American citizen. Read Long's full election questionnaire here

Bryan Maxwell, a senate candidate on his top priority: Passing Medicare for All, to begin gradual transition of Americans to the Medicare program. Read Maxwell's full election questionnaire here

Jonathan Dean on a top priority for the U.S. Senate: Addressing the affordability crisis by temporarily allowing folks to use pretax dollars for everyday necessities, such as groceries, child care, and student loan payments. Read Dean's full questionnaire here

Robin Kelly: People are paying too much for healthcare. I will never give up fighting for Americans to have access to quality care. As a member of the Medicare for All Caucus, I am working to make Medicare for All the law of the land. Read Kelly's full questionnaire here

Ernie Marcelain on fixing school funding: I feel individual property taxes that the counties impose are way out of control. We need to revise the PTELL to make property taxes fairer to homeowners. Read Marcelain's full election questionnaire here

Sam Polan: My priorities are simple: make life more affordable, protect our democracy and the rule of law, and restore competence and trust in our government. Read Polan's full election questionnaire here

John Elleson on his top legislative priorities: "Addiction and mental health services, immigration reform, fiscal responsibility." Read Elleson's full election questionnaire here

Ricky Rivard: I will fight for real property tax relief by fixing our school funding system, ending the over-reliance on local property taxes and pushing the state to meet its obligation to fund education. Read Rivard's full election questionnaire here

Ben McAdams on a top priority for the district: Investing more in public healthcare and healthcare infrastructure to make it affordable for Illinoisans. Read McAdams' full election questionnaire here

Caroline McCree on top priorities: Regulation for data centers to protect residents, expanding services available through the county health departments or other local organizations to fill in healthcare gaps. Read McCree's full election questionnaire here

Adam Beaty: The SAFE-T Act warrants careful review and meaningful reform. Chief among the concerns is the limitation it places on judicial discretion. Read Beaty's full questionnaire here

Joe Sosnowski on the state's long-term pension obligations: We need to 1. move new employees to a 401K system; 2. continue to make full annual payments, and 3. increase the retirement age while not enhancing benefits. Read Sosnowski's full questionnaire here

Marty Mohr: I am open to renewable energy, but I am firmly opposed to the state’s current approach, which strips local communities of their decision-making power. Read Mohr's full questionnaire here

Larry W. Smith on top priorities for the McHenry County Board: Reducing taxes, creating jobs and protecting our farmland and open spaces are important to the voters in District 8

Jared Ploger: My three priorities are rooted in affordability: 1) Living Wages, 2) Affordable housing, 3) Fully Funding our education system, including our higher educational system. Read Ploger's full election questionnaire here

Saba Haider: As a small business owner myself, I am committed to fostering economic growth by supporting local businesses, helping families thrive through job creation, improving public services, and promoting financial security. Read Haider's full questionnaire here

Julie Berkowicz: As a member of the Will County and DuPage County Farm Bureau, I am actively engaged in the agricultural community and will continue to support efforts to grow and preserve these businesses

Maria Peterson: This is a common-sense approach: modernize our tax system to create a dedicated funding source, honor our past commitments, and ensure the system is fair for our current and future public servants. Read Peterson's full questionnaire here