> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.citizenjournal.us/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # McPherson County Planning and Zoning board recommends banning data centers - URL: https://www.citizenjournal.us/mcpherson-county-planning-and-zoning-board-recommends-banning-data-centers/ - Published: 2026-08-18T04:46:03.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-18T13:39:00.000Z - Description: Ban would only affect unincorporated areas, goes to county commission - Author: Matthew Petillo - Tags: mcj, dnn, #news Subscribers made this article possible — and kept it free for everyone. Become one today. [Become a subscriber](https://www.citizenjournal.us/?ref=cta-5#/portal/signup) The McPherson County Board of Planning & Zoning Appeals voted Monday, Aug. 17, to recommend permanently banning data centers in unincorporated areas of the county, following a packed meeting and a thick stack of written comments. The 5-2 vote was carried over from the previous week's meeting because of the sheer amount of public comment during the [Aug. 10th meeting](https://www.citizenjournal.us/county-zoning-board-takes-public-comment-monday-on-data-center-battery-storage-rules/), a factor that led board chair Kathy Nicholson to bar public comment so the board could deliberate. Around 140 people attended that meeting according to county staff. County staff couldn't provide an estimate of the number of written comments submitted to Monday's meeting due to the sheer amount. Nicholson, however, said she appreciated people speaking to the board because of its role as a liaison between the county commission and the community. “Typically, cases that we hear are just people who are involved with \[a case\],” Nicholson said. “This is a little overwhelming, but it’s fine - I’m glad for the public to be here. I want to hear what they want.” ![Meeting watchers slowly file into the McPherson County Planning and Zoning Appeals Board room on Aug. 17, 2026. (Matthew Petillo/Citizen Journal)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/e6/f7e66a8b-8f27-493f-8b7e-664ecefd4c3d/content/images/2026/08/IMG_9308_1.jpg) Meeting watchers slowly file into the McPherson County Planning and Zoning Appeals Board room on Aug. 17, 2026\. (Matthew Petillo/Citizen Journal) In a speech before he was cut off by Nicholson, board member Jim VanGoethem said that he was always looking for ways to say yes to changes safely. “Are there risks? Absolutely,” VanGoethem said. “I heard many times that McPherson County is an awesome place to live, and that our leaders guided us to this point here. I don’t see why they would lead us in other directions.” Both VanGoethem and board member Lori Bower voted against the motion to recommend the ban. Just before voting for the ban recommendation, board member Chris Goodson said that there were too many things that weren’t understood to allow data centers in the county. “The water is a huge issue in McPherson County,” Goodson said. “We really need to understand what we’re doing here. We don’t know what this will do to electric rates . . . . We’re not there yet.” Board members also voted to recommend leaving in place the current lack of regulations for battery energy storage systems and hydrogen energy transfer systems, as well as current regulations for M1 and M2 zoning, or light and heavy industrial use zones. Currently, anyone wanting to build or modify any one of these systems or modify zoning is required to appear before the Planning and Zoning Appeals board for permission and a special use permit. County commissioners previously approved a [temporary ban on data centers in Aug. 2025](https://www.citizenjournal.us/mcpherson-board-of-zoning-appeals-weighs-future-of-data-center-moratorium/), which, after being extended, is set to expire in December. The county commission will hear the recommendation during its meeting on Aug. 31\. According to Nicholson, the commission is not required to adhere to the recommendation of the planning board. *Correction: A previous version of this article misspelled Chris Goodson's name.* --- --- Found a mistake? Have a news tip or feedback to share? Contact our newsroom using the button below: [Contact Us](https://www.citizenjournal.us/contact/) ---