By: Diane Benjamin

On the Agenda tonight: https://bloomingtonil.portal.civicclerk.com/event/4129/files/agenda/12698

The same woman who got Normal to pass a meaningless ethics ordinance is getting Bloomington to do the same: https://blnnews.com/2026/04/07/normal-now-has-a-meaningless-code-of-ethics/

City code is is ignored by elected officials, an ethics ordinance won’t change that. No penalties exist for being unethical. It will pass easily anyway with some aldermen patting themselves on the back.

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Some facts according to Grok AI:

Top Countries by Number of Data Centers

The US dominates by a wide margin (roughly 35–45% of the global total):

• United States: ~4,200–5,400 (sources vary; e.g., 4,288 on Data Center Map) — more than the next 10–14 countries combined.
• United Kingdom: ~500–530
• Germany: ~500–530
• China: ~360–450
• France: ~340–350
• Others (Canada, India, Australia, Japan, etc.): Typically 200–300 each.

These counts include a mix of colocation, cloud/hyperscale, enterprise, and smaller/edge facilities. Numbers can vary slightly by source because definitions differ (e.g., some only count larger facilities or active ones submitted by operators).

Other interesting points:

Pew Research (analyzing Data Center Map, early 2026): More than 1,500 new data centers in various stages of development nationwide. Top states for planned: Virginia (287), Texas (170), Georgia (141), Illinois (123).

This shows why Bloomington is a target.

AI has a lot of data for anyone who wants to look. Try Grok, I find it the best.

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This proposal is meant to end confusion at meetings with an alderman trying to rewrite the agenda on the fly. It will either delay passage when the item is tabled or deny the right of aldermen to be heard.

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Because a City Manager can never be paid too much, see last line: