LaPorte County leaders created a committee to draft a data center ordinance that sets clear rules on where facilities can be built and how they affect local utilities.

Commissioner Steve Holifield said residents worry about rising utility costs and heavy water use and want data center operators, not ratepayers, to cover system upgrades.

Local 692 representative Josh Sullivan said developers who receive tax incentives should be required to hire local workers.

Holifield said the ordinance should keep data centers in industrial zones and away from homes and schools.