State Update: County Officials Raise Alarms Over Pritzker’s ADU Zoning Push and Data Center Tax Breaks

Legislative Committee Meeting | March 2026

Article Summary: During a state legislative update, Will County Board members expressed deep concerns over Governor J.B. Pritzker’s continued push to mandate Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), fearing a loss of local zoning control and severe impacts on county environmental infrastructure.

State Legislative Update Key Points:

• Governor Pritzker’s recent budget address proposed a 0.4% spending increase while signaling a rollback on certain state grants due to lower-than-expected revenues.

• County officials strongly opposed state-mandated Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), citing public health concerns regarding local septic systems and wells.

• Board Member Mica Freeman warned the committee about HB 5498, a bill that could force the creation of a county tourist board.

• The committee requested focused lobbying against unchecked data center tax breaks, arguing they consume farmland without providing equitable property tax revenues.

The Will County Legislative Committee utilized its monthly state legislative update to sound the alarm on several looming proposals in Springfield that threaten local authority, zoning, and tax revenues.

Ann Schaefer of Mac Strategies Group briefed the committee on the current state legislative session, noting that Governor J.B. Pritzker’s recent State of the State and budget address held the line with a modest 0.4% increase. However, she warned that Pritzker has continued to heavily emphasize a housing agenda that includes the statewide authorization of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).

Board Member Julie Berkowicz immediately voiced strong opposition to the governor’s housing push, warning that stripping the county of its permitting and zoning authority over ADUs would have disastrous environmental and infrastructural consequences.

“We have septic systems. We have all types of public health and public safety concerns that we take care of at the county level. These all need to go into play,” Berkowicz stated. “My concern is seeing another act coming out of Springfield, then we have no authority, but then we have to clean up the mess or we have to try to correct the mess… We are the best source of advocating for our residents, not Springfield.”

Schaefer validated those concerns, noting that the Illinois Municipal League shares similar apprehensions. While ADU legislation has stalled in previous years, she confirmed it remains a priority for the governor and requires vigilant monitoring.

The committee’s attention then pivoted to potential unfunded mandates and tax inequities. Board Member Mica Freeman highlighted House Bill 5498, introduced by Representative Natalie Manley’s office. Freeman noted the bill currently targets tourist boards in populations over 600,000, potentially forcing Will County to establish its own tourist board.

“My concern is, will this bring any more unfunded mandates to the county? That’s a big concern,” Berkowicz responded. “I certainly don’t want to see any more boards, especially boards that aren’t accountable to county board members because we represent the people and the businesses here in the county.”

Berkowicz also directed Mac Strategies to actively monitor legislation regarding the taxation of data centers. Referencing the governor’s call to pause data center tax breaks, Berkowicz argued that these massive facilities are consuming open land without returning appropriate tax value to the county.

“My concern is that with the data centers, that the counties will receive very little tax dollars from those projects,” Berkowicz said. “They need to understand that frequently these projects, we’re losing open land, prime farmland, that’s a cost to us. That’s a cost to our communities and our county. I definitely want to make sure that we are watching that and fighting for an appropriate distribution of tax dollars.”