Data centers have become a hot topic at many municipal meetings.

At the Monroe County commissioners meeting Wednesday, they approved a report prepared by the Monroe County Planning Commission titled “Data Center Planning Guide July 2026.”

A resident asked for more information about the document.

“What we are is accepting the report,” said Commissioner Chairman John Christy.

Since Nate Staruche, assistant director and an infrastructure planner with the Monroe County Planning Commission, was at the meeting, Christy asked him to provide more information.

Straruche said he was going to quote from the planning guide.

“It is not a regulating document. It is not a legal document. It’s an educational document intended to provide municipalities, local officials, boards, and commissions, residents and other stake holders with the sheer foundational understanding of what data centers are; why they are increasingly relevant to local land use decision making. Therefore, the overall purpose of this report is not to advocate for or against data center development, but to provide a clear, balanced, and practical framework for local governments to evaluate such facilities in a legally defensible, technically formed and community specific manner.”

The guide is available to view on the county’s website at https://www.monroecountypa.gov/departments/planning.