Local mayors in Illinois offered varied assessments of data center benefits in their communities, with some citing tax revenue and job creation while others pointed to limited employment and strained public services, according to Capitol News Illinois. The report highlights a gap between projected economic benefits used to justify tax incentives and the on-the-ground experience of host municipalities. Illinois has granted hundreds of millions of dollars in sales tax exemptions to data center operators in recent years. The findings are likely to fuel ongoing legislative debate over whether current incentive structures deliver adequate community returns.