Preserve Montgomery County v. Montgomery County (Judge Lets Sunshine Law Challenge to Amazon Data Center Incentives Proceed)
Cole County Circuit Judge Cotton Walker ruled September 18, 2026 that advocacy group Preserve Montgomery County has standing to continue its challenge to a Montgomery County, Missouri data center project tied to Amazon, denying most of the county's motion to dismiss while dismissing a related claim against the Missouri Department of Economic Development. The suit, filed in February 2026, alleges the county violated Missouri's Sunshine Law and failed to give legally required public notice before extending approvals and incentives to the project.
Why it matters
Confirms that a citizen group can have standing to enforce sunshine-law and public-notice obligations against a county extending incentives to a large data center project, adding real transparency-compliance risk to how Missouri local governments structure data center incentive packages. It is the third distinct Missouri data center matter to reach a court in September 2026, alongside separate developer-driven disputes in Greene and Benton counties.
Read the full write-up and case timeline
The complete analysis of this matter, with its procedural history and practical takeaways.
Open the full matterGet an email when a matter like this is filed
Set up a free watchlist for zoning & land use matters in Missouri, or for the tenants, borrowers and guarantors in your portfolio.
Create a watchlistMore zoning & land use matters
Other matters in Missouri
CREdocket summarizes public court records and reporting; see our sourcing standards and corrections log. Not legal advice. Facing something similar? Contact us.