Board of Commissioners - Regular Meeting

Good evening. I'm calling to order the Columbia County Board of Commissioners November 4th, 2025 meeting to order, asking Vice Chairman Couch to open us with the invocation. Please bow your heads. Dear heavenly father, we are so thankful for this day and for all the many blessings that you bestow upon Columbia County. Dear Lord, tonight we pray for the citizens and country of Jamaica as they recover from such a horrendous storm. We ask that you heal their land and their hearts. As we watch the election results come in this evening, help us to remember how thankful we are for the privilege of voting. While our opinions may differ, help us anchor our hearts and peace and trust in God's plan. In Jesus's name, amen.

Please stand for the pledge. [clears throat] I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all.

Let the record show we have a full quorum of commissioners. Commissioners, you have the minutes from the October 21st, 25 2025 meeting in your packet. If you've had a chance to review them, I'll accept a motion to approve. Chairman, I make a motion to accept them as presented. Second. Questions? All in favor? Raise your right hand. Changes to the agenda. It's ready for your approval, Mr. Chairman.

It's approved. Seeing no special recognitions, right? The consent agenda. Commissioners, you have the consent agenda in front of you. Each item on this agenda has been through the necessary committees and necessary votes to be placed on this agenda. Meet with your approval. I'll accept the motion. Mr. Chairman, I make a motion to accept all of these items as presented. Second.

Any other questions? All in favor, raise your right hand. Motion carries. On to the debate. Here couch. I make a motion to approve the request for variance to section 90-53 for property located at tax map 059A partial 011 to reduce the rear setback to 10 ft for a proposed storage structure subject to the condition enumerated in the October 16th 2025 planning commission report. Second

request for variance from the 25 foot required property line setback is being reduced down to 10 ft if this is granted. They're looking to put a 900 foot shop as you can see red square there. They do have a lot of topo on their property. This is the only location that really works for their driveway to access that location.

Questions? Motion a second on the floor. All in favor raise your right hand. carries. See no legal matters or requests for by committee. Public comments. Howard Johnson. State your name and address for the record. You have five minutes and nice haircut.

Good evening. Howard Johnson, 252 Silver Maple Road. Um, polls are open for about another hour, but um I reckon anybody who's tuned enough to be watching this meeting has already voted and so I'm unlikely to uh really swing things. So, buckle up. You're getting Howard Johnson not held back. I'm here once again to talk about um the uh transition to a single county library system. I've been here many times to speak out against that. Um Mr. Johnson, I want to thank you for taking the time to meet the other day. Um I have a better answer for you now than I did then about why I'm so opposed to this change. You see, libraries operate um on economies of scale. The library doesn't go out and purchase a book if just one person wants to read it. They essentially, you know, keep a look at um the total demand for a book. So, they're not looking to serve just an individual person. They're looking to have the collection full of books um that many people are going to read. So, if I want to read one in individual book, in order for the library to have that on the shelves, there needs to be, I don't know, 10 or 15 other people who also use the library who want to read that same book. As you can imagine, there's all sorts of different um topics of books to be had. And I'm sure that everyone in here has a various amount of things that they're interested in and not a single individual topic. in order for the library to be able to serve everyone. Uh it actually works better with more people involved, right? There's a greater chance that there's going to be that 10 to 15 people interested in the one niche topic I'm interested in if we allow more people to use the library. That's one reason that I think it's so important to remain a part of the greater Clarks Hills Regional Library System because that partnership with

those more rural counties ensures that there are rural users of the library creating demand in order for our library to be able to serve the rural users of Colombia County better as well. Having that partnership increases the odds that the services that those types of people are going to be looking for at the library will be made available. It's just a matter of increasing accessibility to more people. Um, as you scale up, you can better serve more people. That said, I know you're unlikely to reverse course. Um, I'm no fool uh knowing that I come up here asking you to change a decision you've already voted on. So, moving forward, Thursday morning, there's going to be a meeting of the new library board for the single county system. that agenda. Um, we're going to be seeing the constitution and bylaws for the new library board formed as well as officers for that board elected. At this time, there's no representative from district 2 seated on that board. And so to have these changes pushed through before people from my district have had an opportunity um to have their voice heard, I think is a problem. Um, regardless of who wins the race tonight, I don't think those decisions should be finalized until every citizen of the county and every user of the county library is represented on the board. So, I'm going to ask you, Commissioner Malier, um, to consider tableabling that discussion on Thursday until the board is fully formed. That's all I've got for tonight. Marcus Todd will please state your name and address for the record and take five minutes, sir.

Hi, my name is Marcus Todd uh 6207 Max Court Harlem. Uh so I'd like to respond to some accusations I heard made against the county board of commissioners uh for violations of speech. Um, I want to uh acknowledge that many people who might be thinking that this is a fair accusations are doing so probably because they don't understand that the English language has some vulnerabilities when it comes to understanding certain words like freedom uh is an easy example uh that can explain this. The word love we only have one word in English but in Greek you have felos agape aeros distinct meanings but we only have one word for it. So when people are saying, "Hey, we're violating freedom of speech." There's a question of what do you mean by freedom? So why is this important? One of the world's major religions says that their freedom of religion demands means that they have the right to tax non-believers. There are even subsects within this religion that believe that they have the right to enslave and even do horrible acts like rape against non-believers. But they actually make the legal argument that that is part of their freedom of religion. So again, it's a question of what does he mean by freedom? They have the right does their freedom mean that they have the right to impose upon other people something that they would harm. Uh we have a problem in this country with our notion of uh free trade. We think that it means that our executives should have access to slave labor slave labor markets in other countries. As long as the slavery is not happening in the US, well, it should be okay. Some of these places that we're getting products from are so horrible that they have nets to stop people from committing suicide, right? Is is is it really free trade if we have slave labor? It comes from slave labor. So, um

most people understand in America that freedom does not include the right to harm others, right? Uh as I mentioned earlier, Georgia code title 16 chapter 12 article 3 parts two and three recognizes that it is a harm due to exposed children to certain kinds of sexually explicit imagery. Right. Um but there is a strange aberration. Uh section 16-12-104 just says all of these rules to protect children don't ex don't don't don't exist for libraries and schools that are funded by the state. This is why that I believe this is why the county made this step in order to re take the protections in state law for children and say no, we're going to keep those in our libraries uh because we believe that it is harmful to children. Um all right. So um uh I just want to remind us of our founding fathers. America is a land of freedom. We declared independence to uphold natural law and self-evidence truths. Professor uh sorry, President John Adams said the Constitution works only for a moral and religious people. So I would like for those who are trying to stand up for freedom of speech to accept the self-evident truth that children must be protected from harm. Uh specifically the harm of exposure to sexually explicit material and that any ideology or political movement that once exposed these children is doing harm to them and thus is not not freedom. Thank you very much.

[applause] Darren Bar, excuse me.

Hi, good evening. Karen Parham, 3421 Hilltop Trail. So Jim Steed recently said in an article that there are a lot of parents who would rather raise their kids and not have the library raise them or the government raise them. And I completely agree. That's exactly why the reshelving guidelines are so troubling because they do the opposite of what he says he supports. These guidelines take decisions out of parents' hands and put them into the hands of politicians. When books written for kids are moved to the adult section simply because some people object to their content. That's not protecting anyone. That is censorship. And it also sends a message that the county doesn't trust parents to guide their own children. A couple years ago, our libraries displayed a sign that said, "Public libraries collect materials some may find objectionable." Concerned parents should vet materials based on their own family's values. That sign encouraged parents to be involved and take responsibility, but the commission and former library board members ordered librarians to take it down, calling it condescending. Personally, I find it far more condescending to suggest that parents can't be trusted to monitor their own kids in the library. The idea that the government must protect kids by hiding books assumes parents aren't capable of parenting, and that's insulting to every family in this community. I've also heard people defend these guidelines by comparing them to movie ratings. But that comparison doesn't hold up. Movie ratings are not created by the government. They're set by a committee funded and supported by the movie industry itself, not politicians. The government plays no role in deciding whether a movie is G, PG, or R. Likewise, most books have suggested age ranges. What the commission has done with these guidelines is essentially say, "We don't agree with those professional ratings, so we'll change them ourselves." And that would be like the county deciding to rewrite movie ratings. Changing a PG movie to an R and

then forcing every theater in Columbia County to treat it as rated R, but just in Columbia County. And that sounds crazy because it is. That's the government overriding professional standards based on the personal beliefs of a few residents. Now, there are plenty of books for everyone in our library. Nobody is forced to read a book they don't like at the public library. The books aren't jumping off the shelves demanding to be read. If someone doesn't like a book, they should just put it back. Some of these folks have called themselves the silent majority. Well, I don't think they've been very silent. They've been pretty loud the past few years. But even if most residents agree with the guidelines, and I don't think they do, that still wouldn't make them right. In a diverse county like ours, people are free to make decisions for their own families. The government has no business deciding what ideas everyone else can or cannot access. The right to receive information is a constitutional protection, and [snorts] it applies to all of us, not just the views of the majority. What we need is leadership that upholds contentneutral standards and keeps the government out of the business of dictating what's on the shelves. Because once you start moving books based on viewpoint, it never stops with just one category. These folks made it clear at the last meeting that it won't stop with these guidelines because it was never about protecting children. They were never going to stop with one category because it's really about control and trying to erase stories, ideas, or people they don't like. It will never end. They urge to censor. The urge to censor is an insatiable beast. And with these guidelines, you didn't just feed it, you gave it a cookie. And I don't think you're seeing the forest for the trees. When the government adopts the viewpoint of certain residents and then uses the levers of government to censor materials based on those views, it sets a dangerous precedent. It's a line this county should have never crossed. And I'm not a lawyer, but I do know this. None of the

books in our libraries make the legal definition of obscinity. And that distinction matters. If a book doesn't meet that very narrow legal test, then it's protected speech under the First Amendment. Just because some folks call it porn doesn't make it true. It's just a tactic to make it easier to justify censorship. Even calling the guidelines a moderate approach is very misleading because deciding which viewpoints belong and which don't is by definition not neutral. True moderation is sticking with professional contentneutral curation and letting all families decide for themselves what aligns with their values. This community deserves better than elected officials policing ideas on behalf of a few busy bodies. Our library was never meant to be politicized. No matter how many conspiracies or moral panics some people cook up, censorship is never the answer. So, I'm asking you once again, please resend the guidelines. Thank you. DIANE JARED.

Good evening. My name is Diane Jarrett, 3040 Auto Court in Martinez. I want to talk to you about something that's not on your agenda yet. I think it probably will be the next meeting or the meeting after and that's this new zoning ordinance that's going to be addressed by the planning commission in a couple of days. My understanding and it may be incorrect and please correct me after I'd leave if I'm wrong. My understanding is this new zoning ordinance would permit any two acres in Colombia County to be reszoned for a data center. I have a lot of objections to that. Again, I may have misunderstood from what I read, but it's a concern. That would mean in Evans or Martinez, Rowtown or Harlem, there could suddenly be a data center on two acres. And of course, my next topic, which I've covered somewhat before, is the library, even though I realize to certain degree I'm talking to a brick wall. I firmly believe that parents need to decide what their individual child may or may not read and that it is not the role of government at all. And I'm really disappointed that you all passed a set of guidelines to try to be that governing force that shouldn't have existed at all. It should be left to parents. Thank you so much for your time. Jonathan Mas.

Apologize if I miss but your name.

Everybody messes it up. You're good. No worries. John Migus, 1357 Wat Drive, Evans. I have over 35 years of technology experience from military and federal service. now the owner of a service veteran owned small business. Before moving to Columbia County three years ago, I was officer on Capitol Hill and the chairperson of the legislative branch CIO council. I have worked in oversaw operations and maintenance drafted federal legislation on use of data centers. I'm neither for nor opposed to the proposed data center in Appling. Today, as with you, I don't have the appropriate information to make an informed decision. concerns remain, but I was welcome to see the commission's statement dated 10 uh 102125. Closed loop cooling systems must be non-negotiable. It's true Georgia Power does have a rate freeze through 28. However, this does not include the storm or fuel cost being addressed next year, and they know potential increases in 29. Ironically, this is about the same time many ongoing statewide data center projects will be online.

[clears throat]

my opinion there will be rate increases. A SQL data center does not promote long-term job creation. On average, it takes about 125 employees to run a large hypers scale facility. Of course, construction would a bump in the short term. So, unless we're talking about multiple data centers, I suggest we temper job creation as a long-term benefit. Please indulge me as I refer to our friends in Northern Virginia. In 2008, Lowden County Economic Development launched a marketing campaign to attract data centers. Today, they have a collection of 547 data centers with an additional 64 under construction. There has not been a day since 2008 without a facility under construction. Len County alone is estimated to take in 895 million in tax revenue FY25. That is even after a statewide sales abatement program which was estimated at 732 million in 24. Undeniably, it's the multi-billion dollar revenue stream for the Commonwealth of Virginia. However, most of the economic benefit arise from the construction phase, not annual operations. You admit revenue is a driving force behind this proposal. I [clears throat] caution not let revenue alone inform your decision. Now, appears data center alley may be a victim of its own success. Dominion Energy, their version of Georgia Power, provides 20% of it supplied to data centers. They recently requested the state corporation commission to approve a proposed 15% increase in 27 to pay for upgrades, inflation, and supply chain issues. So I ask, what is being put in place to ensure any data center construction in Columbia County is in the long-term best interest of all? I re recommend you be transparent and proactive in your messaging. People fear change when they don't understand it. This is not just another Parker's kitchen. This is a seismic shift in Columbia County. Quite frankly, I believe it should be on the ballot. Nonetheless, let's be honest. If we're open for business and want five, 10, 20 data centers, just say it. Will

this revenue permanently alleviate property tax, build new schools, improve our roads? Tell us the plan. Because building one data center is foolish and shortsighted. Lastly, is my understanding the ongoing assessments are part are in part being conducted by entities who stand to benefit from uh the very thing they're assessing. How do you expect the community to trust those results or trust you? I suggest the commission authorize an independent cohort of Columbia County residents with expertise in technology, engineering, commercial power, accounting, and the environment to provide an unbiased and publicly available assessment of the findings you receive. We have very intelligent and thoughtful residents who I believe would love to be involved. Tonight I offer my services. Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing FROM [applause] Alexander Dixon. Alexander Travis Dixon, 6160 Oldion uh Road, Harlem, Georgia 30814. Um I don't want to say anything that people have already said on both sides of discussion of any of the discussions you want to pick, the data center, the library. Um um [clears throat] heavenly father, please give me the words to say. Help me to please you with what I do and say. Help me to love you with all my heart and soul and mind. Um I think my opinion and this is as much for the people behind me as it is for the commission.

Uh, I believe in my hearts that whether you love Trump or whether you whether you hate Trump or no matter how you feel, we need to leave our our politics behind, our national politics, our agendas, whatever those agendas are. Um, we need to be about the business of loving one another. I don't know what that looks like. I don't I I don't have the answers. Um, but I I believe that no matter no matter where you stand, whether you're a Christian or no matter what you believe in, that our community will be better if we spend more time listening to one another. Um, honestly listening to another and compromising. Um, I I believe in free speech. Uh, the Nazis burned books. It was terrible. Um, I also believe in the protection of children and maybe the answer is to uh is to have some sort of committee put together by a commission of of citizens who can volunteer to to to vet books. Um, I I don't know what the answer is. Um, I mean, I have I have my own opinions about them. Um, I mean I the data center, we need a data center because we need to protect our information. We need to protect it from China. We can't say not in my backyard. Um, if everybody said not my backyard, the industrial the industrial revolution, the industrial um competition with China, we got behind it because people said 50 years ago, not my backyard. you know, it's there's too much pollution, there's too much noise, there's too much whatever. And now we're complaining if if we make that an excuse for for not allowing data centers 5

years down the road, 10 years down the road, China will be eating our lunch or pick a country, we'll be eating our lunch in national security. I don't support um uh artificial intelligence. I don't like artificial intelligence, but it's coming whether you like it or not. Um, electric cars are coming and Jesus is coming whether you believe in him or not. And um I um also okay also one more thing I wanted to say is that uh discernment is is necessary especially for the data center. Um, I think maybe an option is is to hold ongoing surprise inspections of the facility to make sure that whoever manages the facility in the future uh does not just make excuses and say, "Well, you know, it's it's not my problem. You know, I'm going to use all the electricity and all the water that I can use and all the whatever I can use." Um um also about the taxes uh the comm the chairman suggested that you could do away with taxes. Um I I would say that knowing the human heart it's it's hard to let go of a sure thing. So when you have money coming in from Microsoft and from property taxes, you could always say, "Hey, I always need more money." you know what what what would what would uh what would keep you from holding on to the property taxes if that happens or whoever replaces you? Um like I said again uh I don't I don't have a whole lot of answers and and the older I I get the less answers I have. Um, but I believe in the one who does have the answers and I by God's grace I try to rely on him every day. Um,

I I didn't write my speech. I'm literally just winging it. Um, uh, okay. Uh, the library, we have to balance freedom and security. Um, so we we we put up safeguards everywhere. This world isn't perfect. There is no perfect system. No matter what you whatever you do, you put locks on doors, people will break the locks on doors. You put ratings on movies. Uh but one of the biggest problems in in our in our differences is is we don't agree upon what is fundamentally true. If if anybody looks at explicit material for long enough, we we have to protect ourselves from ourselves. Nobody likes to admit it, but we have to protect ourselves from ourselves. And if we look at explicit material long enough, we will [snorts] uh become socially and mentally uh degraded and dysfunctional. Um and and I I don't think necessarily that you know censorship will lead to more censorship. I I hear the lady who was speaking uh on this issue and I feel strongly about it as well. Um uh um I think one of the things that I need to to learn is how to truly uh invol and engage in in dialogue with with other people. And I know I'm reiterating myself because I'm just burning time. Anyway, thank you Alan. Alan Wyatt, chairman of the citizens for open governance and resident in

I am here tonight to offer our response to your statement issued two weeks ago wherein you referenced our organization. My remarks here may go past the five minute aotment, but I ask that you allow me to complete my statement in full and then I will gladly give you all a copy. Earlier this year, the Colombia County Board of Commissioners fored upon its citizens largest project in Colombia County history data center. This enormous project, 2,000 acres, 12 billion industrial complex with over 9 million square feet under roof. It is a plant with a power demand that is two times that of Columbia County and Richmond County combined. It will also require 6 and a half million gallons of water per day for cooling, a demand which is expected to rise significantly. Furthermore, this colossal industrial complex will be situated in the heart of rural Columbia County, county seat of Apple, the historic soul. Additionally, the county currently holds a $30 million loan and a $59 million purchase agreement for the land with final closing imminent. These massive real estate deals were inked 10 months ago. And all of this has occurred without any meaningful contributory public input. None of what I just said is in dispute. Yet, two weeks ago, the board of commissioners had the temerity to claim

that this project is far from being a behemoth despite the fact it is the very definition of it. The board also claimed that this project shows a commitment to sustainability that aligns with vision 2035 to protect rural character. when in fact vision 2035 says that it calls for preserving rural character not protecting it with a few shrubs and a scant buffer zone. Then there is the question of is it a done deal? No end user been announced yet, no construction started, but a multi-million dollar real estate deal is in the works. And by the way, Georgia Power is frantically buying up land surrounding the data center for infrastructure. All of which suggests that though it may not be officially a done deal, to the ordinary citizen getting a coffee at the Circle K on 221, it's a done deal. Then the board of commissioners stated that public input has been and will continue to be sought through updates. This board of commissioners believes that public input is secured by giving us all updates. Finally, it was claimed that we, a group of modest, concerned citizens, are misrepresenting the facts, undermining constructive dialogue, and conducting misinformation camp. However, despite this, we are very encouraged to note that the board of commissioners recognizes the passion that is in the

community about this data center and continues to ask us direct engagement. And so here we are commissions asking once again that you engage us not update us but truly engage us. But let's be let's be honest here. The power balance in this data center controversy is clearly and unequivocally in favor of you the board of commission. But you have the organizational strength of a body that has exercised power in this county for over 150 years. You have the authority to reszone land and to attract development through the development authority. You have the backing of the developer Traml Crow Company and their multi-million dollar budget. and you have all the information, all the cards and those NDAs to keep those cards from us. In contrast, only thing we have is our capacity to strive to get our hands on as much information as possible and then to offer our input. That's it. That's all we have. So in the spirit of direct engagement, we submit the following. Over the past two years, $64 billion worth of US data center projects have been stopped due to widespread community opposition across 24 different states. This resistance has elevated data centers to a national flash point with

residents opposing developments most notably in misplaced rural locations compared to the anticipated $15 billion in data center construction this year. 64 billion in blocked projects is four times greater. and that underscores the substantial scale of community resistance nationwide. Therefore, we suggest that if the Colombia County data center is all that the board of commissioners claims it is, then enact a six-month moratorum and secure an independent study. The reason for the study that is needed is to address the legitimate concerns of your citizens. Concerns that are not crazy people talking, but concerns that are derived from the very real issues exposed by that $64 million worth of halted projects nationwide. They were halted for a reason. Such an independent study could utilize details from from over 2,000 fully operational data centers to provide the clearest view yet of all the impacts. It would independently verify facts and draw well-reasoned conclusions from the suit about the suitability of the app location and the likelihood of re of realizing the benefits claimed. This seems like a very reasonable act of due diligence and a judicious exercise of a local government's duty to its citizens. In this way, the sting of controversy can be removed for it will create an independent process

minimizing the us versus them divide. It will incorporate public input alongside corporate perspectives. dispelling any accusations of one-sidedness. It will also foster collaboration and be mutually considered rather than adversarial. It will encourage informed discussions rather than public relations posturing. And it will keep the project truly under consideration by removing the threat of immediate commitment. In fact, it's a classic win-win. If the Columbia County data center project is truly a good fit for the county and its citizens, then the board of commissioners have nothing to fear and the [clears throat] report will simply confirm that and then we can withdraw our opposition in the secure knowledge that after a thorough examination, the project has passed muster. However, if the report finds that it is not beneficial to the county, then by agreeing to this independent study, the board of commissioners will have prevented a very grave error and served its citizens very well. Therefore, we implore that the board of commissioners meet with us to discuss a moratorum and an independent study. We have already identified several reputable impartial organizations that are capable and willing to conduct a thorough evaluation of this project. Commissioners, we humbly ask for this because we genuinely believe that together we can act in the full light of

transparency. Together we can operate in a genuine underconideration atmosphere. And together we can explore all the benefits and all the drawbacks in full. And together we can work to generate a very accurate independent report and in harmony and contribution work together to build the bestrun county in the nation to which we all aspire. That concludes the formal statement. [clears throat] But we'd like to finish with this tonight. Our objective was to convince you that we are absolutely not those people you described in your statement. In fact, we believe we are the very opposite of what you described. We believe that we are seekers of truth and of constructive dialogue. And we desire nothing more than to be listened to and have our views considered. And it is in this spirit we we request that you agree to meet with us, the Citizens for Open Governance, in a public open meeting. And soon so that we can present to you thoroughly and professionally our serious concerns about the data center project and make a compelling case for why a moratorum and independent study is right thing to do. To demonstrate our commitment to this goal, we would like to propose that before we leave tonight, we identify two commissioners and two members of our organization to work together to develop an appropriate agenda and rules for

moderation for just such a meeting. Thank you. [applause] [applause]

[applause]

Susan Warren. Yeah. Susan Warren, North Tubman Road Apple. I'm also speaking in response to your October 241st board statement. You gave me some issues to reply to. The third issue you took exception to in the statement, you called environmental scare tactics such as fear of aquifer depreciation or unchecked water usage and said any facility would use the county water supplies, not private wells to avoid impacts on local farms and homes. What happened to that $80 million water project a developer would pay for that you mentioned? Then you said cooling systems would prioritize closed loop designs for efficiency and minimal minimal consumption with commitments to sustain that align with our vision 35 plan and for protecting rural character and promoting high quality growth. Your next sentence included, the project will not compromise water table or electric grid as confirmed by ongoing assessments. I ask whose assessments? You continue to say not a done deal, but turn around and promise us things that which are not in your control once the sale of this property goes through without the safeguards that you say you are now putting into the new zoning data centers. Too bad you didn't consider this before. So, which is it? You have a deal with

these conditions in place or you're just blowing smoke to the citizens of this county? Then you say data centers bring substantial economic benefits, including millions of tax revenue, and fund homestead exemptions, potentially reduce or eliminate property taxes for residents directly funding commitments to ease financial loads of families. Yet at one meeting, I believe you were asked if you would make it mandatory. I forget how that went, that these funds would be used for that alone. And you replied that the board would not commit to something that would require future boards to adhere to. I believe that's also what you expressed when you ignore the vision 35 plan the county voted for. You went on to say, you went on to say, utilities create high-paying jobs and technical construction and support services boost local local economic output with nearly 5 million jobs, excuse me, leaders renewable ren energy integration to minimize environmental footprints. On September 30th, CNET's article said the price of of electricity juiced by demand from power hungry data centers is being passed on to residential customers. Electric bills are rising around the US, but they're rising even more sharply in areas located near data centers. According to the investigation by Bloomberg, which also found that the costs are being passed on to home customers, an article, an October 16th article by Grist reported the following. As data centers upend electric grids, the largest operator in the US is facing

down a revolt from state officials. A coalition of 11 governors has threatened to withdraw from the grid operator PJM. That's the one I spoke about last time. And um in September, 11 of PJM's member states banded together in Philadelphia to demand a greater role in the grid's energy decisions given rapidly rising costs faced by their constituents. A report from the Union of Concerned Scientists found that rateayers in seven of PJM's data send center fidly friendly states were charged $4.4 billion for transmission upgrades data centers required to come online. Monitoring Analytics and the National Resource Defense Council have both suggested that PJM adopt a bring your own generation systems, meaning data centers would be obligated to build their own sources of power upfront rather than draining the grid. And speaking of environmental footprints, coal burning plants across some states are either being brought back online or had scheduled shutdown states stopped. Then you said, "We invite residents to engage directly with facts through our public resources like our web page and upcoming meetings rather than relying on misinformation campaigns." Well, I guess you still don't recognize that your citizens, what your citizens are doing is to supply the information and facts that you refuse to do. So, I'll ask those who can attend this Thursday's planning committee meeting that will be held here at 6:00 to please show up. An agenda item is the new data center zoning regulations. I believe there may

already be other data centers being discussed for our county. So even though this is too late to apply to the project under consideration now, it could be very important for the future. Also, the meeting of the newly appointed library board will meet in the Evans Library classroom A at 9:30 a.m. on that morning. Thankfully, we won't be subjected to Austin Road's misogynistic and crude remarks about the Savannah rekeeper or administrators in the other Podant counties around Columbia County. He won't be on the air until later in the day. What a great choice we made for the regional library board. Yes. Thank you. lines, please. you. Columbia Countyy's comprehensive plan vision 2035 is a policy document that presents the community primary goals for achieving his vision for growth and development. This plan was originally completed in 2016 and has been updated through a stakeholder process in compliance with the rules of comprehensive planning established by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. In fact, I think you're in the process of updating it now. Commissioners, thank you for the opportunity to speak this evening. My name is Lee Muns and I reside at 6343 Harlem Grovetown Road. I want to address something that goes to the heart of responsible growth in our county. The clear and deliberate diversion away from our vision 2035 plan and the consequences that follow, especially

when it comes to how we manage reszoning, how we evaluate industrial projects, and how we protect our taxpayers. Vision 2035 wasn't created on a whim. It wasn't something thrown together casually. It was the county's road map, our road map for how we wanted this community to look, to feel, and to function by the year 2035. It balanced industrial development with rural preservation. It outlined where neighborhoods should expand and where businesses should flourish and where schools and infrastructure should be improved. It reflected public input and years of planning. But the reasoning decisions being made are not deviations around the edges. They are not minor adjustments. They represent a complete departure from the vision 2035 plan. and that should concern every citizen in this county. When these resonings come forward, they are presented as isolated decisions, detached from long-term plan from a long-term plan that was supposed to guide every board and every administration. However, a county cannot build trust with its residents if it changes our course without transparency, justification, and community involvement. When we abandoned our guiding plan, we also abandoned the public confidence that came with it. Another major issue attached to these resonings is the way projected tax revenue is discussed. We routinely hear about the potential revenue that a large industrial project may bring, but there is never clarity in how these numbers are calculated, whether they are guaranteed or whether they are even sustainable. If a project is promoted

based on economic benefit, then the public deserves to know the following. Are these revenue projections locked in for life of the facility? Will any abatements, incentives, or tax structures reduce the amount the county actually receives? And will residents have access to real verified figures, not estimates, not assumptions, but the actual revenue they can expect? You cannot ask the public to trust a financial promise without showing them the math behind it. I'm going to go off script right there. I work bluecollar people. Sometimes they can't read a tape measure, but I guarantee you on Thursday they can tell me whether or not their paycheck's right or not. Now, this concern is directly tied to the water usage and storm water runoff. Critical issues that should never be an afterthought in any reasonzoning decision. Large industrial facilities can place significant strain on water supply, water infrastructure, and downstream properties. They can alter drainage patterns, increase the volume and the velocity of runoff, and put surrounding land owners at risk erosion, flooding, and contamination. Before any industrial res resoning is approved, the community deserves to see exactly how much water the facility plans to use. Whether that water will come from the county infrastructure, private wells, or groundwater resources. How wastewater and processed discharge will be handled and monitored. And what protections will be in place to ensure surrounding properties of which were zoned under 2035 expectations are not harmed. These are not unreasonable questions. They are basic responsibilities of governance.

Commissioners, no project, no matter how large, modern, or lucrative it appears, should move forward without strict alignment with our long-term plan. transparent financial disclosures, excuse me, getting a little dry in the mouth, and thoroughly vetted environmental safeguards. The citizens of this county expect you to protect not only our economic future, but also our land, our water, and our neighborhoods, and the commitments this county has already made. Vision 2035 was developed in collaboration with the community. It should not be discarded without the community. I urge you to bring the county back in line with its own plan to engage residents fully and openly and to ensure that every resoning is rooted in transparency, accountability, and respect for the people who live here. And the last thing I wanted to touch on was in your statement last week, you talked about misinformation. Mr. Chairman, I know more about data centers. I know about more about power generation. I know more about power distribution than you read last week. This week, I had a conversation with the largest contractor building data centers in the United States. I had a conversation with a contractor who fabricates the data bank that houses the data, the GPUs. just even in those they're going from 6-inch pipe now to 10inch pipe because of the power demand and the wattage demand. There's a lot of information that's out there and a lot of information a lot of people in this community have tried to provide to you and other members of this commission and you've ignored and you've called it misinformation.

[applause] We as citizens are not dumb. We're not stupid. We're not uneducated. We are wise about what's going on. We are wise about what we see happening. And I hope you will listen to what Mr. Alan Wyatt had to say this evening and have a meeting. Thank you. [applause] [applause] On to the executive session. I believe vice chairman It's mine.

Commissioner Mier, I believe you have the first. Yes, sir. I make a motion to approve a one-time merit payment of 2.5% for all eligible employees. Second. This is the annual 2.5. Actually, the mayor is determined by the commission each year. This year, the commission has determined it to be 2.5%. These are for employees that have scored at least three on their evaluations. Anybody below that will not receive a merit. Any employees on probation will also not receive a merit payment. That any questions? Motion and second on the floor. All in favor? Motion carries.

Item M2A. I make a motion to accept the donation of temporary easement from RG Properties LLC partial 061 084E and Chamberlain Partners partials 0611863 and 0612153 for the Chastain Place turn lane project. Second. This is the rightway required to construct a left turn lane for Chastain Place on Williamview Parkway just below the Greenway Trail Crossing. believe the contract's already been approved by this body. Questions? There's a motion to second on the floor. I'll raise your right hand.

Item M2B. I make a motion to accept the donation of temporary easement and/or permanent easement from Mill Branch Investments LLP, partial 062085, and Branch Springs Development LLC, partials 062085S and 062085T for the Horizon South Parkway and Chamblan Road connector project.

We've been working on the design for the Horizon South Chamberlain Road connector. We're going to extend a road from Canterbury Farms at Chamberlain Road over to Horizon South. We'll also connect to Gateway Boulevard. This is the donation of the property from these three investor, these three companies here. I believe we're 50% complete. We have four more to go to have that project wrapped up. We hope to have it out to bid in the next 30 days. Questions? Motion a second on the floor. All in favor, raise your right hand.

Item M2C. I make a motion to approve $60,700 to Amber, Cindy, and Chris Marx, partial 0600058. $28,000 to Joseph Herring, partial 0600045. $75,000 to Bryant Couch, partial 067024, $95,800 to K. Allen, partial 067020A and $38,800 to Charles and K. Allen, partial 067017F to obtain right-ofway and/or easements for the Herford Farm Road widening project.

These are standard acquisitions. This gives us 93% complete for this project. Hope to have it out to bid next summer.

Questions? Motion and a second on the floor. All in favor of his right hand. Item M2D, I make a motion to approve $550,000 for relocation and $281,9824 for replacement housing supplement Tara and Frank Peasy partial 0671408 to obtain right-of-way and/or easements for the Herarmm Road widening project and to enol the action that was approved on October 15, 2024. So this is a relocation purchase that we're having to do for the herform project. Uh we had an option with these folks originally where we were not taking the house. However, due to some redesign decided that we did have to take the entire house. We are using federal dollars for this. We have to follow federal relocation law. So we have to pay them for their existing house. Plus we have to make up the difference for their new uh their new house. We have difference in interest rates, difference in mortgage payments. We have to cover that cost. This makes those folks whole. questions. Motion second on the floor. All in favor, raise your right hand. One more motion needs to be made.

I make a motion to adjurnn.