County Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening. Chair calls to order legislative  session day 26015. I'd ask you to please join   us for standing with the pledge followed by  the opening prayer by council member Bennett. I aliance to the flag of the United States  of America and to the republic for it stands.   One nation under God, indivisible,  with liberty and justice for all. Lord, make us an instrument for your peace.  Where there is hatred, let us bring love.   Where there is injury, let us bring healing.  Where there is despair, let us bring hope. And   where there is sadness, let us bring joy. Grant  grant that we seek to console rather than to be   consoled. That we seek understanding of others  rather than to be understood. That we seek to   love rather than to be loved. For it is when  we give, we receive. And it is when we forgive   that we are forgiven. Help us to be and do these  simple things. In your name we pray. Amen. Amen. Agenda item number four, presentation of  proclamations. We have none. Consideration   of petitions, applications, appointments, and  nominations. We have none. Council President,   I make a motion to approve the  county executive's appointment   of Bang Tan Miller to the school board. Second. We have a motion in a second to approve  Miss Miller to the school board. Is there any discussion? Mr. Jan, council  president, it's important that we fill the   vacancy of the board of board of education  and Bangtan Miller is extremely familiar with  

the school system, having served HCPS for  26 years as a teacher, mentor, recruiter,   assistant principal, accountability coordinator  for testing, HR specialist handling contracts and   labor relations. She also holds a master's plus  30, essentially the equivalent of two master's   degrees. um and proudly represents Hartford County  throughout her career in education. After reading   the glowing support from both Councilman Bennett  and Councilwoman Roberts this afternoon, there's   no reason we should not be confirmed tonight.  Confirming her now will allow her to participate   in discussions regarding the selection of our  next superintendent. The superintendent vote   is expected to take place next Tuesday before we  would normally be voting on Bangtam's appointment.   That is why I decided to make this motion to  approve her tonight. Again, she has the support   of Councilman Bennett, Councilwoman Roberts,  Councilman Riley, and myself, let's move this   forward and allow the board of education to have  a full board. Thank you. So, uh, with that said,   um, as I spoke with Miss Miller this afternoon,  assured her that her nomination would go through   100%. Uh, that every council member would support  her. her reputation stands alone. My issue for not   putting it on the agenda tonight is that we have  rules and procedures that we follow when we're   putting the agenda together. The deadline for the  agenda was Thursday and the county executive knows   that he could have easily sent the motion over  yesterday to give us a little more time to move   forward with it. Uh, but if it's the council's  will to move it forward, I have no problem with   it. It takes one more thing off the next week's  agenda. Move forward, M. Robert. Yeah, I'm good   with moving for I just actually saw saw Bington.  We were at in activity this afternoon and we were  

talking about the appointment and she advised me  that she was going to come in person next week um   for uh that she had received a call that that was  the day for it. Um so I'm sure she wouldn't mind   being appointed a little earlier. Um, she knows  I am a big supporter of hers. I think she is what   I've been saying should be on the board because of  her education background. She's been a principal.   She knows how to budget money from being a  principal. So, she is one of the most perfect   candidates for uh that position. No, I couldn't  agree more. Any Mr. Bennett, I also support Miss   Miller and think she'll do a fantastic job on the  board. Um, I just wish she had the opportunity to   be in the room and to be recognized in a public  space. I think in doing it in this manner without   uh I'm assuming without reaching out to her to let  her know so that she would have the opportunity to   be here, it robs her of that moment and I think  that's disappointing. But all that being said,   um I support her nomination. I couldn't agree  more. Um, anyone else? Miss I've also had the   opportunity to meet with Miss Miller over the  last year. Um, she's an engaged, active member   of the community. She is fully qualified for this  role and then some. Um, and I just I think she's,   you know, a fantastic choice. I am a little upset  because she does show up for everything. So,   I think given the opportunity, she would have been  here tonight. Um, but I I fully support her on the   board of ed and I'm sure that um once she's aware  of what's happening this evening, she will be here   next week. Um, so and I will I will absolutely  call and ask her to come as I did today. So,   um, anyone else? Miss Dixon. Mr. President. Hi,  Mrs. Robert. Hi, Mrs. Mhall. Hi, Mr. Jano. Hi,  

Mr. Riley. I Mr. Bennett I there being six votes  in the affirmative and one absent uh the motion is   approved um and again we'll uh reach out to Miss  Miller. Maybe someone can text her now and um let   her know. So I already did. Okay, good. Good. I  said are you listening? Well, congratulations.   Agenda number six, special presentations. We have  none. Seven, approval of minutes. Fiscal year 27,   budget work session minutes. Public hearing  May 5th, 2026. Legislative day 2514, May 5th,   2026. Are there any corrections to the minutes?  There being no corrections, the minutes stand   approved. Eight, introduction and consideration of  resolutions. We have none. Nine. Mr. Jano, please   read bills 26010 and 26011 into the record for  introduction. Bill 26-010 LO SAP amendment service   benefits as introduced introduced by council  president Vincenti and council members Robert   Imhof Boil Saddles Bennett Riley and Jan Gordano  and act to reappeal and reenact with amendments   subsection A and subsection C of section 28-2  service benefits of article 1 pensions of chapter   28 fire ambulance and rescue organizations of  the Harford County code as amended to adjust the   benefit amount and generally related relating to  fire, ambulance, and rescue organizations. Public   hearing scheduled on Tuesday, June 9th, 2026 at  6 p.m. in these council chambers. Bill 26-011, zoning data centers as introduced. introduced by  council president Vincenti at the request of the  

county executive. an act to add new subsection J  to section 267-8 zoning certificates of article   2 administration and enforcement of part one  standards of chapter 267 zoning of the Harford   County Code as amended to expressly prohibit  the permitted use of data centers in any   zoning district and generally related to zoning  public hearing scheduled on Tuesday June 9th 2026   6 at 6 p.m. in these council chambers. Thank you.  10. Introduction and consideration of amendments.   Amendments to bill 260005. May I have a motion?  Council President, I move to approve amendments   one and two to bill 26-005. May I have a second?  Second. Thank you, Mr. Bennett. It's been moved   and seconded to approve amendments to bill  26005. Is there any discussion, Mr. Bennett? Uh,   Mr. President, I'm in full support of bill 26-011  that uh Councilman Garano just read into the   record. That being said, the moratorium bill will  ensure that there's full coverage between now and   when that bill takes effect. As we just said, uh,  bill 26-011 will have its public hearing June 9th,   which means the absolute soonest that that  bill could be voted on is June 9th, which means   uh the effective ban on data centers won't take  effect until sometime in August. So by continuing   to have the moratorium, when that passes, it  will give us full coverage to allow nothing   to move forward from now until then. So that's  why continuing with both bills side by side is   so important. You know, the county executive is  sealing the jar and we're making sure that jar is   airtight so that uh nothing can happen between now  and then. Thank you, Mr. Bennett. Mr. Jander Dana,  

uh I also agree with C uh Councilman Bennett.  Uh we move to move it from 90 days himself   and myself and a couple others I think to 180  days. So glad to have this other bill comes in   uh that will sit over top of that and then do  away with that. But we want to make sure that   we have proper coverage so that um this can the  new bill hopefully gets approved and um we'll move   forward with that. So we we do need to have this  in place for the short period of time. So thank   you council president. Anyone else? Miss Dixon.  Mr. President. Hi. Mrs. Robert. Hi. Mrs. Mhoff.   Hi. Mr. Janerano. Hi. Mr. Riley. Hi. Mr. Bennett.  Hi. There being six votes in the affirmative,   one absent. Amendments one and two to bill 26005  are hereby approved. 11. Call for final reading   of bills. Bill 26-003 appropriation special  pays. May I have a motion? Council President,   I move to approve bill 26-003. I have a second.  Second, Mr. Riley. Second to approve bill 26003. Is there any discussion? Miss Dixon. Mr. President, hi. Mrs. Mhoff or  Mrs. Robert. Hi, Mrs. Mhall. Hi, Mr. Jano. Hi,   Mr. Riley. Hi, Mrs. Bulado. Mr. Bennett, I  throwing me off. Are you okay? We'll talk   about that later. That's six votes in the  affirmative, one absent. Bill 260003 is   hereby approved. Enrollment of bills. Bill 260003  serves as a text finally passed. 13. Unfinished   business. We have none. 14. New business. We  have none. 15. Comments and input from attending   citizens. Miss. Dixon. Do we have anyone signed  up? We do, Mr. President. We have 21, I believe,  

this evening. Okay. Um, just so that everyone's on  the same page, 21, three minutes a piece. Please   be respectful of one another. And please,  um, recognize that we recognize the person   at the podium, no one else. Wilbur Pierce,  followed by Greg Tilman and Matthew Brown. Good evening, sir. Name and zip code, please,  for the record. Wilbur Brown Pierce, 21101. Good evening. I get my notes straight here. I'm  Wilbur Brown Pierce. I'm here to share my three   events of a week ago, good and bad. My first was  a visit to Dr. Bossi for an injection in my right   hip to relieve chronic pain. That went very well.  Next, I came back home and picked up Betty. We   drove to Jarrettsville for a nice lunch at the  crearyy and then on to the furniture store. We   met a we met the co-owner who we had seen on TV.  He did a great job on TV and uh bought a a lounge   chair to replace the one that was dilapidated.  That was good news. Then we drove home. Bad news.   As we turned into our driveway, we saw a strange  car parked in the middle of our driveway. And then   off in the distance behind our barn, we saw a  trespasser walking toward us. What's going on?   Who knows? We do not like people snooping around  our property, especially when they think it's  

okay. I invited a trespasser into our home and  found she was a 3P person on a mission. She had   uh locked her car in the middle of our driveway  and snooped around. later to find out that her   cell phone was dead and she couldn't get in her  car to return home. We invited her into her house   and then chatted a minute and then I returned her  to her property. I haven't heard anything from the   snooper since. You may not remember, but years  ago we had an un unwanted person which held me   hostage. They shot through our dining room window  to a deputy outside. They shot through our kitchen   window to a deputy behind our barn. We don't like  unwanted people on our property. Over a year ago,   I gathered a group of volunteers and a dumpster  from Maryland Portable Concrete. We cleaned up   a home in our community. Greg White donated a  dumpster and I paid the outrageous tipping fees.   Later, a neighbor asked me if I would do the same  thing for him. I said, "Sort of. I I volunteered   my small dump trailer. He filled it and we took  it to Scarboro Phil to find out that my trailer   exceeded 8 feet long and was a commercial vehicle,  not a residential vehicle. I instead of paying   the $11, I had to pay the 5967. One more load for  him and then one or two loads for his brother who   lives down the road at the end of the cemetery.  That's crazy that we have to go so far and to pay  

to keep our community clean. I'm getting there.  It seems that most of our politicians wannabes   are running against a lot and not for some of not  for good. Most of our problems are the result of   shortsighted legislation in the past. Mr. Pierce,  I hate to do it, but I got to cut you off. Okay.   Can you can you give your comments to Miss  Dixon? Yes. Okay. All right. And we'll disperse   them amongst council members. Mr. Pierce. Yes. I  understand your brother-in-law passed away. Yes,   he did. Fred, my brother-in-law, my condolences.  He was 93. He lived in the Perryman area his   entire life. He was also my uh best man. He was  my sister's husband and my wife's brother. So,   we work pretty well. Thank you for  bringing that up. Like, wait a minute. Good evening, sir. Name and zip code, please.  Craig Tilman 211014. Um, I'll just make it brief.   I I've lived in Harford County for 63 years  all my life. And over the last 8 10 years,   I've seen it Harford County transformed into  something I never thought it would. There's   a huge amount of high density, low income  housing that's been pouring into our county.   And I think it's drawing down on the quality.  It's going to draw down on the quality of life   ultimately for a lot of our residents. And  and what's frustrating is is I think that it's  

uh these types of projects are coming through with  a lot of money behind them. And I'm concerned that   our local politicians on the receiving end of  a lot of this money by the tens of thousands or   hundreds of thousands of money of dollars to push  through from developers and their companies and   their associates to push through this this this  high density housing that's hurting our county   and really going to take a devastating effect  on our county down the road in perpetuity. And   I think our local representatives are seeing  the short-term gain of this payout or buyout   to be able to accommodate these developers and  everybody else to to to let this happen to our   county foregoing foregoing the quality of life for  all their neighbors. It's very frustrating. I've   heard from one local politician lately uh recently  that said, you know, when we get government money,   so much of so much of that money has to be  a percentage has to go toward low income,   high density housing. Well, I I think we just  should draw the line because it's not helping   our county, the quality of our life. And what  scares me more than anything, that's going to   be pennies compared to what's coming down the  pike. this data center pro these data center   projects I know we're not that's coming up in the  future but the Google money Oracle open AI this   is hundreds of billions of dollars they're going  to pass down through our communities through our   politicians to change the building codes to make  sure that this happens in our backyards and this   is this is going to be devastating for all of us  I don't know if you guys have looked at what these   data centers do it's a 24-hour hour round the  clock, seven day a week loud humming noise with   billowing black smoke right in the backyards of  residential people that live in this county. And  

our our local representatives have already shown  us that they're they're okay with taking money,   tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands from  local developers to ruin our county. And when   this huge amount of money, this is a huge fight  here. This election cycle is super hot right now.   It's super hot because these politicians that are  going to be whoever's elected, county executive,   president, council, all these guys, all these guys  on the council, they're going to be fighting like   cats and dogs to make sure they change the  building code so these things can be in our   backyards. If you don't pay attention to this, it  we only have ourselves to blame. All right? So,   wake up because it's coming down. This is  pennies on the dollar. All the money that   these guys have taken from these developers,  local developers, please bring your comments   to a close. All right. All these developers, they  it's pennies on the dollar compared to the data   centers. It's coming. Thank you. You're  welcome, Pat. Thank you. You're welcome. Good evening, sir. Name and zip code,  please. Uh, Matthew Brown, 211015. Well,   that gentleman's not wrong. It is a  hot Mr. Brown. Hold up just a minute. Please. One speaker. Go ahead, Mr. Brown.  That gentleman is not wrong. It is a hot time,   especially in these politics. I'm one of the  candidates running for a county executive. And   one of the things I want to speak on right now is  last week there was the Havre de Grace election   and for a community that has about 12,000 members  only 1,400 showed up to vote. Their civic duty   their greatest ability to impact the quality of  their life. They did not take the time to do so.   11% roughly 12. and seeing people here is great  because we've been unified on this topic when  

it comes to the data centers and preserving  the identity of Harford County. But we need   that level of energy consistently. We need that  participation at all times. And I'm not asking for   everyone to show up every weekly council meeting.  Not everyone's crazy like that. That's just me.   The the fact of the matter is that there's so many  things that happen in our local communities that   are directly in control of us. We have the ability  to vote on the school board. We have the ability   to vote on the council. We have the ability to  adjust amendments, referendums, etc. That's the   power of local government. And in this election  cycle, the one thing I'm focusing on more than   anything is mobilization. We have 260,000 people  who live in this county, roughly 200,000 voters,   and in the last election cycles, we barely managed  to hit 50%. People will scream into the void, hide   behind anonymous voices and not come here or go  to the ballot box and actually make their voices   heard. Screaming from the top of the mountain does  not make you courageous. It makes you crazy. I   believe that people right now have a legitimate  distrust of their council, a legitimate trust   of their government because it feels like their  voices aren't being heard, but that ultimately   comes down to their own action. Come to the polls,  reach out to your councilmen. They're human,   too. And the only way to really have correct  and trusted progress is you have to be part of   the system, part of the message. And I understand  that in modern times and the age of social media,   stories, framing, optics, everything makes it hard  to really understand what's going on. And shifting   through documents of government, let me tell you,  it's boring to some, enjoyable by others. And if   you need someone to, you know, articulate  what they all mean, that's what you have   representatives for. That's their job. They chose  to be here. They chose to be elected. And they  

will choose to give you the information that you  need. I believe ultimately in this election cycle,   regardless of who wins, I want at least 75% of the  voter turnout. Everyone make their voices heard.   I can't expect every single one to show up to  the polls. That's why you have absentee ballots,   mail in ballots. you have all the means to really  make your voices heard. Even if I don't win,   I will still be here because I have a passion for  here. And I hope you guys from seeing everyone   here, you guys clearly have that passion.  Just make it documented. Make it heard. Be   the face of Harford County you really want to  believe because that's what I'm representing.   Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Brown. Ann Blacker,  followed by Dan Diane Alvarez and Jeff Beck. Good evening, ma'am. Name and zip code,  please. Excuse me. Ann Blocker 211085. My name is Anne Blocker. I emphatically object  to the sighting of a data center on Mountain   Branch Golf Course or in any other green  space in Harford County, particularly those   spaces near residential communities, farms,  forests, parks, or any land area in Harford   County that drains into the Chesapeake Bay.  I taught third grade for 25 years. During one   of our integrated units titled invention and  innovation, we divi defined technology as the   practical application of scientific knowledge  to solve real world problems and improve human   welfare. Simply said, it's how humans use  knowledge to make life simpler and better.  

What real world problems will be solved by the  construction of a hyperscale AI data center on   beautiful rural land adjacent to homes,  parks, farms, streams, and forested land?   Homelessness, inequality, hunger. Will it keep our  neighborhoods safer or cleaner, more pleasurable?   Will it mitigate climate change, environmental  degradation, public health risks? Will it relieve   economic uncertainty for families in our county?  How do hypers scale data centers like the one   being proposed at Mountain Branch improve human  welfare? They don't. They increase the wealth   and power of the billionaires who own the AI  industry and the greedy, heartless land owners.   I'm a gardener. I'm happiest with my hands in  the soil and when the only sounds I hear are the   birds and the bees and the leaves as they as the  wind rustles them through the trees and maybe an   occasional lawn mower. AI is powerful, inscrable,  and uncontrollable. Are we willing to allow this   technology to threaten our human experience,  our solace? Our federal government will have us   believe that data centers and AI are critical  to national security and global dominance.   Some of our local leaders might believe perhaps  based perhaps based on a propaganda website   authored by the owners of Mountain Branch Golf  Course that data centers will bring huge economic   benefits to the state or the county and generate  zero impact on the quality of life of residents   in Harford County. But as we have seen with our  own eyes and heard with our own ears, our leaders  

lie. So do big corporations. So does AI. So do  websites and they all lie with impunity. Will our   lives be simpler and better with the hyperscale  data center in our county? No, they will be worse.   Data centers are loud and intrusive. They are  gluttonous in their use of water, power, and land.   And I know they're not here, but to the mount  to the owners of Mountain Branch. Mr. Blocker,   please bring your comments to close. Thank  you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Good evening, ma'am. Name is it?  Diane Alvarez 211078. I want to   um say thank you um to Tony um G, Delegate  Tony G, for making this unnecessary because   I came here to speak on the board of  education appointment um and um and I   no longer have to do that. Thank you very much to  to you and and all the board members who supported   getting our position filled which has been  vacant for way too long. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening sir. Name and zip Jeffrey Beck 21085  Jabba town this council. Good evening by the way.   Nice to be here again. I missed you last week.  That was all me, not you. This council's been   given a gift. You guys have a huge decision in  front of you. Um that's going to greatly influence   uh not only your own political careers, but the  entirety of Harford County for generations to   come. Prior councils and prior administrations  have been faced with similar crossroads,  

and they failed. I hope that you guys don't fail.  Um, Ridgley's Reserve is just one example down in   Joppatown. Five years later, still polluting  Foster Branch and the Gunpowder River. And   that's just one residential development. Imagine  the damage to the environment that a data center   on 273 acres potentially could do. You guys  have that gift. Council has many functions,   but your two biggest functions uh are budget  oversight and zoning. Don't worry about the   budget. I'll be here tomorrow, too. Zoning  oversight and zoning regulations. Second   biggest thing you guys have any control  over and a big amount of control over. Um,   keep the data centers out of Harford  County. By any means necessary,   do it the right way. Do it legally, but by any  means necessary. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Beck. Delegate Oracon followed by  Brian Tony and Brian Cornell. Hey y'all. Uh good evening. Good to be here with  you guys. Delegate Lauren Arkin uh 7B Harford   County. My zip code is 2111. For those of you who  want to stalk me, don't. I'm well armed. Um okay.   I'm super tickled because I don't have to say  anything about the school board, but it was oh so   painful for the last few months, but I'm glad we  got somebody on there who's awesome that everybody   agrees is awesome. Can't wait to see what happens  with our superintendent uh interview process that   we're in the middle of. I am on the community uh  board for that as well. So, thank you very much   for giving us a full deck to play with. I really  appreciate that. And stay tuned. Uh really glad   that we got rid of the last guy. Um just had to  say that for the record. He knows. Um, I do want   to talk about data centers though, y'all. Um, this  is so serious. I think this is maybe the biggest  

issue that we're going to face, I don't know, in  the last in the next 20 years in our county. Um,   I absolutely cannot even imagine the largest data  center in the state being built in my beautiful   rural district. It is so appalling to me that  anybody would think that that's an appropriate   location to build an industrial park. I don't  know if any of you have ever driven on 152,   but that's not the location for more cars. We're  absolutely maxed out. We're done. We don't want   it. We don't need it. Do not bring it. Um, so  what I would like to see, and I I don't want   to blow your minds, but I would like to see uh a  withdrawal of Mr. Bennett's bill. I would like to   see the ban put in place as an emergency piece  of legislation. You might know that we do that   all the time in Annapolis. And usually it's not  actually an emergency. This is an emergency. It   deserves to be emergency legislation. The day  that you vote on it, the day that you sign it   is the day it goes into effect. We don't need to  wait or delay or have overlapping bills. We need   one bill. We need a full ban. And it needs to be  emergency legislation. you can do it immediately. And I would encourage any other county who might  uh tune into this to do the exact same thing   because we don't need these properties being  eaten up by giant industrial parks and loud,   noisy, environmentally damaging data centers.  We're not going to do it. And I appreciate   all of those who uh who back up this issue and  support this issue. And with that, I will return   uh the rest of my time because I know how hard  it is to do this job. God bless. Thank you.

Good evening, sir. Name is it. Good evening.  Brian Tony 211085 with our land, our home,   our Harford. Um so it's kind of hard to follow up  Lauren. uh she did a great job. We would obviously   second that for the emergency uh legislation for  the effective date to be immediate. What I really   wanted to do tonight though is is express some  um some feedback regarding the council's power   and their ability to act when it comes to a ban  for data centers. One of the encouraging things   we saw early on in this battle, which has really  only been going on for probably the past month,   is some reticence or hesitation by the council  regarding a full ban. That's why I think initially   we were talking about a moratorium. We have  retained uh legal counsel Michael McCann who's   pretty well known in the zoning and land use uh  areas. He's a very very well-established attorney.   I'm an attorney myself. So, what I thought I would  do is share with the uh the crowd here and also   put in the record the letter that Mr. McCann sent  to the council earlier today regarding simply the   uh the county council's legal authority to pass  a ban as proposed by the county executive. Um,   the office represents Orlando Homer Harford,  a grassroots organization that in just a few   short weeks has gathered thousands of supporters  in its opposition to the proposed data center at   Mountain Branch Golf Course. We fully support the  county executive's proposal to ban data centers   outright in Harford County. We share Mr. Cassley's  concerns regarding the many potential impacts of   data centers and also share his belief that a  temporary moratorium as proposed in bill 2605   will simply have the effect of creating  a legislative pathway for such centers.   We disagree respectfully that the regulations  for data centers uses are needed. That was the   justification for the moratorium potentially.  I also wanted to express that there should be   no question that county council has the legal  authority to pass the ban proposed by the county   executive. As you know, the express powers act  grants Harford County the authority to enact   local laws relating to the zoning and planning  in order to protect and promote public safety,  

health, and welfare. Maryland code annotated  local government sections 10206A 103 324A1. Um   indeed it is the formal policy of the state that  the comprehensive zoning and planning controls   are to be implemented by the local governments  and that in order to achieve the public purposes   served by such controls, it may be necessary to  displace or limit economic competition. As such,   we second uh Lauren's comments to  withdraw we urge you to withdraw   bill 265 and support the county executive's  proposal. Thank you very much. Thank you folks. If I may, we don't allow applause. I'd  let it go for a while. Let's just stop and   we'll get through our comments. We understand.  Why'd you have to say it right before mine? One   more. One more. One more. Brian, we're going  to stop it now. What the heck? It's the moment   I've been waiting for. Is this Brian with a Y  or Brian with an I? Ryan with a Y. All right, go ahead, sir. Let's just be completely honest  when discussing why the data center developers   in this gold rush speed to market industrial boom  want to come into our communities and our county.   For them, in their eyes, it's the path of least  resistance. And the one impact they never discuss   or address is the impact on the homes and the  families. I have met hundreds of families in   the last couple of weeks. But tonight, I wanted  to share with you about one particular family.   Several months ago, an older home on Stockton Road  was recently purchased by a young family. As I was   knocking on doors one afternoon, one afternoon  to raise awareness, I decided to stop by to visit   this new neighbor. I rang the doorbell and a young  man who was working in the backyard came walking  

around the house. He introduced himself as Josh. I  introduced myself and I asked him if he had heard   about the proposed data center project possibly  going in his backyard. His new home backs up the   Mountain Branch Golf Course. He told me he had no  idea. And with a concerned look on his face, he   asked, "What's so wrong with data centers?" He had  no idea. I simply told him some of the facts and I   encouraged him to do some digging on his own, but  to keep in touch with me. He was frustrated about   the possibilities. And to be honest, I felt guilty  for ruining his day and his weekend. He proceeded   to tell me that he was frustrated because in the  last season of his life, he got married. He's   been working his ass off to finally save up enough  money to move from the city and purchase some land and a home in a county where he can start to  raise a family in a clean, healthy environment. The next day I drove by that family's home. But  the next week I drove by that family's home.   There was a large sign in the front yard. And no,  it wasn't an Imhof sign or Stephanie Flash sign. It wasn't a Vincenti sign or Bob Cassley  sign. No. This man had other issues that he   was concerned about. The sign simply said in large  pink letters across the front yard, "It's a girl."

That family is exactly who we're fighting for in this battle. And that family is exactly who as our  elected officials you are working for. And we pray that you will do the right thing and  consider the next generation and vote to keep   these toxic data centers out of our county.  Thank you for your time. Thank you, Brian. Michael Oaks, followed by Jessica  Riley Hammond and Diane Saddowski. Good evening, sir. Name and zip, please. Michael  Oaks, 21158. That's two counties over in Carol.   Carol currently has a ban on data centers. I  applaud all of you for your motions tonight.   Lauren, I applaud you. I'll come down there and  pat you on the back. I was going to talk as a   citizen, which I am, but with three minutes,  I want to talk to you as one of the leading   candidates for Republican governor of Maryland.  If you can hold off Wes Moore and his proposals,   45 data centers in Maryland currently, he  wants to see 50 by election. Think about   that. My position is if I'm elected governor,  data centers will cease to exist in Maryland.  

Everybody talks about water. When the bucket's  dry and you see the bottom, then what? When you go   to turn the switch on and you have no power, then  what? But more importantly, I've done considerable   research. And this is what data centers bring to  you. Concentrated pollutants, 20% density when   they clean their systems out. Those pollutants  are biocides that kill algae and bacteria that   are going to end up in your rivers and your lakes  and your bay. And you know what happens when you   have an algae bloom. We've all experienced that  many times. The cleaning agents are corrosion   inhibitors. Things like phosphates, nitrates,  malibates, and aolles. These are all heavy metal   materials that cause cancer, brain cancer, lung  cancer, liver cancer, intestinal cancers, breast   cancers. You are not going to be responsible for  that unless you stand up against data centers. The heavy metals that are going to be included in  all this are copper, zinc, and lead. This is not   hyperbole. This is fact that you could look  up in any search about the real downfall of   data centers. The high total dissolved solids  are salts and other contaminated uh materials   that become very concentrated and they go to your  local treatment plant to try filter some of these  

things out and they can't filter all of them  out. So you get 20% concentrated materials that   go back into your water supply and everybody  here gets to drink from that water supply. So I I guess I I can't place enough emphasis on the  bad things other than power and water that data   centers are going to do. And if you want to think  about it in a more serious term, think of Love   Canal, New York. Is anybody familiar with that?  Mr. Oaks, please bring your comments to a close.   And also think about Hinckley,  California. Thank you. You bet. Good evening, ma'am. Name and zip Jessica Riley  Hammond to 10:15. Good evening. I didn't prepare   any any comments for this evening, but I just want  it to be known that I absolutely support a ban   on data centers. Um, I mean, I'm not going to go  over the science and the concerns because they've   all been mentioned so many times already. And I  debated whether I was even going to speak this   evening because I knew so many people were going  to be talking about the same subject with the same   view. But I believe that we need to be in this  for the long haul and not slow down the momentum,   not stop speaking out because this is going to  take time and we need to be engaged through the   entire process. I definitely support technology,  but absolutely not at the expense of the health   of our community members and our natural  environment. Thank you. Thank you, ma'am.

Oh my gosh. Oh, there's grandma. What? Hey,  listen. I got a new do for tonight. So, hey,   name and zip code, ma'am. Diana Saddowski, 211047.  Good evening, council members. I'm here tonight   in strong support of the county executive's  proposal to say no to data center campuses   here in Harford County. You already know where  I stand personally on this. This issue is bigger   than politics. It's bigger than individual  council members, developers, or negotiators   behi negotiations behind closed doors. This is  about protecting the character, environment,   infrastructure, and future of our community. The  people of Harford County have spoken clearly.   Residents do not want massive industrial scale  data center campuses built on our farmlands,   our green spaces, or near our neighborhoods. We  moved here because Harford County is not northern   Virginia. We value open land. agriculture,  natural resources, rural heritage and quality   of life. A moratorium is not enough. A moratorium  simply delays the fight. And we have a fight.   It kicks the can down the road and creates  an opportunity for developers to regroup,   negotiate, lobby harder, and eventually  push these projects through piece by   piece. Temporary legislation becomes a bargaining  tool. And once the door is opened even slightly,   it becomes harder and harder for residents to  protect what we have left. Harford County should  

not become a testing ground for speculative  development that benefits outside corporations   more than the people who actually live here.  We've seen this happen in other communities.   Promises are made about tax revenue, technology  investment, but residents are left with enormous   power demands, strain on infrastructure,  industrial noise, environmental impacts,   and permanent changes to the landscape. What  our community needs right now is clarity and   leadership, not political infighting. Residents  are tired of watching elected officials argue with   each other while developers circle our county  looking for leverage points. This should not   be about who gets credit politically. It should  be about listening to the people who elect you   or reelect you. The county executive has taken  a clear position. No data campuses in Harford   County. I urge this council council to stand  with the residents and support strong definitive   legislation, no legislation that protects our  farmland, preserves our green spaces, and prevents   these industrial projects from taking root here.  Please do not settle for delays, compromises,   or half measures that leave that door open later.  Listen to your community. Protect. Please bring   your comments to a close. Protect Harford County  before it's too late. Thank you. Thank you,

Christine Heisy. Followed by  Garner Litty and Bill Montineer. Good evening, ma'am. Name and zip.  Christine Heisy 211047. I am here about   the data centers like so many other people.  Um I'm glad that you are taking some steps to   um make some better decisions about this and I  hope that you will listen to the residents of   Harford County who definitely do not want this  here. Um I've lived here for 64 years. I grew   up here. It's a beautiful county. There was a lot  more farmland and we've watched developments go   from here to there and back again. We've lost  watched industry come in. We've given up much   of the coastline which is really really sad.  And now here we are looking at a data center   over Mountain Branch which is one of the most  gorgeous areas in the county. Um just some of   the things because maybe people watching may not  know some of this. A data center is about the   size of 27 professional football fields strung  and linked together. They are not a warehouse.   Maybe they're the size of about 42 Walmart Super  Centers all joined together. They are massive   in scale. Interiors have low ceilings. Um, they  say they bring jobs on average maybe 20 people,   they have cleaners, they have security, and they  have a handful of IT people to manage them inside.   They do bring jobs during the construction, but  beyond that, it's basically um a waste land. Um,  

they use massive amounts of power. I don't  have numbers on that. Um, they take up about   500 to a,000 acres. Water usage. An average  person uses 70 gallons a day of water. I I   think that's kind of a lot. Um, a data center  uses 14.5 billion gallons of water. It's a lot.   Excuse me. Excuse me. Just a minute. Mr. alleged  if I have to call him down one more time whoever and I understand your concerns but we  got to keep the proper decorum in this   chamber. We have one lady recognized  to speak not anybody in the audience. Ma'am, thank you. Um, from what I understand, the  county would get significant give the developer   significant tax breaks being paid out over 20  years. They say there's no tax implications to   residents, but that typically is not the way that  that works. Um, electricity wise, they use masses,   massive amounts of electricity, which we  really are not in a position to be able to   sustain that. as far as future projections go for  data centers overall. Currently, there's a huge   huge huge push for us not only to use AI, but for  the construction of the data centers and as we've   seen year after year with with anything that  has this type of push, it falls off. You know,   we have malls that are empty. Uh we saw Wraid  go through tremendous expansion and then just   collapse. So, where is this going to go? And  what do you do with it at the end of that 20   years when we may or may not even need it because  technology will change, the needs will change. And  

then you've got this huge building that has just  totally wiped out whatever that beautiful area   happened to be. Um, I just have a little bit  more here. As far as the actual environment,   people in Lowden County who live near them fight  them tooth and nail. They're ugly. They're bright   buildings. They're big. They're lit up. There is a  constant humming. From the real estate standpoint,   as I'm a realer, nobody's going to live want to  live near it. And you're going to want to exodus   from the county. I I do have some pictures for  you if I could hand them off. Thank you, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am. Good evening, sir. Name and  zip. Good evening. Garner Lighty 21047. Thank   you for having us tonight. Um, I just want to  thank everybody for coming out. My brothers   and sisters of Harford County. Feels good. I  want to echo Mr. Brown said. I thought that   was pertinent. Lauren did a great job.  And Brian with his neighbor Josh. Josh   was us 30 years ago. We struggled to find a  house within our price range, Harford County.   And it was intentional because of what this county  offers. It's the green space, the land, everything   about it, the people. We couldn't have asked for  a better place to have our children grow up. And   this is in direct contrast to everything that  we expected that this county would provide us. I'm not against technology. I am I've  been in the technology field all my life,   but this seems very disconnected from what  Harford County is, specifically that part  

of Harford County represents. This doesn't feel  like a partnership. It feels like exploitation.   The exploitation of our land and our resources  all for the benefit of a very select few people.   Nobody in this room for sure. The question isn't  can it be built here, but is this what we choose   to become? Because if we allow this, then this  sets the precedent for future developers, future   industry to then pick every part of this county  apart. And that's not what anybody wants. So putting through the ban, not just a moratorium,  putting a lid on a jar that can be broken by the   state if necessary doesn't seem like enough. It  needs to be to your analogy is great, but there's   weaknesses to that char and we need to put that  ban in place. Thank you very much. Thank you, sir. Bill Montary. Go ahead. You're good. Thank you.  Bill Montary 211015. Um, there's a lot of very   smart, very eloquent speakers here tonight  that made a lot of really great points. I'd   like to thank Lauren in particular for stealing my  thunder and making my point before I got to make   my point. But she is absolutely totally correct.  Providing a moratorium leaves nothing more than an   ability to stick a foot in the door. You need  a total ban. You need to sign, as she said,  

an emergency legislation and get what the county  executive is asking for. That's what we need.   A lot of great points were made. I'm not going  to take a lot of time up to reiterate them   because they were great and there's no use in  going back over it. I would like to offer one   slight perspective to all of you sitting  up there. I've been a student of history   since about the age of 12. And a lot of times in  history, things that seem everyday or mundane,   but even thus is not mundane, but fairly large  end up becoming what becomes that person's   legacy. In my opinion, for all of you, this is a  legacy moment. I'd like you to think about that.   This could be your legacy and what and how  people remember you in the future of this   county. Do the right thing. You know what it  is and you're saying it. Get some emergency   legislation. Get this thing passed. Lock it  down airtight. Can't be done. Period. Full   stop. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Joe Xavier,  followed by Evelyn Bishoff and Reed Nubam. Good evening, sir. Name is it? Joe Xavier. Uh  21047 about three I live about three and a half   miles away from Brian and Brian. And uh just want  to um kind of look at this with a word of caution.   I mean, even if the uh data centers can  fulfill their promise on what they talked   about in terms of the water, the energy and  the emissions and all that sort of thing,  

um the location itself is still the wrong  location. Mountain branch location is the wrong   location uh for that data center or for any data  center. Um, so without taking up any more time, I   just want to say that it's a wrong location. Even  if it was the the perfect uh data center and met   all of those different requirements, still a wrong  location. Also wanted to ask just a question.   I'm not sure if anyone has an answer for it, but  I know there's been some movement to have the   Army's data operations command put in Aberdeen  at Aberdeen proving grounds and just uh was   wondering if a ban would impact uh that location.  Um but that is all. Thank you so much. Thank you. Good evening, ma'am. Name and zip. Uh my name is  Evelyn Bishoff and I am in zip code 211047. Um   I am here to talk to you guys today about all  of our concerns and to just introduce myself.   Um my name is Evelyn Bishoff. My family moved to  Frost 11 years ago to a house built in 1973. We   moved to Harford County to raise our kids in a  close-knit community with plenty of open space   and rural areas. My community members care deeply  for one another and what is best for everyone, not   just one. Allowing these mega centers to be built  will destroy the very reason so many people love   it here. Our rural agricultural heritage deserves  better. It deserves our time to take pause, ask   questions. That's your phone, right? Yes. Okay.  That's They're checking. They're They weren't   sure. So, just to let everybody know, that's the  sound that people live with in data centers. Got  

it? Just for anyone that doesn't know that.  So, I know you probably struggled to hear me,   that's what you would have to live next to every  single day, 24/7. You just had my you just had the   TV crew a little messed up. So it our agricultural  heritage deserves our time to take pause to ask   the questions and wait until we have the right  answers because this is not a nimi issue. It's   a NY issue which is not in anyone's backyard. No  one should have their neighborhood destroyed due   to the insatiable greed of developers and  corporations that would never live next to   the very projects that they propose. We have a  responsibility to protect our own way of life,   peace of mind, sanctity of land. Data centers need  more water power and land. Yet, we are being asked   to conserve water power and land. So, why do we  need 5,000 and growing more data centers than any   other c country? Likewise, we are being asked to  pay our share of taxes while these corporations   receive hundreds of millions of tax breaks. Is  this fair? The IEA projects global data centers   could use could use could reach the 945 terowatt  hours by 2030. That is more than Japan's current   electrical use. On May 4th, 2026, the North  American Electric Reliability Corporation issued   a rare level three alert due to large electrical  loads. This is a grid watchdog sounding the alarm.   We need to pay attention. Our water, who fills  the closed loop, where does the water come from?   Who pays for it? How much power is needed to get  it? There's indirect water consumption to think  

about as well. On gas, who pays to run the lines  and who decides where they run through? On noise,   I have not seen a single solution to know  to how this issue is resolved. How do we   decide how close is too close? How long can a  person, dog, horse, or other living thing be   exposed to the constant barrage of noise without  protection from set attack? At the end of the day,   the main question is, would you be willing to  have this in your backyard? That's it. Thank you. Good evening, sir. Name and zip. Good evening.  I'm uh Dr. Reed Newbomb, 211085. Um so I'm a   healthcare provider and a small business owner  um right here in Harford County. I'm actually   not so different. Hey, I'm not I'm not so  different than um Josh over on Stockton   Road. Um apparently I drive by. I didn't know his  name was Josh, but um I'm my family and I uh live   less than a half a mile away from Mountain  Branch Golf Course. And that's really what   brought me here in the first place. Uh but the  more I've learned, the more my concerns are have   expanded beyond one project or one location. I've  dedicated my life to helping people live happier,   healthier lives. Uh, a core belief of mine is  that health is the priority. Without your health,   you really don't have anything. So, there are  lots of concerns being discussed. Uh, but before   we get lost in the details, I I think we all  need to ask ourselves a simple question. What   should come first in these in these conversations?  And from what I've seen so far, and I'm talking   in the DCA special presentation, uh the released  developers documents, and a lot of the discussion,  

I mean, even even the public and the council,  um after those things are as we're getting more   uh information, the conversation seems to be  beginning with infrastructure and economics. Of   course, people are concerned about the the health  aspects, but I think that how we're starting,   how the conversations have started so far are a  bit backwards. health and environment need to come   first. Those two are so deeply connected and then  we can talk about infrastructure. Not that that's   uh you know an unimportant part, but and I'm not  standing here either claiming that we already   know every impact these facilities may have,  but there are enough credible questions and   foreseeable risks in health and environment  that would justify a ban. The noise issue   um that gets understated as a nuisance, but it  really is a health issue. When noise is constant,   especially overnight, it interferes with  sleep, increases stress, and over time   affects your health and and quality of life. This  an interesting thing I found on the uh some of   the developer materials, they're proposing a DBA  limit uh different for daytime and nighttime. Now,   dba measurements do not fully capture the  frequency of sound that these places make.   Lower frequency sound travel travels farther,  is harder to block, and can still affect people   inside their homes. I'm talking in your bedroom,  and that's how it affects your sleep. You might   not even be aware of the sound itself. It's  below human hearing, some of it. And what you   hear inside your room is actually the the walls  and windows shaking, vibrating, actually making   audible noise. But the problem is and that's  why so many other communities near large data   centers have reported sleep disruption even miles  away. So I I have concerns about air pollution,  

water usage, water quality, but of course my  time is limited here. But I guess I just propose   a health first framework when everyone thinks  about this. If health is not the priority, then   all of the economic growth is really the price  tag on our health. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Jackie Johnson, followed by Linda  Stein Flint and Christopher Blocker. Good evening, ma'am. Name and zip. Jackie  Johnson 21087. Wow, we have a lot going on here.   Harford County is a beautiful place with its  farmlands, open spaces, parks, and fresh air. A   great place to live and raise a family and even  plant a vegetable garden and just have a little   piece of heaven. But apparently there are some who  don't want us to have that. Someone on the council   invited the data center alliance representatives  to speak at the April 14th meeting. It appears the   whole script for the meeting was planned. This was  made obvious when Councilman Bennett immediately   proceeded to put forward a 90-day moratorium  on the data center. Since the presentation,   we have all research data centers and found them  to be harmful to humans, animals, farms, land,   water, and air, everything that sustains life. Why  aren't the globalists pushing back against these   data centers for the heat they produce? Harford  County communities have united together to fight   against data centers, not just at Mountain Branch,  but throughout the entire county. So once the   emails, posts, and phone calls started coming  in to the council from residents pushing back,   the council changed their stance on the data  centers and all stated, "I'm against them." Was  

it just a reluctant agreement to appease all of  us knowing you could lose the upcoming election   if you continued to push for them? Tonight  I come before you standing united with the   community members to request that you withdraw  the moratorium and just ask you to say no to   the data centers in Harford County. This is your  opportunity to be honest and keep your word that   you truly are against the data centers. This  situation has brought people from all walks,   backgrounds, and zip codes together. Democrats,  Republicans, and independents. No one asks or   cares which party each of us support. We only care  who was working with us and for us in this fight. Good evening, ma'am. Name it. Hi, my name  is Linderstein Flint. um 2105. I find it   interesting how many of you all still continue  to deny that the Harford transportation plan is   actually about the Harford Transit Link facility  replacement being done with federal funds. The   building has a leak in roof, mold, and can't  properly service all the blue community public   buses. Council President has fully agreed in  the past with it for the several years. And   yet he continue him and those who continue with  him, they continue to send us all these mailers   saying no to a $65 million bus expansion. Come on,  stop the misinformation. There is no mass transit   being pushed. It is not bringing in outside  people from Baltimore to Harford County. This   is for the replacement of the facility that is on  Abington Road. the same facility used by the blue   buses that get citizens without transportation  to the grocery stores, medical appointments,  

jobs, schools, and public facilities. There is  no costly expansion threatening the character   of our community and burning taxpayers. That  misinformation sent out to our community is   doing a big disservice to our county citizens  who rely on that community public transportation.   Everyone is also claiming to stand with law  enforcement and public safety. I do not know of   any Harford County Republican elected official or  candidate at any level that does not support law   enforcement and public safety. They all do. But it  is difficult when you have current law enforcement   who refuses to work together for what is best for  Harford County and all of you tend to condone that   behavior. That is not leadership. That's bullying  causing unnecessary division. I'm happy that you   supported um Tony. It takes real leadership to  stand up and and introduce that um to have Bantam   nominated to the school board and have that happen  tonight. Um there is no previous record um of   making sure it's on the agenda by Thursday because  um Tuesday, February 3rd, um County Executive   Castlean announced the nomination of Liliana to  the school board and at 2:00 p.m. that afternoon   um you updated the agenda to have it on the um  the county council meeting that night. So there is   um there is room for um um modification of your  rules depending on the thing. So but thank you   Tony appreciate that um for taking care of our  school board. But I also have to laugh when   I read about collaboration over division real  leadership protecting what matters most. Yeah.   What matters most in these flyers is sending  mis misinformation. the same people pushing   for a moratorium on data centers um and to extend  the timeline to get through the election instead   of putting a dead stop to it like the bill that  county executive Cassie that actually says no data  

centers he stood strong and he's taken leadership  we say no to the growing number of data centers um   of solar farms that do nothing to fix our electric  issues that have been caused by the state closing   down our power plants and buying electricity  from other states. Harford County says no to data   centers and no to solar farms. Instead of that  moratorium which merely delays things, just put   county counseling um bill through and stop it next  week. There is no reason to delay that. Thank you. Good evening, sir. Name is it? Uh Christopher  Blocker, zip codes 211085. Um, so I'm speaking   about the surprise the data centers uh or the  um AI campus as the um super rich guys over   at Mountain Branch would have us call it. I'll  talk a little more about that in a moment. But   um so yeah, I don't want to talk about why  data centers are bad or why AI is bad. We all   I'm actually very impressed by the amount of  knowledge that like everybody here has about   data centers. Um but I think at this point  we all know how bad they are. Um, and it is   frustrating the AI stuff. As a college instructor,  I have students that are writing papers with AI,   and that really bums me out. Um, but what I want  to talk about is um is is uh really about who gets   to make important decisions that affect all of us.  Uh if you visit harfordenergy.com you will find a   website launched by the owners of Mountain Branch  the Vasilopouolises uh likely with the help of a   strategic communications firm given its impressive  breadth and depth. It's the best website money can   buy. The purpose of the website is to convince  us that building a data center at Mountain Branch   Golf Course is in our best interests. It is full  of many claims meant to counter the narrative that   data centers are destructive. But I would urge  anyone who opposes the data center to ignore these  

claims and instead focus on what big tech and the  owners of Mountain Branch stand to gain and what   we stand to lose. Not just in terms of the data  center itself, but in terms of our dignity. The   website is full of insultingly, almost comically  deceptive language meant to plate a public that is   frankly outraged. The first absurd claim is this.  Every major technical decision was designed to   protect the residents who live here. It seems  as if they would have us believe that they're   doing this deal which will make them millions out  of the goodness of their hearts, like a charity   project. How incredibly kind. Let's not forget  the one decision that wasn't made to protect the   residents that live here. The decision to build  the data center. And let's not forget the reason   why that decision was made. Money. Lots and lots  of money. If you peruse the website uncritically,   you would almost believe that the Vaselopouses  are planning to build a community garden,   an orchard, an organic dairy farm. The data center  is described as a locally owned AI campus designed   from the ground up in Harford County with the  strictest environmental protections in Maryland   and real recorded community benefits. Make no  mistake, these people do not care about us. If   they cared about us, they would not be building a  data center. The matter is that simple. So, here's   what we can do. We could hire our own DC marketing  firm to argue with them claim by claim. Or we can   exercise our right as citizens of Harford County  to say hell no to a deal that we already know is   bad for us. At bottom, this is about our right  to determine our own fate. If this data center   is built, it will not only degrade the quality of  life in very visceral ways for many people living   here, it would degrade our dignity. It would be  proof that democracy in Harford County is dead.   That country club owners in big tech make all  the decisions and you and I have to live with the  

consequences. No data center, not here, not ever.  That's the beginning and the end of the matter. There are no more speakers, Mr.  President. And we were on a roll, too. Um, agenda number 16, business from council members,  Miss Imhof. Good evening. Um, number one, I want   to actually just say thank you. I know there's a  lot of first- timers in the audience tonight. This   is how democracy happens. Um, unfortunately, it  does normally have to get to a point where people   are super concerned and upset and feeling not  heard to show up, but we rarely fill most rows in   this in this chambers. Um, and so for anyone who's  here for a first time, I hope it's not your last.   Um, as many of you heard, um, we are moving  forward with making sure that, um, data centers   are not in Harford County. Um, I know everyone  is already had their speeches prepared. Um,   but there's very few things that can get all  of us in agreement and we agree with you all   that this is not the place for data centers. With  that being said, um, uh, this is the part where we   typically share the events that we've attended,  upcoming community events to get you guys even   more involved, know that we're what we're up to,  that kind of thing. So, the biggest event that I   went to this past week was on May 11th. I had the  honor of attending the National Police Week Police   Unity Tour. Um, it arrived at the Harford  County Sheriff's Office southern precinct,   followed by a reef lang ceremony honoring law  enforcement officers who made the ultimate  

sacrifice in the line of duty. There are many,  many chapters to this police unity tour. Um,   the one that comes through here is their ninth  chapter, which starts in Philly and they drive   over a hund they ride over 100 miles on their  bicycles down to DC. And this is to honor those   of our officers who have we've lost in the line  of duty. What's really um hard but heartwarming   is two of the riders um this year are two of  our fallen officers kids. Um one is a Har now   a Harford County Sheriff's officer and one who is  very very close with the Harford County Sheriff's   Office and they take very good care of her. Um,  but it is a full cycle moment that no one wants   to have. Um, but it was remarkable. Um, and so  if you guys get a chance to follow them online,   they do come through every year. So if you got  stuck in traffic on I think it was uh uh Monday.   Yeah. We apologize, but we promise it was for  a real real good cause. and these bikers who   are not daily athletes are literally biking from  Philly to DC. So, please be patient with them. Um,   upcoming events, just a reminder reminder that  next Abington Emerton Community Advisory Board   meeting will take place Thursday, May 14th  at 6:30 at the Abbington Fire Company. Also,   the Avenue Fire Company will be hosting the annual  flea market this sat this Saturday, May 16th, from   8 am to 1 pm. This year's event will feature more  than 25 vendors and is always a great opportunity   for community members to come together, shop  local, and support our volunteer fire companies.   And that's all I have for tonight. Thank you, Miss  Hul, Mr. Jardan. Thank you, Council President. So,   it's not just the data centers, it's the power  lines that we've been fighting. Most of you guys  

don't know, but we've been fighting these  power lines. If you look around, you'll see   that they're expanding or trying to expand these  power lines so they could run more power lines   so that they run them from Pennsylvania down to  Virginia to to fuel these these data centers. So,   we've we fought with the the uh BG and everything.  I know we've sent letters and everything trying to   stop that. Now, in comes the data centers.  And there is a website called cleanview.c   co and it shows you the existing data centers and  it shows you the proposed data centers that is   just like this orange glob all over the country.  So um you know we've lost power plants we we your   everybody here who gets electricity you've all  seen your electrical bills go through the roof.   Brandon Shores you know was supposed to close and  they have to keep it open so they're charging us   more for that. We've got less power plants. I  know Lauren down there, they've been fighting   this and and this green energy, which the solar  is not working. Years ago, we fought to not allow   the solar farms to be put in. There was one off  of 136. We fought it. We we denied it. We closed   it down. They went to the PSC commission and  they built it. Um much to our disc, you know,   wasn't wasn't good. So the these data centers the  and one of the questions I asked because I talked   to a lawyer that did two of these data centers  down in Virginia was the noise level. The lady   here said only 500 ft. They had told me it was  six miles that you can hear that. And hum what I'm   also worried about is not only the the people that  live around here, but what about all the animals   that you know that the farms and everything  and our food supply that we buy local, we say   buy local, that's got to affect them as well. So,  um, just just to know we all are fighting. We all   live here. Um, you know, we all work here, play  here. We don't want them either. So, um, you know,  

hopefully this ban is stays in put and the  governor doesn't try to change anything on us. So,   um, I heard somebody say he wants to have more  data centers or we don't want them. So, anyway,   um, Saturday and Sunday, Spring Nationals.  Anybody ever see a hydroplane uh,   boat race? are going to have them down at Flying  Point Marina. Um it's going to be a great event   Saturday and Sunday. Free admission. Um  music, food trucks. Um also Sunday's the   Taste of Harford Vegan Manor. And then if  anybody hasn't been the 250 uh tour is over   at the American Legion. It's phenomenal. If you  didn't get a chance to go over there, it's going   to be there for a couple days. Go over and see  that. And then finally, my my charter amendment,   the public hearing was scheduled for May 28th.  So, uh 26th 26th, sorry, May 26th. So, hopefully   uh you know, you guys come fill the chamber and we  get that the public gets to talk about that. And   I think that might be that might be it. So, thank  you very much. That's not it. That's not it. No,   you're so what? So, Oh, yeah. the the derby  the uh Beller derby is on Saturday too. So   it's a full slate of um Sunday or Saturday.  Sunday, I think. Sunday. We'll Google it. Mr. Riley, Tony, it's Tuesday. I just have uh just a uh two things. Um,  we are not only fighting data centers,   we're also fighting the solar projects as Tony  said, and we have one on Chrome Hill uh road.   I'm doing the best I can since my district uh to  fight that that project. I'm submitting letters   to the Maryland Public Safety Commission. Um,  also I know uh I appreciate Delegate Ericen  

coming here tonight. Uh appreciate you speaking  with us. She's a great supporter of uh getting   rid of these solar farms and data centers  and uh it's a privilege to have you tonight. Thank you, Mr. Riley. Mr. Bennett. Hello. Uh good  evening. It's good to be with everyone. Um you   know, in keeping the moratorum and the ban bill  both uh on the agenda as of now, part of the point   of that is preventing a single point of failure.  you don't want anything to go wrong and then we   have nothing. And I think that's an important  point to consider. Um to the delegates point   she brought up during public comment immediately  after reading the bill and you have to remember   we as a council first read the bill uh on Friday  when it was shared with all of us after the agenda   was set and published. Um, I realized that the  bill was not a piece of emergency legislation,   which for those of you who've been around  three years ago when we handled warehouses,   we made that bill a piece of emergency legislation  so that it would take immediate effect. And one   of the first things I did was reach out to Miss  Allegi, our council attorney, and ask if we have   a legal justification to do so because that  was a big concern of mine that we would be   leading into August without anything in place. So  that's something that Miss Allegi is looking into   and something that I want you to know is not a a  gap in our minds. It's the very first thing that   I notice and the very first thing I asked for.  And that's part of why I haven't withdrawn the   moratorum because I don't want to be in a point  where we don't have uh an amendment saying it's   a piece of emergency legislation and then again  we're sitting till August with nothing on paper.   And I think it's wonderful that every elected  official and every candidate in Harford County   or who's ever touched Harford County is saying  they're against data centers. But I'm a believer  

in the only thing I stand by is what the law says.  And if it's not on paper, it's not worth much. And   it's important that we get what we can on paper  to protect ourselves and protect our community.   Um, you know, it was reminded to me by a member  of my community in my district, Chuck Misan,   that I first met with him and members of my  district back in February of 2025 to talk about   data centers and my concerns about the gap we  had in our zoning with nothing about data centers   there to protect ourselves. So, this is something  that I've been researching and working on now for   well over a year. And um it's something that  I think is very important to protect ourselves   from. Um that being said, I want to make sure  to congratulate the winners of the Happy Grace   city election last week. Um Liz Clark and David  Glenn are new to the council. Well, Mr. Glenn,   Councilman Glenn was there in the past. He  took a break to take care of his family and   is coming back. Uh, Miss Clark, who serves on  our police accountability board for the county,   is a wonderful person, and she previously ran  and did not make it onto the uh, city council,   but she was able to win this time and she's going  to do a tremendous job. And then Casey Boyer was   able to win reelection. I want to thank Tammy  Lynch Nagus for her many years on the council   and supporting our community and also uh Jimmy  Ringacker who did not run for reelection and   is choosing to step away as his son graduates from  high school and is starting a new phase of uh life   uh for all he's done for the city of Hav Grace.  Uh that's all I have this evening. Thank you,   Mr. Bennett and Miss Robert. Thank you. Um I just  wanted to echo um about the data centers. Uh,   I believe that they need to have a ban. I believe  that it needs to occur sooner than later, but at  

the same time, um, to echo Councilman Bennett, it  doesn't look like emergency legislation at this   time, or at least it's not written in that  fashion. Um, for our section of District A,   um, I've met with, um, Gunpowder Valley Conserv  Conserancy and they deal a lot with the water.   Um and I've been meeting with them because we  have been dealing with the days cove issue um   discharge the permits all of that that affect our  waterways. Also with that comes Ridgely Reserve   um in which that has been a continuous short  of a lack of a better term hot mess. Um because   that has not been corrected and as much as the  community has advocated for it to be corrected it   has not been corrected. um the fines don't match  up to the damage. And I continue to ask for more   fines. Um and I get there's about 20,000 here,  20,000 there, but not as much as I've seen across   the country where um the developer um has been  fined over $500,000 for doing the same damage.   So, I'm going to continue to advocate for that  area and for that um for Ridgelita Reserve to be   uh fixed as much as it can be. Um I too was at the  police unity tour on Monday. Was it Monday? God,   it was yesterday. Um and it was amazing and it was  emotional. Um the bikers came riding in. They did   travel from Philadelphia um to us. Uh they did uh  85 miles from Philadelphia to um to Delaware and   then from Delaware to Aberdine they did uh six um  from Middle River Middle River from Delaware to  

Aberdine they did 100 miles. Um and then they were  traveling to Colombia and then Colombia they were   supposed to hit um RFK today where all the units  met up together to travel to DC mall. Um it was a   very emotional um experience and I watched some of  the riders come in while everyone was cheering and   tears were streaming down their eyes to get that  much support um from our law enforcement officers.   And then um today I got to attend the Academy of  Finances ceremony for all the graduating seniors.   Um and that is a great program. All of those  children are set up for college um and know   what they want to do. And then I was where I was  with Bankum was bike from work uh day that was   at the Edgewood Public Library. And um that's  to celebrate riding bike being environmentally   uh friendly. Um and so that was today. Bangim,  she texted it back. Thanks you all. Um she will be   here next Tuesday. Uh she did tell me she was in a  meeting and then her phone started blowing up and   so she figured it out. Um and then this weekend  we have not only um the spring nationals in   um our area, but we have the flotillaa at the  Gunpowder River and that is at 9 9:00 a.m. at   Mariner Point Park. And um there also is for  the spring nationals, just so everyone's aware,   there will be a shuttle bus um because parking  is at the local elementary and middle school.   And that's it for me. Thank you, Miss Robert.  Um 17 business from the president. Um it's   uh it's a good feeling to see that we are all on  the same page with the issues in front of us for  

the most part with data centers for sure. Um had  a couple things I was going to mention, but it's   u kind of pales in comparison uh to some of the  issues that we're looking at. But I will say I   will touch on the Ark Northern Chesapeake regions  gala uh Friday evening. Uh as you know the Ark   supports all of our citizens throughout Harford  County uh with different differing disabilities   and um it is absolutely a great event, extremely  well attended, over 400 in attendance and they   raised a tremendous amount of money that night.  Uh but in closing, Jeannie and I wish to express   our deepest condolences to the families  and friends of Fred Mitchell and Joe Path,   who both recently passed away. Uh Joe PA served  as our director of parks and recreation here in   Harford County for 15 years. Prior to that, he  worked in Baltimore County as a director for parks   and wreck for 20ome years. And then after retiring  from parks and wreck here in Harford County,   he served on a Cedar Lane board of directors.  Uh Fred Mitchell was a strong family member   in in Aberdine area. He was a pillar of the  community, served Rotary for over 50 years,   never missed a meeting. Um extremely well known  in the farming and canning industry. Uh strong   member of Grove Presbyterian Church. And I would  ask you to keep all of the friends and family   uh with Mitchell and uh PA in your thoughts and  prayers. With that, we'll adjourn this meeting.