Board of Commissioners - Regular Meeting

Calling to order the Columbia County Board of Commissioners October 7th, 2025 meeting to order. Asking Commissioner Malier to open us with the invocation. Thank you, sir. If you'll remove your hats and bow your head with me, please. Lord, thank you for this day and thank you for the freedoms we have, including the right to assemble and to govern ourselves. be with us as we make decisions tonight that impact our neighbors and our community. Forgive us our entitlement and help us to make our decisions in fairness, in wisdom, and in truth. In your name we pray. Amen. Amen. Please stand for the pledge. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America,

to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Let the record show we have a full quorum of commissioners. Commissioners, you have the minutes from the September 16th, 2025 meeting in your packet. If you've had a chance to review them, I'll accept the motion to do so. Mr. Chairman, I make a motion to accept as presented. Second. Any questions? All in favor, raise your right hand. Motion uh presentation of the agenda. I believe there's one item to add, Mr. Johnson.

Yes, Mr. Chairman. For consideration item M1D is motion for a purchase agreement for property for the Augusta Tech facility. Okay. And that is D. Just want to welcome everyone here. Sorry, we have uh actually we have enough seats for the fire code. So hopefully the fire chief won't show up as many. Oh yeah. Okay. Don't write us up, chief. Again, just want to welcome everyone here. I know we have some folk I believe we have some folks from is it leadership Columbia County here. If you would just uh stand and tell us uh what business you work for. Welcome. Thanks for coming on to the consent agenda. Commissioners, you have the consent agenda in front of you. Each item on this agenda has been through the necessary committee and received the necessary votes placed on the agenda. So, if they still meet with your approval, I'll accept a motion to

Mr. Chairman, I make a motion to accept all of these consent agenda items as presented. Second. questions. All in favor, raise your right hand. Carries

bait. Yes, sir. Item I1 A1. I make a motion to approve the request for a variance to section 90-53 for property located at tax map 074A partial 060 to reduce the rear setbacks for an existing ancillary structure and small expansion of that structure subject to the conditions enumerated in the September 18th 2025 planning commission report.

Second. The applicant purchased this home uh here recently and it did have this ancillary dwelling uh existed when they purchased the home. They came in to apply for a permit to do some expansion to make it uh more suitable for their aging parents at which time they discovered that this was built with zero permits. So they have done everything they need to do to to to remediate that issue. The last step is to get a variance to the setback. This parcel is accessed by an easement. So it has no true road frontage. By code that gives all sides a 25 ft setback. So a 25 ft side setback is not typical, but because this is accessed by easement, it has 25 ft. So they're asking to reduce it down to 7 1/2 ft. Um I'm for the existing structure in this small addition. Uh we do have conditions on here. If this structure is ever damaged or has to be replaced, it has to meet the I'm sorry, the existing setbacks 25 foot. Be happy to answer any questions you have. questions. Motion and a second on the floor. All in favor, raise your right hand. Motion carries.

Item I1 A2. I make a motion to approve the request for a change of conditions for property located at tax map 051, partial 049F with the following condition. No flat, no final plats for section 45, five or six will be approved until the Canterbury Parkway connection is made. Second.

This change of conditions is referring to a condition that they were not allowed to plat more than 300 lots prior to a connect a secondary connection to this neighborhood. Uh they are working on a connection in this oh we can't write anymore. Um between section 2 and Cbury Farms Parkway there's a you see a gap that triangle piece. They've been working to get that connection. However, they have to deal with federal agencies to get permits. They're having a tough time getting those permits. What they're asking to do is get section seven, which is top left corner, which is on the opposite side of Baker Place Road, all part of the original zoning. They're just asking to get those lights platted while they continue to work on the other side of the road. Questions? Motion second on the floor. All in favor, raise your right hand. Carries. Item I1 A3. I make a motion to approve the request for a ma major PUD revision for property located at tax map 081 parcel 659 to allow a retaining wall over 6 feet in height to be constructed within the rear setback subject to the conditions enumerated in the September 18th, 2025 planning commission report and approve an easement encroachment agreement.

Second. Here you have a parcel. They're looking to do some grading to make the uh yard more usable. In order to do so, they are asking to build this wall. The blue line you see here is the wall they're looking to build. It is in the setbacks and because it's higher than 6 feet, they do have to have a a grant of permission from the commission. That's the request. Do we have any uh comment from the neighbors? No, ma'am. And we think it actually make it easier for the neighboring lot to build as well. They do this help with the grading for the lot next. Oh, that's an unimproved lot. Next, correct. Any other questions? A motion and second on the floor. All in favor, raise your right hand.

Carries. Item I1 A4. I make a motion to approve the request for a major sign plan revision for property located at tax map 073 partial 022 to allow an additional freestanding sign on North Bair Road subject to the condition enumerated in the September 18th 2025 planning commission report

second. So this is the medical complex on Bair Road just south of Performm Road. They do have a master sign plan which um is approved by this board. Once that sign plan is approved as the that is the plan they must follow. Any modifications to it uh they have to come back in front of this board for approval. They're asking to add a new monument sign at location 15 to direct people to the surgery center which is in the rear of the complex. Uh two different companies. So they're looking for their own sign. We do have a condition that the sign must be bricked to match the existing signs in the see here the one they're proposing does not have brick. If you see in the top right corner the one in the rear you can see has a nice brick sign. So we want the new sign to match the existing brick sign.

And this is not the emergency room. It is not the emergency room. The emergency room is to the left of this picture here. Is the emergency room part of this bud?

Ma'am questions. Motion and second on the floor. All in favor, raise your right hand. Motion carries. No legal matters. No requests for review by committee. On to public comments. Mr. Howard Johnson. State your name and address of the record. And you have five minutes, sir. Evening. Howard Johnson, 252 Silver Maple Road. Um, in 2023, the Sackler family and several um large pharma companies were sued um successfully for around $30 billion for their part um in pushing the opioid epidemic in the United States. Um it was found in court that they deliberately hid um relevant research about how addictive and harmful these opioids were. opioids were um and continuously push them to doctors to overprescribe um so-called pill mills, etc. in order to drive their own profit. This $30 billion has been allocated to state and local governments um in order to be used to reduce the harm caused by the opioid epidemic. Um and it's earmarked with specific ways that it can be spent. I've checked the uh Columbia County financial report and found that we've received um approximately $114,000 of these funds. Um

a little more than that, Scott. It's more than that. 180ish.

I I may not have seen everything. Um so from from what I had seen in the financial report, we've received over $800,000. It's allocated to special projects, but I haven't seen where that's been spent. Um, on September 17th, I emailed the commissioners um to ask what the plan was for this money. I do believe that since this is money coming from um those who perpetrated the harm um with the opioid epidemic, that we have a duty of care to ensure that these funds are used um to the maximum effect that they can be. Um so I would very much like to know the plan that the county currently has, if there is one, um for how to utilize these funds. I haven't heard anything back um from the board and if there's a specific department I should be reaching out to, please let me know um where I should direct those questions to. Um so that said, I've reached out to the folks in uh Aken County um because they've actually been leading the way with uh how they're utilizing the funds themselves um maximizing the harm reduction that they can do. So, the methods that they've used and those that I would advocate for Columbia County to take a look at, um, the first and most effective is bringing peer support specialists into high-risisk areas. Um, so that's where people affected by the opioid epidemic, um, addicts, opioid addicts, um, are most likely to be found, which is emergency rooms and internment centers, jails, prisons. Um, so a peer support specialist, that's a licensed title, requires somebody to have been in total absinent recovery for at least two years. Um, 40 hours of classroom training, um, and I believe it's a 2-year renewal. Um, so this is somebody who's walked that walk. Um, and can help guide our most vulnerable people um, to get clean themselves. Uh it's important to have somebody who's um taken that journey themselves to uh help somebody who's at their lowest find

recovery. Um another thing that Akin's done is they funded recovery housing. Uh as you have somebody who's getting clean, maybe being released from prison, uh they don't have anywhere to go. Uh it's very easy to fall back into old habits. So by having a place where somebody can have some stable housing while they get their feet uh has been effective at preventing relapse. Um and then the final thing that I would like to advocate for is expanded access to medication assisted treatment. This is a researchbacked best practice. It turns out that uh there are medications that can help ease uh withdrawal symptoms and help make it easier for um somebody in addiction to move towards recovery. Um, as I said, I haven't heard anything from uh anyone at the county about what we're currently doing with the funds we're receiving and what the plan is. Um, because this is money that will be continuing to receive around $400,000 for the next 16 years. Um, and so I think it's important that we have a solid plan for how to maximize the use of these funds. So, that's what I've got to speak about um, as far as the opioid epidemic.

I think he may be able to and I spoke about it after I got your email. that was

so the county is in possession of those funds and we have earmarked those funds for our drug court operations uh to continue that process of drug court to help those people that are going through whatever they've been charged with u uh there's also we talked about peer counseling they have some of that as well in the in the drug court uh we've also earmarked some of that money for the sheriff's office for training programs for the deputies very specific to the opioid epidemic uh we've also purchased just uh uh not sure if we use those funds for that, but I know that we we've implemented a Narcan program countywide. Now, I don't think any of those funds have been used purposely for that, but I know that the training for the sheriff's office and the drug court operations are currently being funded. Uh and this year's audit will show the expenditures that we've spent so far of the money that we have on hand.

Thank you, Mr. Johnson. So, it does sound like um that the county sees um a similar vision to me and that is um encouraging to hear. Wouldn't be a commission meeting without me talking about the library. So, I'm going to pivot for a moment. Um on May 6th, this board voted um to remove the county library from the regional library system. It was an item added to the agenda. Um had not been publicized ahead of time, so there wasn't much chance for public comment on that particular issue. Um, moving forward, I've been pretty clear that I think this was a poor decision and until January 1, I'm going to continue advocating reversing that decision and continuing to work with our neighboring counties. That said, with the library board having been dissolved um and no plan in place for what's going to happen on January 1 when we become a single county library system, uh my request for this board is that prior to the next meeting, you publicize the list of um people being considerate considered for appointment to the new county library board. Um that way the public can know who we're going to be looking at and we can have a chance to evaluate and make our thoughts known. That's all I've got for tonight. Thank you very much.

It should be on the agenda. Would it be on the on the potentially it'll be on the CES committee agenda. There's a um Oh, MI I'm sorry. MIS committee agenda. Mr. Chairman, it be on the MIS committee agenda. Lari Patterson. state your name and address of the record and take five minutes. Ma'am, how are you?

Just wanted to get up and say a few things. I mean, our county, our wonderful little county seems to be experiencing a lot of issues. Um, look at this room. I feel like this room is packed like this. I think the last meeting you said it was the most people you had ever had. We've eclipsed that tonight

and you were, you know, really thrilled that this many people had come out. Um, I don't know that that's a good thing. Um, I don't think a lot of these people are here see your smiling faces. Um, listen to you approve different things. I think they're here for a reason. Um, obviously the data center is major problem right now. I um children in our schools committing suicide sixth grade. How does an 11year-old up with the thought of killing themselves? Um the bullying situation has got to be handled and it's got to be handled countywide, not just Harlem Middle School. Um last um September 3rd um a young lady named Fabiana committed suicide. She was in eighth grade. She went to sale. Um so it's it's in every school. Um I know that the board of education was asked about their program and what they have. Um I believe they said that each school was responsible for implementing their own anti-bullying program. I think that's a often principles ever overworked, pressed, that's just one more thing on their plate they have to do. Whereas there are some national anti-bullying programs out there that we could take advantage of and put it countywide. Um because all of our schools need to be on the same page because you leave it up to

one school, each school to make their own signs. Um someone's going to make a sign, it's someone in trouble. Um it's a very touchy subject. Um especially when children are dying. Um you know, you make an off-color sign, someone's going to get sued. Um why isn't it a countywide program, everybody on the same page, uh county itself taking part in anti-bullying. Um I think that's a huge thing that needs to be worked on right now, but uh the water water is a major issue. People are here because of the dirty water. I washed a load of clothes this week, white clothes. They weren't white when they came out. They were white, but they went in, but they were awful when they came out. I had to wash them two more times, get them clean. Um, but my major thing for being here today is um a deputy um posted a picture of a young man, young black man that had been beat by deputies. Um, the person that posted the picture had blacked out his face so you couldn't see the young man, but um, they had deployed three tasers on this young man. It was a suspicious person called that could be anybody walking down the road and you get somebody that just, oh, why is that person walking? Why is that kid walking down the road? These deputies sued him. Um, they fell in the road. They fell on the side of the road according to this post. I I'm not positive on the details. Um, but I believe it happened and

but the officer posted the picture and then posted FAFO on the picture in big capital letters. And I don't know if everyone understands what FAFO stands for, but it's not a nice comment at all. I I do understand that Steve Morris is addressing it and has disciplined this officer, but our officers need body cams flat out. Why Columbia County has billions of dollars to put into buildings that we don't need. Um that seems to waste a whole lot of money. Why can't we get our deputies body cams? All of them. Every single one of them. Investigators. A lot of you probably need body cams if you come in.

Probably tonight. Only tonight. What? Just tonight.

But a lot of a lot of people that uh code enforcement people, you know, people that come into contact with public just to protect the county. Um, had this young had these officers had body cams on, um, I don't think what happened would have happened like it did. I honest I think we have wonderful officers. I'm completely behind our our police. Um, but people that get a little bit of leeway a lot of times take it too far. Body cams would protect the county from a lawsuit. really don't have that many, I don't believe. Um, but it's going to be there. And just like these this young man, I'm I'm sure his parents probably have a lawsuit um for a suspicious person call. They're going to beat this. It's not right. But that that was my main thing. I I think everybody should have body cams. It protect the county. Um, it's going to protect the citizen. I know years ago I was assaulted by someone, slammed me into the door jamb, vice implanted in my chest, they broke it. Um, the officer told me they had the right to assault me. I was walking and going to a bathroom and the officer told me they had the right to put I said I made him repeat that three times so that he and I were both on the same page and had he had a body cam I don't think that would have taken place

and I would have had the backing I needed when I filled out my complaint So I just I think it's something that is good for both sides. I know Clay Whittle hasn't wanted them and that is exactly why we haven't got them. I think it's time county itself citizens. Thank you very much. [Applause] Vincent Mueller. Good evening, commissioners. Vin Muller, 6849 Pan Road. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. I'm here because I care deeply about the long-term plan this county. Current vision 2035 plan was adopted in June of 2021. It was developed as a guiding document county growth. This current plan took over a year to develop with a team of over 50 individuals, multiple public hearings, steering committee meetings, and community workshops. As stated in the forward of this plan, vision 2035 is a policy document that presents the community's primary goals for achieving its vision for growth and development for the next 15 years. Further, it states, recognizing the county will continue to be the fastest growing county in the region. This plan balances the need for residential and economic growth with a desire to maintain community character, quality of life. Quoting Scott Johnson in an Augusta Chronicle article, "The commission wants to hear from the citizens. The commission obviously they're a representative body," they're elected by the people in the community. They hear from their constituents on a regular

basis, but when it comes to zoning and roads and infrastructure and parks and those sorts of things, we want to hear what the citizens want. You have shown complete disregard for vision 2035 by secretly entering into contracts with Tramwell Crow and reszoning 2,000 acres of conservation property from massive data center. You've created anger and distrust of this board and you've single-handedly ruined the character of Hapling and Harlem. You've ruined the quality of life that you were elected to protect. You have undermined the very purpose of the vision 2035 plan. The scope of this data center and its impact both shortterm and long time term serve complete contra transparency and community involvement. The data center as proposed will be the largest in the United States in terms of both acreage over 2,000 and square footage of building which was originally stated as slightly over 8 million and now is 9.1 million plus. Currently, Columbia County is working to update the vision 2035 plan. Earlier this year, I attended several of those community comment meetings and saw several items listed on your comment boards, many of which said no data center. It was repeated over and over. I wonder if you got a chuckle out of seeing those comments, knowing full well you were secretly negotiating to build this data CENTER ALREADY. YOUR actions over the last two years make me question if you ever truly listen to the citizens. I also wonder what the new vision 2035 map is going to look like when it's complete. How much more of the rural area will you allow to be destroyed? As we all know, Tramwell Crow is currently trying to negotiate

600 more acres to add to this in between Morris Cowway and Buildor Roads. Will that resoning request be rubber stamped like the last one was? I respectfully ask you to use vision 2335 as a guiding document. It was intended as it was intended to be, not the punchline, an inside joke as you've made it. On behalf of the citizens living in the Apple Harlem area, I ask you to stop the sale of this property immediately. Allow allow the voters who once trusted you to participate in the process instead of being treated like mushrooms kept in the dark and fed manure. So together we can shape a future that can ensure growth while respecting the rural areas. By doing so you can protect the integrity of the planning process, save face, honor the voices that helped shape that original document and invite new voices to join the process. I have a question for all of you this evening. I requested the closing date for this data center transaction several times. First, several responses were, "We can't answer that. There's an NDA." Finally, after one of these meetings, Mike was kind enough to tell me, "Well, originally it was scheduled for September 1st, but it's been delayed to December 20 uh 31st." However, I currently hear that it is slated for on or before October 15th. That's a lie.

It'll well Georgia Power has to not using NDA. I'm saying Georgia Power has to complete their study till Georgia Power says they will provide the power. not there yet. So, give you a closing date. We have to get past that. Thank I'm sorry. No, we're gonna I'm gonna keep order there. A lot of folks in here and there a lot of folks want to speak. I want to respect that.

And lastly, will you be open, honest, and transparent as more development comes through this tech park? If you look back even today at the Columbia County GIS system, 1600 acres that you turned into an S1, it's still labeled as rural land. So there will be more. Obviously, Traml Crow is trying to buy up property all around the contained data park that you told us would that'll be the extent of it. It won't grow any larger. That's not what your client is looking. Will you be open and honest with us about those reasoning

once we know once we know if Georgia Power is going to approve the project? Thank you. [Applause] Priscilla Vince.

Good evening. My name is Priscilla Vince, 4215 Dun Woody Road, and I'm just here to update you on a little concern of the Columbia County Library. A friend and I submitted six uh challenges this year, but they're all on hold uh because there can't be any reply to the challenges, which are also called reconsiderations while we don't have a library board. When the library board is reinstituted, I hope it will have some authority over acquisitions and challenges that it didn't have in the in the last year. But I've been very very thankful for the last two very active library boards becoming more in tune with the public than in previous years. It was a great achievement that age appropriate guidelines were passed by you. Still, the ability to challenge books which don't meet community standards and but may not be pornographic is important that we can challenge them. I believe libraries which are very expensive are a luxury and a privilege. They do not represent the public and community standards. It would be better for them to not exist. There were no libraries in towns where I grew up and yet many successful people came from those towns. If they do not uphold basic human principles of decency, then they don't then they do a disservice to the next generation. Well, let me introduce myself. There's one reason that I come to you on a regular basis. Because of my gratitude for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He's been my guiding force in life. And but for the grace of God, I would have gone down a path of pornography. I mean, people that have a relationship with Jesus, that can happen too. But the earlier that they become uh exposed to uh pornography or gambling or drugs or alcohol, any of those things can become an addiction. And so what we're doing with the age appropriate guidelines is making that much much less uh able with the age appropriate

guidelines. Books are being placed in the right place. And I did include in a handout the books that were moved. There were seven that were moved up in 2024. Of course, no activity or progress has been made in 2025. Even with helpful age appropriate guidelines, we need to feel free to challenge books that go totally against our Judeo-Christian heritage, such as books that tell children they can decide what gender they are. This recent epidemic of gender fluidity is a god waiting to be worshiped by the masses everywhere. However, if there are counties like ours, which there are a few, very few, this ideology will not grow as we will be limiting childhood exposure to early sexualization through the age inappropriate books. As taxpayers and government officials, we need to decide if we want to uphold the idea that anyone can be any gender they want to be on any day. Or we can support biological truth, historical reality of two genders and not continue to affirm the endless variations of genders and transitions. These books require a challenge process that is on hold for the past nine months. So in summary, I request that you consider reestablishing the board so that book challenges can resume and that way we can reduce the risk of gender dysphoria, the confusion that many of our children have questions. [Applause] Aaron Parham.

Uh, good evening. Karen Parham, 3421 Hilltop Trail. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak. So, in years past, when the library received donated books or did regular maintenance material removals, staff would review them, keep what they could, and send a bunch to the friends of the library for resale to support programming. Others went on the free cart in the lobby library or in the sorry, in the lobby for anyone to take. It was simple, transparent, and true to supporting the community. But that's not happening anymore. The free cart, which many residents and homeschoolers relied on, has been removed. Word is that the pack management thought it looked too ghetto. Well, if that's true, that's shameful. I mean, we're taking away community resources because of appearances. I mean, really, that's ridiculous. So, I don't know if books are still going to the fronts of the library for resale, but what I do know is that the public can also no longer see or access what's being weeded or discarded. We learned recently that more than 50 books were quietly removed from the young adult room in just one month. No transparency, apparently no communication with the cataloger, and no clear reason why or what the process was. Books from popular series like The Warriors and Divergent were, I guess, thrown away instead of being shared with the other county branches or put back out for the community on the free cart. So, it seems wasteful, secretive, and deeply suspicious given the current environment. In other words, it's a little shady. So, the hardened theater and classrooms are also being made less accessible. These are taxpayer-funded community spaces that used to be affordable. It used to be a simple flat fee, but now new charges have been added for cleaning for staff and for every other little thing. So, I can understand paying a staff fee if a group needs to stay late or provide technical support. But when a group just wants to hold a two-hour meeting in a classroom with no special needs, why are we charging a minimum of $80 for a staff fee on top of

the rental fee? And why is the Harden Theater now so expensive that local volunteer organizations like the Columbia County Symphony, which performs free concerts for the public, can't even afford to use it? The library building, the Harden Theater, and those classrooms were built to be community resources, not profit centers. The public already pays for them through our taxes. We shouldn't have to also pay through the nose just to use them. Now, I've spoken before about the lack of transparency with new library policies. And it doesn't stop at the library. We're seeing it with the data center project, too. Decisions being made out of public view, questions going unanswered, and citizens being treated like an inconvenience instead of stakeholders. Different issue, but the same pattern. The public being shut out of its own government. And then there's what happened with Marina Burggeron at the last meeting. She's a citizen who came here to speak about how these new guidelines are unconstitutional. She did so respectfully and then she played the national anthem on her violin. While she was playing, Mr. Johnson signaled to deputies to have her removed. Deputies escorted her out mid song. The audience was not upset while she was playing, but they became agitated at her removal. You can disagree with her message all you want, but there was no rule, no policy, and no justification for silencing her. That was an abuse of authority. And that moment says everything. [Applause] And that moment says everything about what's happening at our public libraries. It's the same mindset deciding who gets to speak, what ideas are allowed, and who gets shown the door when they don't fall in line. The library is supposed to be for everyone. But now policies are being written behind closed doors like it's a private club where only certain viewpoints are welcome. Books are disappearing. Community resources are being taken away. Now we have citizens being removed from public meetings for playing the national anthem. None of this is about protecting children or serving the

public. And it's definitely not leadership. All it is is exerting control. And it's wrong. And you can dress it up however you want. New policies, new guidelines, new standards. But if the end result is fewer books, fewer voices, and fewer people allowed to speak, then you've forgotten what public service means and what your oath to the Constitution requires. If you're confident in your decisions, you shouldn't need to hide policies or projects in closed door meetings or silence people. And I'll leave you with this. Even Barbie in Toy Story 3 understood it when she said, "Authority should derive from the consent of the governed, not from threat of force." That line might come from a kids movie, but it says more about government ethics than we've been seeing lately. So, if the goal of the last meeting was to silence people, you failed. because I'm not intimidated and I will not be silenced by anyone. Thank you. [Applause]

Roy Bowers Roy. I'm Roy Bowers, 3888 Beepbrook Drive. I started coming to the commission meetings after my wife retire retired in December of last year and joined me in retirement. We don't make every meeting, but we try to get to quite a few of them. She was a loyal Columbia County employee that worked over 13 years in the library. Attending these meetings has given both of us a different view of how I once thought local governments worked. You are elected officials. I thought elected officials cared about the people they represent. But you certainly don't see that from this group. As a matter of fact, you don't see that from any level of government today. We have a president believes that if he says the same thing three times and then clicks his heels together, it's the truth. If you don't believe that, please tell me where the $1.98 per gallon gas station is. Groceries continue to increase. yet he says they aren't and that he's fixed inflation. You look at your monthly bills, you certainly know that's not true. We have a local congressman who refuses to meet with his constituents because he is afraid of the questions he will be asked. He lets his staff write down your questions and then they make up a phony answer. When he was looking for votes, he certainly didn't mind meeting face to face. He has drank the Kool-Aid and follows whatever the president says to do. At the county level, while attending these meetings, I have seen and heard many issues that show true beliefs and concerns from your constituents. As commissioners, how you react and respond to those issues say a lot about each of

you. You dissolve the library board after placing your choice people so they would vote as you tell them to do. You forced the library to place shelfing guidelines without any input from librarians or the public. Pretty much the staff at the Columbia Library Library has now left or resigned because they have integrity rather than blindly following guidelines they disagreed with. Did you do exit interviews with all these employees? No. Because you wanted them to leave to start with. so you could run things with no questions asked by your people. Our one county constituent made a comment concerning Colleen uh debris pickups actually complimenting Rich County and a commissioner responded by offering to send them available homes in Richmond County that she could purchase. In other words, move if you don't like how Columbia County works. I watched one gentleman request the county relook at property that had been promised to be worked on by the county. The response by the county manager was to tell the gentleman to sue the county. That certainly isn't meeting the needs of the public. Then at another meeting, a person who was performing the Star Spangled Banner on our violin was forcibly removed from the meeting. I worked for over 43 years in management and manufacturing industries with three different companies from staffing levels of direct reports to me from four employees to 18 employees. Employees or constituents are your most valuable asset. The way you talk to them and treat them must pass the eye test every day. You ask, "What is the eye test?" You have to live with your conscience every day. In the mornings when you wake up, brush your teeth, comb

your hair, and get ready for another day, you have to look at yourself in the mirror into your own eyes and ask, "Am I doing the right thing?" So, let me ask each of you as a commissioner, are you doing the right thing? Rescend the shelving guidelines. Thank you. [Applause] Steven Scott.

State your name and address of the record, sir, and take five minutes.

Stephen Scott live at 2155 Mars Callaway Road in Appling. So, uh, my first meeting here. Wonder what I was going to say when I got here. Come down to this. Every year I get a little piece of paper in the mail. My taxes. Don't make sure I get notified of them taxes. Sure. Make sure I pay them. I travel around the country to make a living. I found out about data center issue based on comments from a neighbor. They told me they said, "Well, the county did all their due diligence. They had their meetings. They put their sign up. They did what they were supposed to do." My question to you is this. Don't you think I build large things for a living? I just completed a project. 13 football fields long, three football fields wide for major corporation. That is onethird the size of the data center. Onethird 13 football fields long and three football fields wide. That's a third of what's coming there in my backyard within 500 ft. I would expect and and the title of mine was reszoning and I'm going to get to res. I appreciated the front of the beginning of the meeting how you went through due diligence on all these requests for property upgrades. I can appreciate that cuz I appreciate the way Columbia County looks nice and clean and we pay a lot of tax money to keep it. But I would also expect this county to send out due notification

on a project that is going to affect thousands of people and their property values. I would expect to hear more than a common hearing and a side beside the road that nobody looks at. If you're going to do diligence and you're gonna be honest about it, [Applause] if you're going to be above board and be honest about it, I said in a meeting where these two commissioners right here told me said, "Oh, we're going to do the right thing." I don't I don't listen to hearsay. I learned that a long time ago. Just pass all that out. But but I'm reading now. I'm not hearay. Okay? I know who Traml Crow is, okay? I know exactly who they are and I know how much power they weld. They weld a big stick. They got endless bank account because they do business for a lot of data centers, not just the one coming here in this county. All I'm saying is I think you folks need to Georgia Power, I heard you say, well, if Georgia Power can give us electricity, does that mean Georgia Power setting policy for the county? I would hope not.

That means they have to approve the power to the Georgia data center. These two people right here told me six weeks ago or less that it was under under review. Now I'm I'm reading a whole lot more than under review. Okay. Now I was taught as a young boy in two things that men have and I'm using that conclusive here is their honor and their word. And when I lay my head down on a pill at night, I ain't done anybody wrong. There's people in this room that's worked with me for years, work with me. I'm asking you, can you do the same thing by this county? All we're asking is to pause. Let us understand what's happening here. Okay? Crown Crows in Dallas, Texas. We're in Apple, Georgia. And the people along my road, every one of them are going to be affected by this. So you I've been told can't hear it, can't taste it, you can't smell it. Mr. I know different. I know different. I ain't going to tell you how I know different, but I know different. Okay? And cooling systems for this thing make a lot of noise. A lot of noise. So anybody telling you that it's going to sit out there in the in the in the sun and it's going to make noise like a butterfly, they're lying. They're not being truthful to you. All I'm asking you to do, all these citizens right here, you need to listen to us. We pay taxes. We pay taxes here. That's all we're asking you to do is to listen to our plea. And I've heard it said it said, "Well, if we change now, we're going to have to pay the money back." We'll pay the money back. We don't care if you spend our tax money. Pay the money back. PAY THE MONEY BACK. DO THE right thing by people that put

you in office. Thank you, [Applause]

Daniel Sullivan. Hi, my name is Daniel Sullivan. I live at 2370 Pine Ridge Drive out in Appling. Uh first time at one of these meetings, first time speaking. Bought my house out there cuz uh well, I'm retired military and then I retired from NSA after that. Um bought my house out there after being stationed in places like San Antonio around Fort me, Maryland, and Hampton Roads, Virginia. Wanted peace and quiet. um been around a few den data centers uh being associated with NSA um much smaller scale than than what's being proposed here and uh I can tell you they're anything but quiet. Um I was uh pretty much trusting my neighbors to to take on the fight for this and and just sort of watching on social media what was going on. But then last night I looked at a map And that map showed one of the northernmost buildings uh less or just a tad over 2,000 ft from my house on Pine Ridge Drive. And uh so that inspired me to come and throw my voice in uh against the data center. And I beseech you guys, don't take away my retirement peace and quiet. Thank you. [Applause] Chris Price. Hello, I'm Chris Price and uh I live at

1065 Blackfoot Drive. Uh thanks for the for the opportunity to come up here and speak to you guys. I got some notes here I wrote as just kind as I got here. Um, as far as this uh data center goes, this is where I'm going to start. I'm a guy that likes to research the why of things, right? I like to find out why things work, how things work, and I like to science things. So, just in case nobody has brought forth some of the science points of a data center, um, even passive research will find technology and finance experts both saying AI is a boom. It's a bubble. It's going to pop. It's been going so fast. The industry has been accelerating so fast. Look at any smartphone. You got Samsung, you got Google, you got Apple, you got Amazon has their own thing. Even your uh AT&T, you go and pay your bills online. You want to talk to somebody, you're going to talk to an AI chatbot first, right? All of these things take, excuse me, take power. They take power and they take water because the water is needed to cool the systems that overheat and are in use for generating the work to be done. Work that could be done by humans, people somewhere, but that's a different topic. Um 25% right now of the S&P 500 is made up of companies who are crutched by AI. We're talking about Nvidia, Google, Apple. AI is becoming cheaper to make and cheaper to make good. And when smaller companies can make their own AI that is just as good as some of the Nvidia products as the Apple products,

the Apples and Nvidia are going to crumble after putting all this money into data centers and research into AI because their products aren't going to be worth quite as much. they're not going to be worth anything anymore. You know, basically at that point, um I have ethical issues with the AI data center and that's AI is trained off of what we as people do. It's taken you you've had uh Meta has had been has been sued for pirating books to learn from those books to generate their AI material which is theft on top of that. It's an ethical issue. Plus, I've seen people using chat GPT on their phone, right? And people use it for emails and all that sort of thing. I see people looking up recipes, like making recipes. I was at a team building exercise recently. Somebody tried to use it to come up with a team name. And I think it is turning our brains too much. If we can't use our brains creatively and come up with stuff, we are doomed as a species eventually anyway. you know, like it's it's an ethical problem right there. Um, and come to think of it, when the AI burst does happen, and it will, all the tech waste that's going to be in the largest data center in the country, com companies cannot strip the gold and the things from tech devices very easily. It's a very expensive process to do and to come and do that with these machines, it's not going to it's not going to work out very well. um to speed up because I know I don't have a ton of time here. Ecological issues to say that

the world's the not excuse me the US's largest data center is not going to have an ecological impact is folly at at bare minimum bare minimum. It's folly to say that we could tear down trees and pave pave all this area and say that it's not going to affect wildlife. To say that we're going to put these lights out here and all these sounds and it's not going to affect wildlife. There's garbage posts about windmills affecting whales, but these aren't going to affect the things in our county. So, that's definitely going to happen. Um, so that's how I feel about data center. It's dumb. Don't do it. And honestly, this should have for as expensive as this project was is, this should have been voted on by the county to begin with.

Moving on, a few more smaller things. I drive around a lot. I have seen some of our um Columbia County police officers zooming through the streets here with no lights. It was at night the other day. Zooming through the middle lane, no lights. Uturn in the middle of Washington Road at night, no lights. So, I just wanted to report that because I didn't know who else to turn to because it's more than once that I've seen it happen. I'm going to second the body cams as well. 100%. People don't feel safe. And as much as I'm not going to put everybody in a field in a basket, a lot of people cannot trust law enforcement these days. Having body cams helps that. Absolutely. I also don't uh support the library system, going to a single county system, whatever it's called. Um, but you know, enough people have told you that's garbage and nobody seems to be telling you it's a good idea anywhere. I don't see anybody, in fact, I don't see anybody talking about how the data center is a good idea. So, that's my that's pretty much all my points really. Oh, and the library board should be staffed by librarians and people who get it, not local celebrities. [Applause] Alan Wyatt Alan Wyatt 2189 Morris Callaway Road in Adley seems to be a common theme tonight so I'll just continue it commissioners I know the work that you

do is vital okay balancing the diverse needs of our community truly is an ownorous duty. But right now, we're facing a crisis that tests the very soul of that balance. The data center is what I'm talking about. On the one hand, it's dangles the promise of economic riches, the potential boon for the county, some of its citizens, and certainly for the titans of technology. On the other hand, it looms as an abomination shattering the lives of powerless people and families in your jurisdiction. And this is not an abstract debate. It is a profound choice with real human cost. And you must understand this. For you, it's a business decision. For a lot of us, it's a life decision. Many of us tonight, probably about a year ago actually, were enjoying the uh sorry, enduring the catastrophe of Hurricane Helen. But through fervent prayer coupled with blood, sweat, and tears, we like so many others rebuilt and restored our home. When the storm of this data center descends upon us, there will be no rebuilding, no restoration possible. There will be no coming back from this. Our homes will be lost and lost forever. The damage to our neighborhoods and our quality of life will be permanent. Yet, these facts have failed to sway you to make your decision any different. In fact, you are now rushing to close the deal before we the people have a

chance to persuade or force you to pause. This is a gross and unprecedented dereliction of your sworn duty to act solely for the good of Colombia County citizens. [Applause] Let me just repeat that. your sworn duty to act solely for the good of Colombia County citizens. Yet, as we speak, you, the commissioners, the county manager, the staff of Colombia County are once again acting deliberately and intentionally using stealth and underhanded tactics and violating open government principles to heartlessly and cruy deny the rights of your constituents. Instead of acting for our good, you are showing contempt, denying us every and all fair means to defend our way of life. The truth is, commissioners, the data center is just a symptom, a glaring sign of a far more insidious disease, the cancer of secret, opaque, and special interest dominated government. To cure this disease will require a bold surgery, an immediate and rigorous return to governing with full transparency, starting over and doing it right. But it is becoming increasingly clear to us commissioners, you have lost your way. You are fighting against your constituents, not for them. You remain steadfast despite overwhelming evidence of harm. You ignore petitions signed by over a thousand voters. You dismiss a packed

auditorium standing room only for the first time in over a decade. You are defying the will of the very people you have sworn to serve. There's nothing nothing about what you are doing and how you are doing it that is in any way virtuous. But now imagine the alternative, the path of true courage. Changing your minds now would roar like a lion defending its cubs. You would be collaborating with us, not reacting to your constituents. You might even dodge a Twigs Countystyle fiasco. You would gain more political capital than you could ever dream of. But not from special interest. It would be from the people who truly matter, the voters, your bosses. So I ask you again, pause this project and conduct a full and proper review. In so doing, you will not only heal our community, you will inspire it. You will show that true leadership is not about digging in your heels. It's about soberly rising up, standing tall and standing proud and standing proud for your people and for what doing what is right. Thank you. [Applause] Mike Welch. Mike Welsh.

Mike Welsh. 1380 W Drive, Evans. So, I am the voice of the silent majority and I'm here to tell you that um I remember very vividly driving my mom the University of Georgia from our home in Tucker where she acquired her master's degree in library science. Very fortunate. There are six people in my immediate family. Four of which have master's degrees. Two of my four children have advanced degrees. One has a master's degree in public administration. She achieved it at the very young age of 23. Another has a law degree. He happened to marry well above his pay grade. He married a young lady who not only got a full ride to the Washington and Lee University, but she then got paid to get her PhD in neuroscience and biology. We were convinced that they were great and they read great raised great kids. They were both very avid readers. uh as the rest of our family was and the library was an important place. So we were very thrilled when they moved from Virginia where they'd made a home to back to the Columbia County and were quite disheartened when they told us they had taken their three little girls to the library and one of them had brought a very inappropriate book to their attention. So the situation played out. I didn't really engage in it much. Neither did they. But I was very pleased that the other day she informed me that they had gone back to the library and had a great experience. And I want to speak to you and commend you for doing the right thing. You're hearing some very loud voices say you did the wrong thing. But I'm here to tell you the vast majority of this county supports everything you did for that library. There are awful lot of people that are now glad to go back. They'll take a while to go back because they're afraid of what they'll

find and it's going to take them a while to realize that things have changed for the better. Do not stop. There are more of us than there are of them. And I am pleased to say that I am thankful that for once somebody's ideology was not crammed down my throat because I chose to say no. Thank you. [Applause] Susan Warren Susan War in Appling, Georgia. Commissioners gave some answers to questions from Columbia County citizens at the last meeting in September. However, a lot of the questions were not answered. Tax matters and buffer zones were addressed. Not so much for very important issues which you categorized as not finalized. Power supply backup, cooling, highlight pollution, an $80 million water system to be paid for by the developer. How did that amount get estimated without some developers plan? Columbia County has two intake areas for water and treatment. One between Pard's Corner and the dam, and the other is in the Stevens Creek area. Is a pumping station planned on the Savannah, which uh is a long way off, or on Clark's Hill, which is much closer? If so, has there been approval from the core of engineers? or is the plan simply to tap into our existing piping with new additional piping paid for by the developer? And while we're talking about money, who's going to pay for those new Georgia Power transmission lines that will be needed to furnish that kind of power to

the center? There are many dollars needed for that. And I believe one answer you gave about ground wells on the property wasn't quite fleshed out when you said no project wells would be allowed on the property by the county. How can you say that unless an application through EPD has already been submitted submitted to Columbia County for their inputs since it's my understanding that EPD is the only one that can approve or deny a well. I believe Colombia County is a lot farther along in this process than you've told us. You also said you directed staff to work on a new zoning class for data, excuse me, data centers like the construction zoning class that would tell what can and cannot be done by data centers in the county. If very much thought and research was done into this project, why was this not done before buying and reszoning this 1900 plus acres? Do plans already exist for more data centers in the county? On September 16th, you told us this project was still under consideration with no decision to proceed, and you're still saying that. Can the Colombia County Economic Development Authority act independently or does the board of commissioners have to approve a sale? I also read recently that the sale of this land is not final until December. If that's true, we have a lot of work to do between now and then. Thanks to all the secrecy backdoor shenanigans that have surrounded this project since the beginning, we are behind the eightball. Everything from approvals in executive session, short committee meetings, lack of communication with residents, violating the spirit of the open records act, rushed reszoning to be possible changes to DRRI standards. Those all are something that has been

very hurtful for us. And now this that residents are understanding what the project really entailed. Opposition is building. I want people to understand that it's not too late to make your voices heard. Make every board of commission meeting standing room only. Speak out at all of these meetings with your opinions. Regardless of which of these issues you want to talk about, address the issues in your social media posts. Spread the word to your neighbors and friends. Sign the petitions for no data center. There are other cities and counties in Georgia pushing back on data center development. Now the issues with existing centers like the Meta Center in Newton County are coming to light. I had previously reported this project would use more power than unit 4 could produce one gigawatt. All over Google, there are reliable sites like data industry sites and business journal sites that show how much residents power bills increase in the areas of data center construction. According to Aurora's August 7th article, PJM Interconnection operates the largest US electric grid could face up to 60% increase over the next five years as energy needs of big tech data centers intensify. PJM covers the largest amount of data center demand in the world and is becoming a test case for how AI's energy needs will hit homes and businesses, particularly as new electric supplies are slow to be added. Residential bills may rise 30 to 60% by 2030. ICF analysis shows the latest energy auction held in July by the PJM interconnection to cover electric needs on peak demand days soared to $329

a me uh $329 a megawatt day. That's a roughly 1,000% jump from two years ago. And we all know that peak peak demand days are increasingly more common. Some Georgia power customer bills soared to nearly $800 one month this year. That's a 117% increase. So if you're not concerned about the other issues here, be concerned about your electric bills. [Applause] Anya State your name and address for the record and take five minutes.

Tanya Bonitatabus, 328 Riverfront Drive. I represent Savannah Riverkeeper. Um, I am here on behalf of Savannah Riverkeeper and our work throughout the uh 10 entire 10,000 square foot uh square mile basin. So, um I think many of you are probably leaving here and heading to Jekal and so in the No, nobody's going down to Jekal for the Jifa conference. No, or excuse me. A ACGA, you don't participate. Okay. Anyways, everybody else is down there having a great time. Y'all should go to Jackal. Um but we have been uh we've been working extensively in Franklin, Stevens, Hart, Madison, Ogulthorp, and Wilks County particularly this year. Um, and this is important for you guys to know. Um, because I have two counties that are below fire suppression in their units. They cannot add a single tap into their counties. They are out of water. That is an incredibly important thing for you to know because you are directly downstream trying to tap into the same resource that they need to supply people's houses currently. So, um, that is a, uh, I was going to say if you're going down to Deco, you should reach out to some of the county commissioners, but, um, any of those counties would happily talk to you about this. It is a very, very real issue for them currently.

Give me what counties did you say?

Um, Banks and Franklin currently today are below fire suppression in their lines in portion big portions of their county and there are no more taps in either one of those counties. Um, Madison is struggling. Ogal Thorp has been struggling for a while. Wilks actually doesn't want anybody to move there. So, they don't care if they don't have enough water. I'm just being honest. Um, South Carolina with with Riverkeeper. Um, I have served on the South I am appointed to the South Carolina Basin Advisory Council in count council in the upstate. I have served on uh with the upper Savannah Oichi Council since Ron Cross was chairman. Um, so it's been a minute. uh served with the council on um excuse me the coastal council in Georgia and on the lower savannah. So we have appointees on all four of those and it is incredibly important that you understand that it is a huge river and it is a huge lake but it is used up and it really need that that's one of our big things is trying to understand I think I might be missing some documents. Um and I would like that's one of my big questions today is what am I missing because what I see is the DRRi on the data center that says 6.6 MGD. What I see is um not a a proposal recently to increase intakes. I'm curious if you're you're planning on increasing that further, the the increase into the Savannah River. What I see is one gigawatt. And when I start adding that up with Burke County, SRS, um over in Edgefield, other Richmond County data centers, we've already blown through Vogle three and or five and six if we're going to bring those on. So then that's the other question is we have a huge natural gas pipeline expansion that's happening just south of us and a pipeline that runs straight past this location. So are you planning a gas

plant or who's planning a gas plant because that would be the only other way I can figure that you're getting that one gigawatt of power. So that that's a big question. Um I I'm I'm very I am very curious about whether you plan on increasing your acre foot out of Thurman. I do think the people upstream and on South Carolina will be extremely interested if that's the case. You already have a very large allocation um beyond far what other communities have and I think that you have to be fair in that sharing. So um that is a big question. Again, just to go back to this missing document, one of the things I keep seeing online is this push back of, oh, well, we're worried about all these concerns and then there's an agreement that says, "No, we won't be within 500 ft or no, we're going to have all the storm water under." I haven't seen any document. So, if there is a document somewhere that says these are agreements, I I would love to see it because I would I would like to speak correctly when we're talking about what this this proposal is. Um the other like I said with the the energy where I am I would really like to understand where you think that one gawatt is coming from um and where Georgia Power thinks it's coming from because Vogle 5 and six you start adding that that's another n 45 million gallons of water a day evaporated out of the Savannah River if they continue what they did with four and five. Um the last what the two last big things um number one is the the storm water for Kyoke Creek. Um what are you going to do with that large amount of of storm water? I'm really worried about Tubman Washington Road intersection North Tubman Glad Drive Granderson Road. All of those places that are downstream need to be protected. I am not saying that anybody here sitting is was responsible for what happened on Uchi Creek um and any of what's happened at Washington Road and

uh Williams View, but that is a perfect example what happens when you don't get your storm water correct. Um the last one um that I think is is really important is your emergency systems. Um I I would really like to understand do you think this is critical infrastructure and if so after a hurricane like Colleen that means that they will get power first before the people. Um that needs to be understood. Uh where where do they fit in the in the scheme of who gets turned back on? because after Helen we saw that it didn't work so well in a bunch of different places but particularly Ble appling some of my more rural areas are still trying to put their lives back together and so as we move forward during during hurricanes which we know are coming again are we putting the right infrastructure in place to make sure that our people get dealt with first before we're we're turning them back on um the last thing I sent you a letter about a couple of weeks ago Um, it is a seven-page detailed letter. I sent it to each of you that explains kind of the broad a little bit more detail on each one of these concerns. Um, and we would really like to have a sit down meeting if that was possible. Thank you for allowing me to speak. [Applause] Do we carry

my phone? You were going to email comments. I wasn't sure if you wanted to speak tonight.

Hey, thank you all for allowing us to speak tonight. We do appreciate everybody here and support staff and all that you do for Columbia County. We have a wonderful county. We have a lot of good things going. We got a lot of great people. I live in Winfield not too far from Appan. I live with my wife has generational has lived there for generations. That's the way my kids and my grandkids, we believe in God. We believe in our school system. We believe in Columbia County. That's why we live here. My daughters haven't moved off except one that met the Norwegian lover. She lives in Oslo. But anyway, I like to have fun. Mhm.

Uh, I'm just going to uh I want to talk about something in a little bit different way because y'all all have families. Y'all ha have kids in schools or have had them in school and all of us love Columbia County. We really do. When the last commissioner's race was held, three of you indicated that you were going to keep the Harlem Appan in Devar County as rural agricultural and the houses would be limited to one for every 2.5 acres. So in reality, where that data center is going would be a wonderful place for a neighborhood like that with some stores and restaurants and gas stations. You know, I'm a tree hugger. I rather not that. But I I I foresaw I saw that when we did the first growth management plan. We circled that as a hub for light commercial. But our thinking when you had all these hundreds of people come together, it was a wonderful process and we said we want restaurants, we want subdivisions, 2.5 acres per home. We want that. In fact, Mr. Car Carowway represents one side of DOA Road, half of my family on one side and Allison, you represent the other half. And we all um are pretty cognizant about who we want to be in these seats representing us.

We had a meet and greet session with Doug and Allison when y'all were running. And you know what? I take it seriously. They sometimes call me the mayor of Winfield because everybody comes and talks to me because I like to talk and we we have each other's back. That's our community. We support each other. Like when he hurricane Helen, oh my god, it devastated our farm. It devastated our neighbors houses. But we all helped each other and and really Columbia County, y'all did a great service out there. We were bringing trees, cutting trees, but we all pulled together as a community. That's who we were are out there. We have each other's back. Doug, you and Allison indicated that you realized the importance of keeping the county seat in all this area from Harlem to Appan as the historical and agricultural district of the county. So, we got behind you. We made calls. We put out signs. Even my grand boy, I sent you a sign with Owen and uh he's a country boy. He's a world class ski and trap shooter at 15. I got to throw that in there. I'm proud of him. We told them who we needed to represent us because we needed that trust. We trust y'all. That's why we voted for y'all. But it could not have been that long after the last election that the idea of

a data center, which I call data factory because it's it's a factory, was floated. This is not a a a usual decision for a board of commissioners. It really isn't. This impacts us, our children, my grandchildren, your grandchildren now and forever. We are Colombian counties. We should be taking care of each other. God, I even coached you in middle school. A good player. It impacts our infrastructure, water, electricity, quality of life, air, pollution, traffic, and friends and family and neighbors who have moved out here for the specific purpose of living in an agricultural and less crowded area. I don't know where the veteran guy went, but thank you for my ser for your service.

Thank you. That's how I ended up here. My dad and all his brothers served in the United States military and I love my country, too. So, when you realize you were going to consider a data center, this is what gets in my heart. You could have told us all of that before you even signed a nondisclosure act.

We trusted you. [Applause] We're not against you. We want to be together. That would have given us time. I didn't even know what a damn data center was until I read about it and it blew my mind. But um it could have given us a little more time to talk with y'all and given you concerns instead of meeting like this. I wish it would have been upfront. At least we would have known that you were considering it and we could have begun our study and review and research at the same time you did. that would have been beneficial for everybody. The public was invited to work on the 2035 plan. Like I said, I was on the original growth management plan and that foundation has propelled Colombia County to where it is today. Y'all take input. I I've attended these other sessions. The people there by majority have highlighted those areas as rural agricultural like commercial. We want a few service stations. You know, we want a few big I like I like to go get a big gulp every once in a while. We have Circle K, but we need something out there on the interstate. We want some restaurants. We want some shops. We don't mind subdivisions that are 2.5 acres. That's this is the goto area that people are moving to and have moved to. Whoa.

Let me find my place again. I had to write these comments down. because sometimes I I get a little emotional, but the public was invited to work on the 2035 plan which includes land use and reserving parts of our county as rural agricultural light industrial. In 2024, an environmental impact study related to Dana centers in Columbia County was commissioned. Each of you commissioners is aware of the problems that were cited in that study. There were some major issues that have were cited. Each of you know that in that study in opposition to the 2035 plan and with no knowledge from the public, no knowledge from the public. Miss Malar, I loved when you said something about a neighbor they were building earlier tonight. Does that person know about what they need to do? The neighbor do they need know what they want to change? Yes, that's great. We need we they need to know upfront. That's all I'm asking. I like that. And without no knowledge from the public, the Economic Development Authority highlighted the Harlem exit and a land around it as a data center and technology hub. You heard about the massive size of it. you know the implications you know

a lot of other things we probably don't know but uh because I'm still learning it appears now oh center imagine our shock and reading about this coming you know we've built our lives out there people have moved out there They they they want to raise their families out there. They've got houses right next to it. I I can't even imagine that. It's not right. It appears now what we were told initially about plans for the 29 data centers, but those plans now extend well beyond the original plans for male company out of Texas. I read up about them. I'm doing my research. They now offered somebody that I know and they're in contract negotiations for for 131 acres and they work for you. Is that not a conflict of interest? They are now buying land because they want to make millions of dollars. There's something wrong with this picture. And I'll be glad to tell you who it is. I don't want to bring that name out in public, but I know it for certain. They are in closing as we speak. well beyond original plans that more data centers, electric electrical substations along with fossil fuel generators, which could be, you know, I've looked at the uh natural gas lines coming in and and all that, you know, and that probably would

I would think would be the case. I'm not an engineer and I know from the federal government to the state that they've lowered emission standards and and some people say, "Well, that's good." Well, uh maybe it's not. Augusta has air quality that's not favorable. And when we when we do this, what is it going to do to our air? but and they may ex extend well down the Apple and all sides of the road at the intersection of I20. Now, I know a lot of people that live out there and that that I've heard that they want to bring and this may not be true. I don't know. I just hear things sometimes. I can't verify it, but if I know it's verifiable, I I'll tell you like I did about Tal buying land um about expanding this industrial growth in all directions where they can buy land and and and sure, yeah, that's business, but we're we're we got this company. It's a private company from out west or wherever it may be. No, the data center, whoever is coming, they don't live here. We live here. We pay taxes. We are committed Columbiaians. And and and Jeff Bezos isn't going to come out here. Come on. I don't know who it's going to be, but the billionaires sat behind Donald Trump, our president. He's controversial in a way, but when I

saw that and then they said the big beautiful data centers, I didn't know what he was talking about. And and I I I remember seeing social circle. I've been there. I've been to a couple others. Yes. And believe me, what the gentleman stated earlier that builds these things, it's not good, people. It's really not good. Okay. All right. I got get back on this again. Hold on, Mr. Do we do need to

Okay, I'll I'll end up right here. Um, so just a couple questions. uh data centers are being rejected everywhere right now. So what is it that this what is the finite thing that you all know that no one else knows in any other place where data centers have been built that will keep us from having these problems? What do you know? What finite thing do you know where we're not going to have these problems that are across the United States and in Georgia? Number two, is there a strategic plan for Columbia County to make this the biggest industrial area in the CSR and continue growing it? when you got houses and families and all the environmental concerns. Are we going to grow this thing even more with other industries or just data? I don't know. I'd like to know. Um and finally all we're asking sincerely is a pause a moratorum to pause this thing. You heard I've heard this too and you know it technology changes so fast. We don't need to rush into something of this magnitude because they say what I hear and I'm not a as you can see I'm not a technology person but what I hear is that this technology is going to change it is a bubble but then what happens to us you cannot reverse

and my family doesn't deserve it these people on Morris Callaway road don't deserve us Columbia County doesn't deserve this. I know there's money and big money and you talked about giving us tax re Listen, throw the money out the window. We are Columbia County and we can make this even a better county without it. [Applause] Commissioners, there are four items of the executive session. I believe we can go into now and

Yes, sir. Item M1A. I make a motion to accept the donation of permanent easement from Pinnacle Bank for portion of parcel 072231P water line. Second season will this season will allow extension of a water line in the plaza area to increase supply and pressure for the entire area of the plaza. The small section we're missing. Questions? Motion second floor. All in favor raise your right hand. Motion carries.

Item M1B. I make a motion to approve resolutions number 25-30 and 25-31. Declaration of taking order of condemnation for parcels 0600019 and 0600005 for the Herford Farm road widening project.

Second these are condemnations fail negotiations have failed on some partial acquisitions on Herford Farm road widening project. So Mr. Driver will take it from here. just that we have uh uh just a few that have a dispute over the amount of money that the value of plan being taken is and so it's moving forward to condemnation because so far apart we can't questions motion and second on the floor all in favor raise your right hand

item M1C I make a motion to approve $37,900 to Jodie Kamak partial 0600 0080, $41,700 to Alma Hinton, partial 0600052, and $66,300 to Doctor's Hospital of Augusta LLC, partial 072A 061 and 072A 062 to obtain right-of-way and/or easements for the Herford Farm Road widening project. Second all standard acquisitions for her farm road paid for by the state. These gets us to 88% complete. Mr. You have a there's a motion second on the floor. All in favor, raise your right hand. Motion carries.

Item M1 D. I make a motion to approve the purchase agreement with William and Elaine Carter for part for a portion of partial 068960J. Second.

This is approximately 70 acres of land out in the Gateway area. Uh it's adjacent to county land. Currently, Augusta Tech has expressed their desire to build a new building, a potential campus out there. So, we're acquiring the land for that, but it is adjacent to some county uh land that's already been purchased, and the voters have already voted on a a park to be in that area. We needed some additional land. So, the land that we're talking about, this purchase sale agreement, part of that will be for the Augusta Tech campus. The other piece of that would be for the uh park that's going out there. Any other questions? Motion and second on the floor. All in favor raise your right hand. Carries.

Only one more motion. Make a motion to adjourn. Second. We are 7:41.