Liza Thomas, a resident of Liberty Township, asked the Board on Aug. 13, 2025 whether there were updates on the Covanta property and expressed concern about the possibility of data centers coming to Warren County. The minutes state that the report on the Covanta site is still in process and that nothing has been finalized.

Meeting minutes summarize responses: county officials told the resident that municipalities — not counties — are responsible for local planning decisions on data centers under New Jersey law, and that farmlands under Farmland Preservation restrictions cannot be converted to data-center use, although other farmland could be if privately owned and otherwise eligible under municipal zoning. The minutes record Commissioner James Kern III as having been vocal about data centers and said commissioners are working to educate towns about the issue. The Jaindl property and warehouses were mentioned in the minutes as part of the comparison to past land-use controversies.

The minutes also show the Board entered executive session at 6:26 p.m. on Aug. 13 to discuss several matters, and the executive-session resolution (Resolution 407-25) lists the Covanta site among items related to the purchase, lease or acquisition of real property. The Board returned to open session at 7:03 p.m., and the minutes give no public disclosure of any final disposition of Covanta at that time.

What remains public: the minutes record that the Covanta report is incomplete and that no final decisions have been announced. The executive-session resolution indicates the Covanta site was discussed in closed session but does not disclose outcomes in the public minutes.

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