Bourbon County committee adjourns to work session after no quorum; zoning forums draw mixed views

Members of a Bourbon County committee adjourned a public meeting into a work session after the group lacked a quorum, then reviewed results from three community forums about possible county zoning, including recurring concerns about solar panels and potential data centers.

The move into a work session came after a voice vote. “I'm motion we adjourn the meeting and have a work session,” Member 2, committee member, said; Member 1, committee member, then called the voice vote and recorded “Aye.” Because a quorum was not present, the group agreed the meeting could not take official action and that discussion would remain informal.

The committee discussed attendance and feedback from forums held in Uniontown, Fulton and Fort Scott. Member 3, committee member, summarized counts he had recorded: “My total number is at 46 at Uniontown, 64, and then I didn't have a total number. 65.” Committee members also noted duplication in attendance—several people attended two or all three forums—and said Mary (last name not specified in the transcript) estimated about 80 attendees overall but later thought the unique total was closer to 55.

Participants raised problems with hearing at Memorial Hall during one forum and urged better audio setup for future events. “If we ever did that again, we…we ought to have microphones,” Member 1 said, citing attendees who left because they could not hear. Several members reported that some audience members left their hands down during votes or declined to vote on questions, with Member 2 noting, “A lot of people didn't vote.”

On substance, committee members identified solar installations as the most contentious issue raised at the forums. Member 3 said solar panels were “the hot button issue” and that any conditional-use rules would need to address them. Members also said the forums surfaced concerns about data centers locating in the county, including how large industrial users could affect land use. One member described the electric-grid discussion that arose at the forums, noting participants had conflicting understandings of how generation is allocated and that some comments misstated how power is pooled and distributed.

Committee members reviewed outreach methods used for the forums: radio spots reported to run multiple times per day, printed flyers distributed at local gathering points and organizers’ direct outreach. One member said radio advertising ran “6 times a day,” and another said flyers were posted at the gas station in Uniontown. Members suggested continuing outreach and refining the report they will send to the Bourbon County Commission.

Next steps were procedural: the group agreed to reconvene next Thursday at 6 p.m. for further discussion and to draft a report or formal presentation to the County Commission if an extension is needed. Members noted Memorial Day would affect scheduling and that any formal action would require a quorum or presentation to the County Commission. The committee emphasized that, because the meeting lacked a quorum, no official votes or decisions were taken during the session.