Grant County approves PILOTs for solar farm and data center amid public objections

Grant County Judge Randy Pruitt and the Quorum Court adopted two separate payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) resolutions Oct. 20, 2025—one to support a proposed solar energy facility and one to support a proposed data center—after a public comment period in which multiple residents urged caution and questioned county transparency.

The court voted 8-0 to approve Resolution No. 2025-03, expressing preliminary intent to enter a PILOT arrangement with reNRG AR 1 LLC for a solar generation facility, and later voted 8-0 to approve Resolution No. 2025-06, expressing preliminary intent to enter a PILOT arrangement with Sheridan Data Center LLC and repealing Resolution 2025-02.

Residents who spoke during the allotted public comment period told the court they were worried about environmental impacts and a lack of public notice. Brody Channell said he started a Facebook group titled "Stop Grant County Data Center" on Oct. 9 and that the petition he has gathered has "approximately 630 signatures"; he also told the court the company was organized in Delaware, which he said was done "to protect themselves." Amy Huff said she was "disappointed with county officials that the public wasn't informed" and asked whether members of the Quorum Court would personally benefit from the project. Misty Smith urged careful vetting of online sources and stated the proposed "4,598 acres is equivalent to 7 miles," saying that footprint would cause the "destruction to over two million trees in Grant County."

Technical concerns were also raised. Bob Tehan handed the court a pamphlet titled "Arkansas Groundwater Protection and Management Report 2024" and warned about impacts to two major aquifers cited in that report—the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial aquifer (MRVA) and the Sparta/Memphis aquifer—saying aquifers "store and transmit water" and questioning sustainability if local withdrawals rise. Katelyn Stroud said she was "a mom of two kids" and worried about flooding and increased storm damage; Chris Connelly said the county may "not have the resources to deal with the outcome" and that the financial reward "won't outweigh the risk."

Judge Pruitt allowed a 15-minute public comment period for speakers opposed to the data center and a separate period for proponents before each resolution was considered. For Resolution 2025-03 (reNRG AR 1 LLC), Justice Jason Roshto moved for adoption and Justice Mike Nevens seconded; the court recorded an 8-0 vote in favor. For Resolution 2025-06 (Sheridan Data Center LLC), Justice Mike Nevens moved for adoption and Justice Tony Carder seconded; the court again recorded an 8-0 vote in favor.

Court documents and the resolutions read at the meeting describe the actions as expressions of "preliminary intent" to enter PILOT arrangements; the resolutions do not in themselves finalize contracts or tax agreements. The transcript records the adoption votes but does not include details of any final contract terms, tax amounts, project maps or required county approvals beyond the preliminary intent recorded in the two resolutions.

The Quorum Court’s action came after public statements that focused primarily on environmental and community impacts rather than economic specifics. The court proceeded with unanimous votes on both resolutions; next steps, as described in the resolutions read at the meeting, would be the negotiation and documentation of any PILOT agreements with the named companies.