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Franklin County residents urge commissioners to put proposed data centers to a countywide vote, cite water and health concerns
Summary
Dozens of residents told the Franklin County Commission they oppose proposed data center parks, presented petitions totaling thousands of signatures, and asked commissioners to hold a countywide referendum and require independent environmental studies before rezoning farmland.
Dozens of Franklin County residents told the county commission during a public-comment period that they oppose proposed data center parks and want a countywide vote on rezoning.
Residents, many of whom identified themselves and their addresses, presented documents and petitions they said show sustained local opposition. One speaker calculated the initiative petition threshold as 5% of voters from the last gubernatorial election — citing 55,464 Franklin County voters in November 2024 and saying that would require 2,773 signatures — and asked whether the commission would respect a voter rejection of data centers. Organizers said local petitions had gathered thousands of signatures (one speaker reported 6,176 signatures locally as of the night before, with additional local and…
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