Fiscal Court approves interlocal agreement to create Keaton Lane industrial authority after heated public comment

Franklin County’s Fiscal Court voted Nov. 26 to authorize an interlocal agreement that establishes the Keaton Lane Industrial Development Authority and allows the authority to apply for state PDI (Prepared/Ready Industrial) grant funding, despite sustained public objection from residents living near the proposed site.

The action, approved by a majority of the court after an extended legal briefing and line-by-line questions, enables the multi-jurisdictional authority to pursue grant funding the county cannot access on its own. Supporters on the court said the move preserves the county’s ability to seek jobs and tax revenue; opponents said the process was rushed and would risk farmland and local control.

The vote followed a 60‑minute public-comment period in which multiple speakers—largely property owners and farmers who live adjacent to the proposed project corridor—pleaded with the court to delay or reject the agreement. John Carlton, a resident who opened public comment, said the process had been opaque and warned that a lack of transparency “undermines public trust.”…