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Lincoln County postpones Lincoln Star ISD hearing after residents press for answers on TriSight ties and financing
Summary
County commissioners continued a public hearing on the proposed Lincoln Star Improvement and Service District to June 16 after residents raised concerns that the district could channel public infrastructure financing toward private projects tied to TriSight and questioned past county loans and sewer connections.
Chairman Kent Connelly continued a public hearing on the proposed Lincoln Star Improvement and Service District (ISD) to the June 16, 2026 commission meeting after multiple residents and landowners urged the commissioners to withhold action until outstanding questions are answered.
Mary Crosby, Lincoln County grants writer, told the board the ISD statute allows flexibility to provide infrastructure and support smaller industrial development. Crosby said the ISD’s purpose is to allow property owners to finance infrastructure such as water and sewer where private investment has been difficult to secure.
LaBarge resident Dawn Marquardt, speaking during public comment, urged the commissioners to postpone any approval. She said public financing appears to be “stacked” around a private project tied to TriSight and that some related projects remain in federal litigation. “Before this moves forward, the public deserves answers of who benefits, who pays, what the public risks and what county money has already gone into it,” Marquardt said, adding questions about a prior $500,000 county loan and whether any funds have been repaid.
Opal landowner Robert Chapin said he supported infrastructure investment, saying the ISD could bring water, sewer and natural gas that would also benefit the Town of Opal. A member of the public, Jamie Thornock, asked whether TriSight land would host an AI or data center; the commissioners said they had no information suggesting that.
Deputy County Attorney Austin Dunlap advised the board that the presence of landowners at the hearing was not a legal prerequisite for the commissioners to act. Commissioner Melvin Shumway moved to approve the ISD petition but the motion received no second. Commissioner Teri Bowers then moved to continue the hearing; the board approved the continuation to the June 16 meeting.
Why it matters: An ISD creates a political subdivision with power to assess property and finance infrastructure; opponents argued the specific footprint and past county involvement require fuller public disclosure. Backers, including at least one landowner, said the district could enable new utility service and economic development in areas that have struggled to attract private infrastructure investment.
Next steps: The public hearing was continued to the June 16, 2026 commission meeting so staff can provide additional information requested by speakers and the board, including details on prior county loans, the relationship (if any) of third parties such as Criterium and TriSight to the ISD parcels, and how a sewer package plant would be integrated with proposed infrastructure.
