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Resident group urges 'responsible growth'; council hears questions about data centers and walking‑trail grant
Summary
Corey Wasmus of Teays Valley Against Overgrowth urged accountable growth and asked about planned data centers or warehouses; Administrator Joe Allen said there are no current plans but that a special taxing district could be used to capture more revenue, and Andrew Roffe cautioned that data centers use significant water. The village did not receive a walking‑trail grant this round.
A local resident group pressed the council on development and infrastructure during public comment at the May 19 meeting.
Corey Wasmus, founder of Teays Valley Against Overgrowth, presented the group’s emphasis on responsible growth and holding developers accountable for the infrastructure their projects require. Wasmus asked Administrator Joe Allen if the village had any information on planned data centers or warehouses; Allen responded the village does not currently have any planned but said the village has established a taxing district option that would tax such developments more heavily to support community needs.
Tom Ramsay asked whether council members were completely opposed to warehouses and data centers and whether such development might help business tax revenue. Fiscal Officer Alisha Burke said the village receives limited business net profit taxes and that most revenues come from employee withholding taxes. Andrew Roffe, who said he works in the profession, told the council that taxes from data centers typically flow through mechanisms like the district Allen described and that "data centers use a lot of water," a factor the village would need to consider.
On the walking‑trail question, Administrator Allen said South Bloomfield did not make it in the current round of grant funding for the trail between Ashville and South Bloomfield and that he will continue to apply in future rounds. Ramsay also noted a petition drive circulating in the state seeking to abolish property taxes and said the sponsoring group had not presented a plan to replace funding for schools and local governments.
The public comments raised planning, revenue and water‑use considerations council staff said they will monitor as development proposals arise.
