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Woodford County Fiscal Court unanimously adopts resolution banning data centers, battery storage and select industrial uses
Summary
The Woodford County Fiscal Court adopted Resolution 26‑09 expressing opposition to data centers, certain battery storage and landfills in county commercial/industrial zones. The planning commission recommended the text amendment and the court approved the resolution by voice vote.
The Woodford County Fiscal Court on July 14 adopted Resolution 26‑09, a countywide prohibition on the location and development of data centers, large indoor battery storage (Type 1) and certain landfill uses in commercial and industrial zones.
The measure, presented by County Attorney and described in detail by Planning Director Steve Hunter, replaces an earlier three‑page regulatory standard with a straight prohibition in the commercial/industrial portions of Article 7 of the zoning code. "We just scrapped the whole standard that we had that was three pages long and just substituted a straight prohibition of a few things: landfill, data centers and battery storage facilities Type 1," Hunter said. The planning commission voted 7‑0 on July 9 to recommend the text amendment to the fiscal court.
Judge Executive brought the resolution forward and the court adopted it by voice vote. The resolution, Hunter said, reflects a directive from the court and the City of Versailles and also includes housekeeping edits to downtown and industrial zone language intended to address other uses the commission reviewed.
Why it matters: the prohibition is intended to preserve agricultural resources, the county’s rural character and infrastructure by preventing the siting of high‑use facilities in areas zoned for commercial and industrial development. Hunter told the court the change was prompted by recent interest in such projects in nearby jurisdictions and by city‑level moratoria that prompted coordinated action.
What the resolution does: it (a) amends the county zoning code’s commercial/industrial provisions to prohibit specified uses; (b) applies to the county side zones and B4 downtown language where indicated; and (c) incorporates prior housekeeping changes the planning commission had prepared.
The court’s motion to adopt Resolution 26‑09 was moved by Squire Blackford and seconded by Squire Varner and carried without recorded dissension. County Attorney said several other counties in the state asked for Woodford County’s draft language after the court discussed the issue publicly.
Next steps: the judge indicated the text amendment will go to the ordinance committee before the court’s next meeting for final ordinance language and formal publication requirements if an ordinance is required.
