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Neighbors press court for moratorium and to reject abatements for data‑center proposals
Summary
Multiple public commenters told the court they oppose data centers, urged moratoria, and asked that the county avoid granting tax abatements to large corporate projects; the court noted it has not granted abatements to data centers and has no related agenda action.
A string of public commenters at the May 26 meeting expressed categorical opposition to large data‑center projects and asked elected officials to protect neighborhoods and taxpayers.
Patricia Hartis told commissioners “just say no to abatements,” warning that abatements attract developers and change community character. The judge responded that “the court has never granted an abatement to a data center,” and that there was no abatement item on the agenda. Other speakers stressed public‑safety and infrastructure questions: Jerry Finley said a 200‑acre proposal is three miles from his home and cited concerns about water and a roughly “23 megawatts” electricity need; Fonzie Bustillo urged officials to “say no, flat out no,” while proposing developers should fund long‑term property‑tax impacts if projects proceed.
Commenters asked for neutral technical briefings from developers or independent experts before permits move forward; commissioners and staff said they have invited applicants to present and will seek technical usage data from them.
