Commission outlines public-hearing rules and posts draft for proposed data center regulations

Planner Bridget Snow updated the commission on an upcoming public hearing on proposed data center regulations, telling commissioners the draft regulations are posted on the County website for public review and comment.

Commissioners discussed how to conduct the hearing: whether to allow presentations (the commission favored comments-only), time limits for individual commenters, a process to avoid back-and-forth exchanges between the public and the commission, and whether to give priority to Pottawatomie County residents to speak if the room fills with non-residents. Snow also recommended supplying paper copies of the draft regulations to commission members. Commissioners acknowledged the hearing could take multiple meetings to accommodate public comments and Snow confirmed changes to the draft could be made after hearing public input.

The commission did not adopt the regulations at the meeting; it set procedural expectations for the hearing and encouraged broad public engagement through the posted draft and the public-comment process.