Resident urges commission to slow AI data-center ordinance; county schedules April 28 public hearing

Sheena, Franklin County’s communications coordinator, said the county had received 12 additional public comments since an April 1 hearing, bringing the total to 90, and summarized common concerns: “just to vote no,” water usage, environmental impacts and power-supply strain. She also said some commenters felt the proposed revisions did not go far enough on on-site generation.

Resident Valerie Jordan told the commissioners she had researched outside sources and urged caution. Quoting a conservative radio host and online materials, Jordan warned about energy demand from large AI data centers, saying in part, “Using a 100% renewable energy for AI data centers is an excellent long term goal to curb immense energy demands, with some centers consuming as much as a 100,000 households.” She asked the board to disclose any prospective applicants at the April 28 hearing and said she and her husband plan to attend.

The chair, speaking for the board, said the county had not received an application for a data center and stressed the limits of county authority: “I know there are currently 2 bills that address data centers. I don't know the details of those bills, but I know it's not a ban. And I know it doesn't give us the authority to ban them from coming to Franklin County.” He said the commission is seeking to “stay ahead” where it can and reiterated that a public hearing will be held Tuesday, April 28 at 6:00 p.m. at the same location.

Why it matters: residents’ concerns about water, environmental impacts and large electrical demand motivated the request for more public input. County officials framed the matter as partly governed by pending state legislation; the commission said it will accept additional comments at the April 28 meeting before any formal local action.

What’s next: The board scheduled the evening public hearing for April 28 at 6:00 p.m. to take additional testimony and public comment on the proposed data-center amendment. The commission did not record a formal vote on ordinance language at this meeting.

Quotes used in this article are drawn from the public comment record and commissioners’ remarks during the April 2026 Franklin County Commissioners meeting.