Precinct chair warns Freestone County commissioners a proposed data center could strain water, roads and services

Sam Anderson, who identified himself as precinct chair for Precinct 9, urged Freestone County commissioners during public comment to oppose a proposed data center, saying it would impose costs on residents and the county.

"My concern is what the data center will do to us," Anderson said, adding that construction could raise local population and utility demand in towns served by cooperatives. He asserted water usage during construction could be "between 2½ and 5 million gallons per month," predicted construction would bring "about 6,000 to 7,000 jobs for construction" but only roughly "150 to 250" permanent positions afterward, and warned that tax abatements granted to the company would remain in effect for a long time.

Anderson said those factors would likely increase monthly water and electric bills for residents, cause road damage from heavy construction traffic and provide relatively few lasting local jobs. "The last thing I want to say is this, guys, we live in rural Texas," he told the court, adding he would inform precinct residents and continue to oppose what he described as threats to farmland and rural life.

The court did not take action on Anderson's remarks; public comment at the meeting is for citizen input only and, as the presiding officer said at the outset, the commissioners do not deliberate or act on matters raised during that period. Commissioners asked no formal questions on the record about the project during Anderson's allotted three minutes.

Next steps: Anderson said he wished he had known about the proposal sooner so he could have organized opposition; the transcript contains his concerns and numerical claims as stated. County staff and commissioners did not provide figures or confirmations about water use, job estimates or the existence and duration of any tax abatements during the meeting. The county will need to confirm technical details, abatements and traffic or road-repair plans before any policy decision is made.