Residents tell Franklin County commissioners data centers, solar farms threaten farms and taxes

Harry Rotz, who identified himself as a lifelong Green Township president, used the public-comment period to press the board on development he said will harm local farms and raise costs for residents. Rotz said data centers often receive long tax abatements — "15 years of tax abatements," he said — and warned that new power lines and large facilities will reduce crop productivity, damage soil and shift infrastructure costs to neighbors. "We're standing in Eden," he said, invoking Genesis as a plea to preserve agricultural land.

Valerie Jordan of Fayetteville followed with a detailed reading of county budget figures she said were drawn from county documents. Jordan said the county's operational budget was $151,200,000 in 2024 and is $132,400,000 in 2026, yet residents have not seen lower tax bills. She cited a nearly $900,000 increase in judicial services between 2024 and 2026 and noted that a $2,200,000 cultural and recreation appropriation was removed from the operational budget in 2026. "These are the county's numbers," Jordan said, emphasizing that she was quoting budget documents.

Jordan also raised a land-use example, identifying a large solar installation at Brett Hill Farms LLC in Guilford Township and saying some farmers are pursuing such projects "for profit reasons." Both speakers connected land-use changes — warehouses, data centers, solar farms — to increased truck traffic, utility infrastructure and long-term costs for local services.

The commissioners did not take action on the specific development concerns during the meeting. The public-comment period closed after a series of other routine agenda items, and the board proceeded to approve the consent agenda and move to the regular agenda.