The prospect of a data center in Jones County was the topic of a work session and then an agenda item for a recent Jones County Commissioners meeting.
Board Chairman Chris Weidner called the Sept. 16 meeting to order. Gray Mayor Pro Tem James Collins led the opening prayer and pledge to begin the meeting.
Zoning Officer Tim Pitrowski presented the first item of business, which was a text amendment for the county’s Comprehensive Land Development Resolution. He said the amendment would establish standards for data centers if one applied for zoning in Jones County.
That includes additions to two existing sections and creating section 96.7 for data centers.
Pitrowski walked board members through a staff report from his department during the work session. He said he visited existing data centers in Social Circle and Fayetteville during his research for the report to determine their impact on communities.
The officer looked at power and water consumption, noise and traffic.
He said he was also concerned with the requirement of an environmental impact study by the applicant when requesting a conditional use permit.
He said those studies are very expensive to require for an application. Pitrowski suggested commissioners adopt the staff revised version of the code section pertaining to the environmental impact study.
Weidner said the industrial park already had a study done as part of its GRAD certification.
Commissioner Sam Kitchens said the public had incorrect information from social and broadcast media sources that there was already an application for a data center in Jones County.
“We do not have an applicant, and we want to put in protections before we do,” he said.
The commissioner said he appreciates the research and visits to operating data centers by Pitrowski. He said the common thread is noise and taxing resources, which is all addressed in the P&Z staff report.
“I’m glad staff went above and beyond to give us real-time insight,” Kitchens said.
The commissioner said technology has come a long way to fix what people were not happy with at the first data centers.
“We know the horror stories, but we don’t need to keep looking at those from five years ago. We need to look at the updates that fixed the problems,” he said.
Kitchens said the proposed perimeter for a data center in Jones County is 45 decibels during the day and 35 at night, and he was comfortable with that noise impact.
Commissioner Daylon Martin asked a question of board members at the beginning of the work session.
“Are we open to a data center?”
Kitchens was first to respond.
“I’m absolutely open to one in the right location. That would be in the industrial park versus a neighborhood,” he said.
Commissioner Wendy Vaughn said it is important to have guidelines in place first.
“Data centers bring other businesses. It can be a plus for the county if it is in the right location,” she added.
Vaughn reiterated the board was considering an amendment to the CLDR.
“We are not voting to approve a data center,” she said.
Earlene Hamilton, the chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission, said she also visited the Social Circle center. She said her concern was not the noise but the ‘monster’ powerline going into the facility.
“I’m concerned about the powerline and the impact of that,” she said.
Commissioner John Wood said he appreciated the hard work of the P&Z staff to put safety nets in the code section for the county.
Martin said he trusted the staff to give commissioners good information.
“I like the ability to make Jones County business friendly,” he said.
Comments
Before voting on the amendment, Weidner opened the floor to comments from the audience.
Debbie McClendon sat through the work session as well as the meeting. She said she still had concerns about the noise from a data center. She noted that the noise from the data center, while possibly low, would be constant.
“I want to increase the tax base, but we need to look at it from all considerations,” McClendon said.
Travis Griffin said he is concerned about the county’s watershed, and he would like that addressed when looking at individual applications.
Kitchens said that was the reason the board was considering a conditional use because it has to be brought before two boards: Planning and Zoning and the Board of Commissioners.
Griffin said he wants the commissioners to be proactive when it comes to data centers.
At the conclusion of the comments, Weider asked if there was a motion. Kitchens made the motion to adopt the text amendment, including the staff revision of section 97.7.19.
Martin asked to amend motion to remove all the verbiage in the section except the last sentence. His amendment did not receive a second.
The chairman called for a vote on the original motion and it was approved 4-1 with Martin opposed.
New Business
Commissioners quickly went through the new business items. County Administrator Jason Rizner presented a resolution to apply for federal funding for Jones County Transit. Martin made the motion, and it was approved unanimously.
Rizner asked for postponement of the next item, which was to amend the county’s purchasing ordinance, until the county attorney could be present. The postponement was approved unanimously.
The final new business was to authorize an RFP to bid out lighting for the park at the Government Center. That motion was made by Kitchens and approved unanimously.
The meeting was adjourned to enter closed session at 6:30 p.m.
When the meeting reconvened at 8:08 p.m., a motion was made by Martin to advertise for an animal services director and offer the current director, Jennifer McGittigan, the position as assistant or animal control officer. The motion was approved 3-2. Weidner and Kitchens opposed the motion.
The move followed an Aug. 6 Operational Review prepared for the commissioners about the animal services department. The nine page report was presented to the board during a previous closed session.
The Board of Commissioners held a brief called meeting at 6 p.m. Sept. 18 to approve the 2025 milage rates and re-adopt the county’s five-year history. The tax for the unincorporated area is 12.983; incorporated area, 14.219; and special tax district in River North, 0.814 mills.
Martin made the motion to approve the millage rate resolution, including adoption of the county’s five-year history, and it was approved unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 6.19 p.m.
The next scheduled meeting of the board is Oct. 7.
