[10:33] meeting to order. Sorry I'm a little bit

[10:35] late. Uh

[10:38] meetings galore, I'm telling you. Uh

[10:41] welcome to the uh [snorts]

[10:46] board meeting uh September the 8th. Uh,

[10:50] welcome all elected officials and

[10:52] invited guests. And I'm trying to see if

[10:55] there's any elected officials. Y'all

[10:57] help me see any.

[11:00] I don't. Invited guest. Uh, J. Uh, Evans

[11:05] Hart is not here. Uh, on your phones and

[11:09] electronic advice uh devices, if you

[11:11] would put them on silent uh so it won't

[11:14] interrupt the meeting. And then uh I'll

[11:17] have the marshall bring me my sheet up.

[11:23] Thank you, buddy.

[11:29] Mr. Jason Kathy, how are you, buddy?

[11:33] You know, I I appreciate all the

[11:35] encouragement that you send uh to us,

[11:37] especially me and all the things that

[11:40] are going on with the Fellowship of

[11:41] Christian Athletes and uh all the

[11:44] success. Maybe you can tell us about

[11:46] that. So, we'll take a little bit stand

[11:49] up to the podium and uh I'm just going

[11:51] to tell you a little thing. I've been

[11:53] knowing Jason for a pretty good while

[11:55] and very active with the fellowship of

[11:57] Christian Athletes and uh uh how long

[12:00] how long you been serving in that

[12:01] capacity?

[12:02] » Year seven.

[12:03] » Year seven missionary with sir.

[12:06] » Yep. Uh married to Robin, got three

[12:10] children. Uh older children, 22, 16, and

[12:13] 14. How do you keep girls or boys?

[12:16] » Older two girls and the boys the

[12:17] youngest. Yes, sir.

[12:19] » Uh he loves uh ministry. He loves his

[12:23] family. He loves playing the guitar and

[12:25] singing. Are you going to sing for us

[12:26] today?

[12:27] » Not today.

[12:28] » Not today.

[12:28] » I think y'all got too many items on the

[12:30] agenda.

[12:31] » I'm telling you. Well, I'm going to get

[12:33] everybody to stand. Open us up. Jason in

[12:35] prayer. And also, uh

[12:40] I guess you're doing the pledge, too.

[12:43] Yes. Nope. The colors are he's fallen,

[12:46] right? They're out there. Okay. Just do

[12:48] the prayer, buddy.

[12:51] Dear gracious heavenly father, we we

[12:53] call on you today. Um the word

[12:55] invocation is like we're invoking you as

[12:58] the higher power. Lord, I do lift up all

[13:00] of our elected officials, our public

[13:03] servants. Lord, my mind specifically

[13:05] goes to the book of James where you said

[13:08] if we ask for wisdom in faith, then

[13:11] you'll pour it out generously, Lord. So,

[13:13] we're going to thank you in advance for

[13:15] that wisdom today. We're we're calling

[13:17] on you uh in the decisions that are made

[13:20] having to do with policy and all these

[13:23] items on the agenda and we know there's

[13:25] debate, Lord, but at the end of the day,

[13:26] Lord, we believe that you are sovereign

[13:28] and that you don't make any mistakes,

[13:29] Lord. So, we just ask that your will

[13:31] would be done today. Uh we lift up these

[13:33] young people today that are going to be

[13:35] bringing forward our colors and we do

[13:37] all this in Jesus name. Amen.

[13:39] » Amen. Y'all remain standing. We'll have

[13:41] the colors presented by East Paul High

[13:44] School. Attention

[13:47] forward carry

[13:53] forward. March

[14:05] color guard

[14:09] left ace.

[14:12] Sir, Eastporting High School is

[14:14] requesting permission to post the

[14:15] colors. Sir,

[14:16] » You got it, buddy.

[14:17] » Post.

[14:35] Present arms.

[14:39] Please show me the reciting the pledge

[14:41] of allegiance.

[14:42] I pledge algiance to the flag of the

[14:45] United States of America and to the

[14:48] republic for which it stands. One nation

[14:52] under God, indivisible, with liberty and

[14:56] justice for all.

[14:58] Order arms.

[15:03] Post

[15:11] ready. Face

[15:14] forward. March.

[15:20] [applause] Good job, ladies.

[15:31] Next, uh,

[15:34] [cough and clears throat] we have the,

[15:35] uh, adopt the the minutes from August

[15:37] the 25th, 2026 work session and August

[15:41] the 25th on the board meeting minutes.

[15:44] Uh, hope you've reviewed those. So, I

[15:46] need a motion to adopt those minutes.

[15:50] Motion to adopt the board meeting

[15:53] minutes of August 25,

[15:56] 2026.

[15:57] » Miss Kaker, is there a second?

[16:00] » Second.

[16:01] » Is that you, Mr. Dunn?

[16:02] » Yes, sir.

[16:03] » Okay. Uh, all in favor of up signify by

[16:07] uplifted hand.

[16:10] Uh, no announcements that I know of at

[16:12] this time. Invited guests. There's none.

[16:15] Uh, bid awards. Uh the first one is to

[16:18] approve the purchase to the lowest

[16:20] responsive quote that's Tri County

[16:22] Uplifters for the final uplifting of 20

[16:26] police patrol vehicles in the amount of

[16:29] $395,4460.

[16:34] Funding for this project will be from

[16:36] Splass.

[16:37] Do I have a motion to approve?

[16:41] » Motion to approve.

[16:42] » Thank you, Mr. Dunn. Is there a second?

[16:44] Second,

[16:45] » Miss Galloway. All in favor signify by

[16:48] that lifted hand.

[16:52] [cough] Excuse me.

[16:55] Next is to authorize Pauling County Fire

[16:58] Rescue to uh proceed with the purchase

[17:01] of four Ford Maverick vehicles from the

[17:05] Hardy family Ford through the state of

[17:08] Georgia contract for a total uh vehicle

[17:12] purchase price of $127,360

[17:17] uh0

[17:18] with the remaining of the the $12,640

[17:24] uh of the approved $140,000

[17:29] and that's in FY2027

[17:32] project uh allocation

[17:34] utilized for department lettering and

[17:38] the warning lights funding for this

[17:40] project will be allocated from SPLS. I

[17:44] have a call for a motion to approve.

[17:47] » Motion to approve.

[17:49] » Miss Kaker, is there a second?

[17:52] Second, Mr. Snyder. All in favor signify

[17:55] with uplifted hand.

[18:00] [snorts]

[18:01] At this time, we don't have any reports

[18:04] uh from committees or departments that

[18:06] I'm aware of. Public participation on

[18:09] agenda items. I think we do have one and

[18:12] that's Joel Larkin.

[18:14] If you'll come up to the podium, Mr.

[18:17] Larkin and state your name and

[18:21] you know the routine don't you?

[18:24] » Good afternoon. My name is Joel Larkin.

[18:26] I'm with the firm Sams Larkin and Huff

[18:27] and Marietta. I appreciate being here

[18:29] today. I wanted to comment on two

[18:31] things. Number one, could you add me to

[18:33] the Maverick order?

[18:35] » Do what?

[18:36] » The Ford Maverick. Could you put one on

[18:37] there for me? No,

[18:39] » I will.

[18:40] » Um I'm pleased to represent the

[18:43] applicant on item nine. It's a request

[18:45] to change the zoning conditions. Uh, and

[18:48] I'm mainly here to respond to any

[18:50] questions you have, particularly you,

[18:51] Mr. Chairman, because I know you missed

[18:52] the planning commission meeting. So, if

[18:55] there's any more any questions that the

[18:56] board has or any information that you

[18:59] need, we're here ready to respond to it

[19:01] and provide it to you. Thank you.

[19:07] » I Are there any questions from the board

[19:10] or comments?

[19:12] Okay. Thank you.

[19:14] uh

[19:17] public participation on agenda items.

[19:20] There are uh there's one of those I

[19:24] don't

[19:26] » Huh?

[19:26] » We just

[19:34] » Oh, that's what I was doing. Uh I

[19:37] thought that was what I was doing. Uh

[19:41] there's actually one uh is uh the

[19:44] disposal of the vehicles. Uh I need a

[19:46] motion to approve.

[19:49] » Motion to approve.

[19:51] » Uh Miss Galloway, is there a second?

[19:54] » Second,

[19:55] » Miss Kaker. All in favor signify with

[19:57] uplifted hand.

[20:00] Okay.

[20:02] No old business at this time. Uh new

[20:05] business. Uh first is uh action to adopt

[20:08] resolution 2026-37

[20:11] authorizing the uh submission of

[20:14] congestion mitigation and the air

[20:17] quality program grant uh application to

[20:21] the Georgia Department of Transportation

[20:23] for the purpose of the project of the

[20:25] Cedar Crest road improvement project

[20:27] from Harmony uh Grove Church Road to

[20:31] Cobb County line. That's uh P I 00013700

[20:37] 0 uh located in post one and also in

[20:40] post 4. Uh and the gold mine road which

[20:44] is at state route 101 intersection

[20:46] improvement project. That's the PI

[20:49] 0019801

[20:53] located in post 2. Uh I'll call for a

[20:57] motion.

[20:59] » Motion to approve.

[21:01] » Mr. are done. Is there a second?

[21:03] » Second. [clears throat]

[21:04] » Excuse me,

[21:05] » Mr. Snder. All in favor signify with the

[21:08] uplifted hand.

[21:12] [snorts]

[21:12] » Next is action to adopt resolution

[21:14] 2026-38

[21:17] confirming the executive session for the

[21:19] purpose of real estate litigation uh and

[21:22] litigation. Uh I'll call for a motion.

[21:27] » Motion to approve.

[21:28] » Mr. Snyder. Is there a second? Second,

[21:31] » Miss Galloway. All in favor signify with

[21:33] uplifted hand.

[21:40] » All right. Next, we'll move into the

[21:42] Pauling County Planning uh commission

[21:44] meeting uh which was in their

[21:47] recommendations on August the 25th and

[21:50] also September the 8th. The first one is

[21:54] uh action to adopt uh ordinance 20 uh

[21:58] 26-07 text amendment amending title one

[22:02] admin uh administration and title two

[22:06] zoning for the unified development

[22:09] ordinance which is a UDO for Paulen

[22:11] County Georgia uh and for other

[22:14] purposes. I'll call for a motion.

[22:17] » Motion to approve.

[22:20] » Miss Galloway. Is there a second?

[22:23] » Second,

[22:24] » Miss Kaker, all in favor signify with

[22:26] uplifted hand.

[22:30] Next is uh number eight, which is the

[22:32] 2026-01

[22:35] TAA application by Green Leaf

[22:38] Investments Partners, uh L130 LLC. Mark

[22:43] uh uh Buck Anonan uh requesting a text

[22:49] amendment to the Unified Development

[22:52] Direct Industrial District Section

[22:55] 210-240

[22:57] uh

[22:59] 02 permitting use to allow the following

[23:03] usage as permitted by Wright Health and

[23:07] Fitness uh facilities including the

[23:09] health club, fitness center, gymnasium,

[23:12] and the fitness uh instructor uh studio

[23:16] uh of the UDO unified development uh

[23:19] ordinance. Approval on this text uh

[23:22] amendment would add the following uh

[23:25] text. Uh do I need to read those text?

[23:29] » Yes.

[23:31] » Uh that's the RR the health and fitness

[23:33] facilities including the health club

[23:36] fitness center gymnasium and the fitness

[23:39] and structure studio. Recommendation on

[23:42] this was approved uh 70 to zero and I'll

[23:46] call for a motion from the board.

[23:49] » Motion to approve.

[23:50] » Mr. Dunn, is there a second?

[23:52] » Second.

[23:53] » Miss Galloway. Uh all in favor signify

[23:57] by the uplifted hand.

[24:05] Next is uh number nine which is a

[24:08] 2026-06-spa

[24:13] application for Joel L. Larkin uh Sam's

[24:16] Larkin and Huff LLC

[24:19] uh requesting to amend a zoning uh

[24:23] condition number nine from prior

[24:25] reszoning application the 2020-16-Z

[24:30] which limits the hours of operation on

[24:33] the property from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Uh

[24:38] this uh applicant uh proposed hours of

[24:43] operations from 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

[24:46] Property is located in Lin Lot 101,

[24:49] District 1, Section 3, north side of uh

[24:54] Ridge Road and east side of Vaughn Road.

[24:57] That address is 4281

[25:00] Ridge Road and it's in post three.

[25:13] Motion to approve.

[25:15] » I ain't calling for it yet, but I was

[25:17] fixing to.

[25:17] » Sorry. [laughter]

[25:20] » Oh, that's great. Sandy, is there a

[25:22] second? Mr.

[25:22] » Chair, if you would just read I think

[25:25] the stipulation recommendation

[25:27] from the planning commission. I think if

[25:31] I can.

[25:34] » Okay, I'm good. Second.

[25:36] » Okay.

[25:38] Uh,

[25:40] so we we had a motion from Miss Kaker.

[25:43] Is there a second?

[25:46] » Second.

[25:48] » All in favor signify with uplifted head.

[25:52] » Okay.

[25:54] » Uh, Mr. Chair,

[25:55] » Oh, I got to read the recommendation.

[25:57] » You call for opposition.

[25:59] » Call for opposition. Yeah.

[26:00] » Did you have

[26:02] » I don't think you called for opposition

[26:04] on that vote.

[26:05] I w I need to call for opposition.

[26:07] » I believe you do. Yes.

[26:08] » Then I will.

[26:09] » Yes, sir. Thank you.

[26:10] » Uh is there any opposition on the number

[26:13] uh on this last one?

[26:15] » Yes.

[26:17] » Yes. You got one.

[26:21] » Oh, voting against it.

[26:22] » I thought you I thought I saw a hand.

[26:25] All right. So, uh what was that? What

[26:29] was that? Uh what was it? You wrote it

[26:31] down. Uh the the vote is approval at 41.

[26:35] » 41.

[26:36] » May I ask what the motion was? I'm not

[26:38] clear.

[26:39] » The motion was

[26:45] » Turn it over. The motion was to approve

[26:49] the applicant hour of operations from

[26:52] 500 a.m. to 11 p.m.

[26:54] » Thank you.

[26:57] » And I think that's the same as all the

[26:59] surrounding hours. Is that correct?

[27:03] It's the way I understood it.

[27:04] » I believe so.

[27:09] [clears throat]

[27:10] » Which one am I on?

[27:14] Uh, next is a 2026-02

[27:17] uh SPSA application by Hickory Creek uh

[27:22] Homeowners Association Incorporated

[27:24] requesting

[27:27] a revision of the PRD planning

[27:30] residential development site plan from

[27:32] resoning case 2004

[27:35] uh-15-Z.

[27:37] The applicant uh uh uh proposed to

[27:43] construct a small community amendment uh

[27:46] amenity on approximately 1.63 63 acres

[27:50] of designated green space. Property is

[27:53] located in Lin lot 892

[27:57] uh district 3 section three uh west side

[28:00] of the Sandy Glenn and Horththone Drive

[28:04] intersection and it's located in post 4

[28:07] and there are four stipula uh five

[28:10] stipulations actually. Uh I call for a

[28:14] motion

[28:21] No,

[28:21] » I'm going to make a motion for denial.

[28:23] » Okay. Uh, is there a second?

[28:27] » Second.

[28:28] » Mr. Dunn, all in favor of signify by the

[28:31] lifted hand.

[28:33] And I didn't say, but the the

[28:35] recommendation from planning is on. It

[28:37] was denial 70 to zero.

[28:40] Uh, next is the 2026-04-C

[28:46] [clears throat]

[28:47] application by

[28:50] uh Ryan uh Lawrence requesting to

[28:53] reszone 3.15 acres from R2

[28:57] uh suburban residential district to I1

[29:01] which is light industrial district for

[29:03] the construction business including a

[29:06] proposed storage yard for lumber

[29:09] skidsters and other industrial products.

[29:13] Application is also requesting a

[29:16] variance to reduce buffer along the

[29:18] northern the north property line from

[29:21] 50t to 25 ft. Property is located in

[29:25] land lot 1041

[29:27] district 2 section 3 west

[29:34] side of the Hyram Douglasville Highway

[29:36] SR92

[29:38] uh south of Bill Karuth Parkway. That

[29:41] address is 3166 Hyram Douglasville uh

[29:45] highway and that is in post three. There

[29:50] are four stipulations on this uh project

[29:53] and the

[29:55] uh recommendation from planning and

[29:57] zoning was approve approval of five to

[30:02] zero. So I'll call for a motion.

[30:07] » Motion to approve with all the

[30:09] stipulations.

[30:11] » Miss Galloway, is there a second?

[30:13] » Second.

[30:15] » Miss Kaker. All in favor signify with

[30:18] uplifted hand.

[30:24] Okay, that

[30:25] » Mr. Chair, if I may, excuse me, I want

[30:28] to just for clarification sake, I want

[30:30] to go back to the previously approved

[30:33] item number nine.

[30:36] And I want to make sure the record is

[30:38] clear.

[30:40] When the chairman read this item,

[30:43] uh, it was for the

[30:46] reason the applicant was wanting hours

[30:49] of operations from 5:00 a.m. to 11:00

[30:52] p.m. That was uh what the applicant

[30:55] requested. That's what that was the

[30:58] motion that was approved by the board of

[31:00] commissioners. There was a stipulation

[31:03] from the planning commission uh which is

[31:07] number nine which is uh that says owner

[31:10] and developer agrees to limit store

[31:12] hours from 5 to 10 Sunday through

[31:15] Thursday and from 5 to 11 Friday through

[31:19] Saturday. That particular stipulation

[31:21] was not approved. What was approved is

[31:24] the hours from 5 to 11 7 days a week.

[31:29] And I just wanted to make sure that that

[31:30] is the will and intention of the board.

[31:35] And if that's correct, then there's no

[31:37] reason to talk about it any further. I'm

[31:40] getting nods around the board that

[31:41] that's correct. Thank you.

[31:45] » Okay. Thank you for that update. Uh

[31:48] conclusion of regular business. We do

[31:50] have public participation on non-aggenda

[31:52] items and uh we have I think six uh

[31:56] citizens that's going to talk and the

[31:58] first one will be at the podium that

[32:01] would be Michelle Pratner is it Prattner

[32:05] and let me see and it's on you can tell

[32:08] us when you come up state your name and

[32:11] also what you're going to be speaking on

[32:14] uh and then the next in the back in the

[32:16] uh uh next in line will be uh uh Mr. J.

[32:22] No. Yeah, Mr. James Bender. Where's he

[32:25] at? And get in that uh see that there it

[32:29] says uh on deck. You can jump right in

[32:32] there. Okay.

[32:34] » Okay. So, um I'm Michelle Prather. I'm

[32:37] I'm going to be speaking on um getting

[32:40] an ordinance changed for outdoor storage

[32:42] units. Um, and I'm here today to ask

[32:45] this board to re-examine one restriction

[32:48] in our unified development

[32:50] ordinance. The requirement that outdoor

[32:53] storage of boats, RVs, campers, and

[32:55] personal trailers must be tied to a

[32:58] fully constructed steel self storage

[33:01] facility. This rule creates an

[33:03] unnecessary and costly barrier. It

[33:06] forces landowners to build commercial

[33:08] storage buildings simply to provide

[33:11] outdoor parking per for personal

[33:13] recreational vehicles. Many residents

[33:16] own these vehicles but cannot keep them

[33:18] at home because of HOA restrictions.

[33:21] Yet, the current ordinance makes it

[33:22] extremely difficult for private property

[33:24] owners to help meet that need in a low

[33:27] impact way. We can protect the county's

[33:30] character without requiring buildings.

[33:32] Strong visual screening, including

[33:34] mature tree buffers and privacy fencing,

[33:38] can keep our outdoor storage completely

[33:40] hidden from roads and neighborhooding

[33:43] neighborhooding properties. Heavy

[33:45] commercial um trucks can still be

[33:48] prohibited. The question is not whether

[33:51] this use should be regulated. It is

[33:53] whether um the allow only option must

[33:58] include a storage building. I

[34:00] respectfully urge this board to direct

[34:02] staff to prepare a text amendment that

[34:04] creates a clear conditional path for

[34:06] standalone heavily screened outdoor

[34:08] storage of personal recreational

[34:10] vehicles on appropriately sized

[34:13] properties. This would give reasonable

[34:15] land owners a practical option while

[34:18] still protecting the appearance and

[34:20] character of our community. Thank you

[34:22] for your time and consideration.

[34:24] » Thank you, Michelle. Appreciate it. Uh

[34:27] uh Mr. Bender will be next on data

[34:30] centers and if Connie Rex straw will get

[34:32] in the uh next in line.

[34:37] You ready? My name is James Bender. I

[34:39] work in the fiber optic industry

[34:40] probably about 20 years. And I see where

[34:42] you say there's no data center going in

[34:44] at Cole Lake Road. The only problem I

[34:46] have with that is I'm watching them put

[34:48] a six pack of conduit in down Dallas

[34:51] Highway into Dallas right by the CVS.

[34:54] They cost between 50,000 and $100,000 a

[34:57] mile to install. And you're telling me

[35:00] no data centers? Nobody's doing that on

[35:03] a maybe. I mean, that's almost a $2

[35:05] million investment. I go further in my

[35:08] connections. Look at the 811 dig

[35:10] tickets. Excel constructions

[35:13] putting in fiber optics for a data

[35:15] center. So I mean somebody needs to

[35:18] explain it to me. Either you're not

[35:19] going to do it or you are going to do

[35:21] it. You're lying to them or you're lying

[35:22] to us. I need to know.

[35:26] That's what I want to know cuz they're

[35:27] not putting that in for giggles. I've

[35:30] done this for 20 years. If they're

[35:33] slamming that much conduit in the

[35:34] ground, that's almost 6,000 fibers they

[35:37] can put in there. do the same amount of

[35:39] work as two million copper phone lines?

[35:43] I mean, would you like to explain it to

[35:46] me? I'd love to know.

[35:48] » I know that Greystone's putting in fiber

[35:50] through the whole

[35:50] » That ain't Greystone. That's Zo.

[35:52] » I know I'm like the back of my hand. And

[35:54] they don't do nothing but high-end

[35:56] massive data. CNN, Bank of America. They

[36:00] don't offer residential service. And the

[36:02] fact that you would just tell me

[36:03] Greystone,

[36:05] » Well, they work with another company.

[36:07] They don't work with Zale. I promise you

[36:08] that. 20 years. I mean, so the fact that

[36:12] you just tried to pawn that off on me,

[36:14] come on.

[36:16] I just told you I' been doing this for

[36:18] 20 years. I've seen it. And the problem

[36:21] you're going to have is it's not just

[36:23] going to be them. Then some other

[36:24] company's going to come in. T-Mobile,

[36:26] Crown Castle, they're going to want to

[36:29] run fiber there. You're not going to

[36:30] have any room in the ground for your own

[36:32] utilities. I see it every day.

[36:35] So, I mean, I know you put a moratorium

[36:37] on it, but that's only on new permits,

[36:40] not old permits.

[36:42] I mean, they're a blight. I've been to

[36:44] them. I mean, you can get in a prison

[36:47] easier than you can get in a data center

[36:48] to look at it. I mean, I'm not talking

[36:51] chain link fence. I'm talking concrete

[36:53] walls with razor wire, their own fire

[36:56] department, their own security force.

[36:58] They might employ 40 people. They're not

[37:00] going to bring jobs. They're not going

[37:02] to bring business to the community.

[37:05] They're just going to blight the land.

[37:07] That's all they're going to do. And I

[37:09] know, I've seen it. I've been there. I

[37:11] look at them every day. And then, God

[37:14] forbid somebody hits that fiber in the

[37:15] ground. Then you've got the whole road

[37:18] tore up for two or three days. It's all

[37:20] I got to say. But I promise you this. If

[37:23] it goes in, I'll make sure none of y'all

[37:25] get reelected. I will petition campaign

[37:29] for anybody against you, even if it's a

[37:31] Democrat.

[37:32] » Well, thank you. [applause]

[37:39] » Uh, Miss Rexaw,

[37:42] » I'm going to do one correction on my

[37:44] name. My maiden name is Rake Straw.

[37:45] Connie Raikstraw. I'm now Ellis, but

[37:47] Connie Raikstraw Ellis. And I first off,

[37:50] I want to wish you a good afternoon. I'm

[37:52] not mad at anyone, but I am mad at

[37:54] situations like many people in this

[37:56] county and what I have to say about I'm

[37:58] coming before you once again into the

[38:00] rapid push to develop these data centers

[38:02] in our county and the secrecy

[38:05] surrounding them. The people here

[38:07] deserve a voice and we never had a

[38:09] voice. Never. We are the ones that live

[38:12] here and pay the taxes that pay your

[38:14] salaries.

[38:18] Not big developers or corporations. They

[38:21] don't. They don't live here. They don't

[38:22] pay your salaries. We do. I've said it

[38:25] before and I'll say it again. As regard

[38:27] to AI and data centers, there are too

[38:30] many unknowns. You do not move this

[38:33] rapidly on something like this. And I'm

[38:35] sure you're quite aware across this

[38:37] nation, many counties and states are

[38:40] putting moratoriums. They're putting

[38:42] brakes on till they can do further

[38:44] research and put appropriate ordinances

[38:46] and regulations in place to protect

[38:49] their people. That's the wise thing to

[38:51] do here. And I also heard from a

[38:54] developer recently that has built data

[38:57] centers and he said he would not even

[38:59] put a data center in Paul County. It is

[39:01] too populated. We don't have to have one

[39:04] in our county. If we as the people

[39:06] decide to put one with the appropriate

[39:08] regulations, that's one thing. But we

[39:09] don't have to have one here. But he said

[39:11] if he were going to build a data center,

[39:13] he would put it the middle in the middle

[39:14] of it. No more. At least I'm sorry, at

[39:16] least 2 to 3,000 acres slap in the

[39:19] middle of it surrounded by trees. You

[39:20] know why? The trees are going to buffer

[39:22] the noise and the pollution that's going

[39:24] to come from these centers. We don't

[39:26] know what we're doing to our people, our

[39:27] environment by putting men like that

[39:29] like this. So, I'm going to ask you two

[39:31] things today. Number one is to extend

[39:33] the moratorum and number two is to

[39:36] repeal the teapot. You have that in your

[39:37] power as a commission to back that out.

[39:43] And before I get down from this podium,

[39:44] there are two questions I want to ask

[39:46] you. And you may not be able to answer

[39:47] them in public. And I understand if you

[39:49] can't, hopefully you can, but I would

[39:52] like an answer to me directly via email

[39:54] because I've asked it of you. And I'm

[39:55] not sure about prior or current

[39:58] permitting. But let's say we have the

[40:00] moratorum now and when it expires, do

[40:03] you plan to move forward with the

[40:04] Tidwell Road and Bethl Church Road

[40:06] project into development of a data

[40:08] center? Is that your intention at the

[40:10] expiration of the moratorum? Does anyone

[40:13] want to answer that?

[40:17] » Okay. And question number two, this

[40:20] isn't just for the board. This is for

[40:21] the entire room.

[40:23] » Well, you don't address.

[40:24] » Well, okay, but this this is this is a

[40:26] question I want you food for thought

[40:28] here. if we had a ballot put before us

[40:31] or if you did or even a questionnaire as

[40:33] a member of this county and by a raise

[40:35] of hands you can vote yes and remember

[40:39] raising your hand means yes would you

[40:41] allow a data center in your backyard. I

[40:44] want to remind you commissioners that

[40:47] this is your county your home and your

[40:50] lives as well. It's just not the people

[40:52] that are up here upset. You're infecting

[40:54] everyone in this county. And I'm asking

[40:57] you in the name of God and the people to

[41:00] do the right thing. Just do the right

[41:02] thing. Thank you.

[41:03] » We will, [applause]

[41:07] Mr. W.

[41:10] And the next will be Todd Panel if he

[41:13] can come up here and sit in the uh uh

[41:15] » I think I'm next

[41:16] » On deck.

[41:18] » I think he

[41:19] » I think you have me as next,

[41:21] » Right?

[41:22] » Ma'am, you're you are next. You saying

[41:23] Mr. Pal, come up. Be ready.

[41:26] Mr. Chairman, commissioners, and staff,

[41:29] thank you for the opportunity to speak

[41:31] this afternoon. My name is Michelle

[41:32] Wolvin. We keep coming month after month

[41:35] because you work for us. And right now,

[41:37] we feel that you're not listening. And

[41:40] because we are hearing, the board

[41:41] remains intent on moving the Highway 92

[41:44] data center project forward.

[41:47] There is no realistic way to

[41:49] meaningfully strengthen the current

[41:50] ordinance to protect surrounding

[41:52] homeowners while keeping the developers

[41:54] committed. We are told this project is

[41:57] not going anywhere. The board wants it.

[42:00] That's exactly why I'm here. Under the

[42:02] teapot, data centers are effectively

[42:04] allowed by right specifically listed

[42:07] parcels covering roughly 995 acres. The

[42:10] developer does not need a full reszoning

[42:13] or special use permit.

[42:15] These properties were effectively

[42:17] spot-zoned. Our constitution does not

[42:20] permit government to create special

[42:22] privileges for a few at the expense of

[42:25] the many.

[42:26] Georgia law and the principles of due

[42:28] process and equal protection under both

[42:30] the Georgia and United States

[42:32] Constitution reject singling out

[42:34] discrete tracks for preferential

[42:37] treatment.

[42:39] Spot zoning that favors a particular

[42:41] project without a clear relation to the

[42:43] broader public health, safety, and

[42:46] welfare is unconstitutional.

[42:49] Naming specific parcels and granting

[42:52] them a use unavailable to surrounding

[42:54] property is precisely the special

[42:56] treatment the Constitution forbids.

[43:00] Neighboring owners were denied the same

[43:02] notice and opportunity to be heard that

[43:04] a conventional resoning requires. That's

[43:07] a preferential treatment and it cannot

[43:09] stand.

[43:11] Why is it acceptable to tell homeowners

[43:13] they can just sell out to the

[43:14] developers?

[43:16] That is not an answer. That is a

[43:18] dismissal of people who built their

[43:20] entire lives here. Families should not

[43:22] be forced to abandon their homes and

[43:24] neighborhoods they invested in simply so

[43:26] a flawed project can expand.

[43:30] Telling people their only option to sell

[43:32] is pressure and not justice.

[43:35] This raises a serious question about the

[43:37] advice the board received. Our county

[43:40] attorneys are charged with giving sound

[43:42] legal counsel. They know the

[43:43] consequences of advancing major land use

[43:46] changes with limited public notice. They

[43:49] lived through the long

[43:52] I'm sorry.

[43:55] They lived through the long airport

[43:56] industrialization controversy. If the

[43:59] county attorneys warn you this ordinance

[44:01] would face constitutional challenge and

[44:03] you proceeded anyway, the public

[44:06] deserves to know why.

[44:08] The lack of proper notice, the

[44:10] appearance of preferential treatment,

[44:12] and the spot zoning problems were all

[44:14] foreseeable.

[44:15] The board cannot claim to be studying

[44:17] the issue while also signaling that this

[44:20] particular project will proceed and that

[44:22] the ordinance cannot be strengthened

[44:24] without losing the developer. Because

[44:26] the teapod was adopted through a process

[44:28] that violates due process and equal pro

[44:31] protection under the law and because it

[44:33] functions as unconstitutional spot

[44:35] zoning. It is not merely flawed, it's

[44:37] invalid.

[44:39] An ordinance that cannot withstand

[44:42] constitutional scrutiny cannot be

[44:45] patched into compliance. The only lawful

[44:48] remedy is complete repeal.

[44:51] The board has both the authority and the

[44:55] duty to repeal it. Anything less leaves

[44:58] in place a framework that treats some

[45:00] owners differently and denies them the

[45:02] process the constitution requires. We do

[45:05] not want to live in an AI surveillance

[45:07] state or under a digital currency

[45:08] controlled by these facilities. Do you

[45:11] want your do you want that for your

[45:13] children and your grandchildren? This is

[45:15] not a legal issue. It is a question of

[45:17] whether we will treat our neighbors as

[45:19] the law and the faith requires. Many of

[45:22] you profess the Christian faith as do I.

[45:25] Scripture is clear. Romans 13:9 tells us

[45:29] the commandments are summed up in the

[45:31] single rule. Love your neighbor as

[45:33] yourself.

[45:35] Galatians 5:14 says the entire law is

[45:38] fulfilled in that same command. Loving

[45:40] your neighbor means protecting the

[45:42] homes, the peace, and the rightful

[45:44] expectations of the families who live

[45:46] next to these parcels, not creating

[45:48] special rules that pressure them to sell

[45:50] or that privilege one developer over

[45:53] equal treatment for everyone.

[45:55] It means refusing to sacrifice the many

[45:59] for the preferences of the few. If we

[46:03] truly love our neighbors, we will not

[46:05] allow a constitutionally flawed process

[46:07] to stand. Will this board choose to love

[46:10] its neighbors by treating every property

[46:12] owner equally under the law?

[46:15] Will you protect the families who built

[46:17] their lives here or force them to sell

[46:20] so a favored project can expand?

[46:23] » Will you stand for the Constitution

[46:26] or defend special privileges for a few?

[46:29] » Thank you.

[46:30] » Thank you, Miss Wen. [applause]

[46:33] Next is Miss uh Mr. Panel on data

[46:37] centers and Richard Chappelle will be

[46:40] next in the

[46:48] » Good afternoon commissioners.

[46:51] I think the last two speakers summed

[46:53] everything up for the most part. But I

[46:56] will tell you this, over the last three

[46:58] or four months,

[47:00] everything that I've dug into and

[47:02] everything that the folks out here and

[47:04] in the community have asked for open

[47:06] records and sent to me without me

[47:09] asking.

[47:12] There's not a whole lot in the open

[47:14] records that tell us that there's been a

[47:17] whole lot of work and due diligence and

[47:19] research in this event.

[47:22] Not through the open records doesn't say

[47:24] it. Then through conversations that I've

[47:27] had with maybe commissioners, staff, and

[47:31] different people,

[47:33] private conversations that we've talked

[47:35] about, they've talked about different

[47:37] things. Some of them said one of them

[47:39] one time I asked I said hey when did

[47:42] y'all start this in January of 25 and

[47:44] they said no started it in March. I

[47:46] think it was March. I'm pretty sure it

[47:48] was March. Then I was told May of 25. So

[47:54] March to August when it was approved is

[47:57] five months. May is three months. So,

[48:01] not a whole lot of time and effort and

[48:04] research. In my view, according to what

[48:07] I've heard from some of y'all and from

[48:10] staff and from the open records, does

[48:14] not show a whole lot of research has

[48:17] been done.

[48:18] The folks in the county have brought you

[48:21] all kind of things. And I know people

[48:22] talk about the environment and they talk

[48:24] about all kind of different things, but

[48:27] they they brought you true stats, real

[48:30] stuff. And I know there's stuff out

[48:32] there on YouTube. I get that, but they

[48:34] brought you great information.

[48:37] Now, it's also been told, and I've heard

[48:40] it, that, hey, all you had to do was

[48:44] look in the paper. Y'all know what was

[48:46] put in the paper. And that's not true.

[48:49] Not for the average citizen. Not for the

[48:51] above average citizen, not for anybody

[48:53] would have known what you were doing and

[48:56] where you were doing it.

[48:58] They've also been said, some comments

[49:00] have also been made said, hey, they

[49:03] could have bought the property.

[49:06] The owners of the property bought the

[49:08] property zoned the way it was zoned

[49:10] around the people that live there. And

[49:12] that's what we know is that zoning. When

[49:15] something gets reszoned, it's all about

[49:17] the people that live around it, not

[49:19] about the land owner. It's not. I bought

[49:23] my place and plan to live there forever.

[49:26] Julie and I fostered kids for a lot of

[49:29] years, almost 17 different boys, helped

[49:33] raise them, and adopted two, and my

[49:35] family plans to stay on my property.

[49:39] So, we want to talk about the facts.

[49:42] I shouldn't have to go to bed at night.

[49:46] These people shouldn't have to go to bed

[49:47] at night. Nobody in our community should

[49:50] have to go to bed at night and wonder

[49:52] what's being done in the newspaper.

[49:55] It shouldn't happen like that. There

[49:57] should be reasonzoning. There should be

[49:59] signs up. There should be a every piece

[50:02] of property in the county should be

[50:03] reszoned if it's going to be reszoned

[50:07] that specific property, not go and do a

[50:11] blanket overlay like what y'all have

[50:12] done. And then I could get into a lot of

[50:16] things

[50:17] and I won't mention names,

[50:20] but did y'all hire Brandon Bowen as an

[50:23] attorney to work on this project?

[50:27] Because the the emails that the open

[50:29] record emails

[50:32] indicate that y'all hired Brandon Bowman

[50:37] and he went to what was called the

[50:39] enduser

[50:41] and made sure that he brought back the

[50:43] information

[50:45] to you all

[50:47] to get you all to do what he needed

[50:50] done. And when I look at the open

[50:53] records, it seems as everybody, the

[50:56] developer, the land owner, this attorney

[50:59] from Carterville, everybody knew about

[51:01] what was going on except for the

[51:03] citizens.

[51:05] And I'm going to end it with this.

[51:09] Y'all have got to extend the moratorum

[51:13] March 31st of next year minimum.

[51:17] If you just let that moratorum ride and

[51:20] January 1 comes while everybody's at

[51:23] home and on vacation, including you all,

[51:26] what's going to happen on January 4th?

[51:31] You going to have a called meeting and

[51:33] fix it? Y'all can fix this right now. My

[51:37] family and these families in this

[51:39] county, they all deserve you to fix it.

[51:42] Extend the moratorum because you're

[51:44] going to be caught in trouble if you

[51:46] don't. Extend the morator.

[51:49] » Thank you so much and have a great day.

[51:52] [cheering]

[51:53] [applause]

[51:57] » Chappelle. [applause]

[52:05] Good afternoon. My name is Richard

[52:07] Chappelle. I'm a resident of Pauling

[52:09] County. Uh I live off of Brownsville and

[52:12] Ronald Drive, very close to where you

[52:14] have this data center.

[52:16] I I'm going to I understand how I sound.

[52:19] I'm not an elected official, but I am a

[52:22] civil servant and I'm going to speak

[52:23] civil servant to civil servant. So, if I

[52:25] sound all crazy, it don't take it

[52:27] personally.

[52:29] [sighs] These data centers, this isn't

[52:31] the normal kind of data center. A

[52:33] regular data center for internet, that

[52:35] kind of thing, that's about the size of

[52:36] an Exxon gas station. This is a hypers

[52:38] scale data center that uses more power

[52:40] than the entire county. And when you

[52:44] when you have that energy, when it comes

[52:47] from energy to electricity, you have

[52:49] basically you have sound, you have

[52:51] light, you have heat. And the amount

[52:53] that that's going to generate that close

[52:55] to people's homes, 100 foot barrier is

[52:57] not going to stop that. You know, you're

[53:00] already seeing in Texas and in Oregon,

[53:02] they have brownouts, they have power

[53:04] outages, and a brown out, I don't know

[53:07] about you, you guys can see my salary

[53:09] because I'm a state employee. I can't

[53:11] afford to just continuously replace my

[53:14] equipment or my utilities because of

[53:16] brownouts.

[53:19] And this this stuff that they're talking

[53:22] about about China, it it's not competing

[53:25] with China. These companies are

[53:26] competing with other AI companies and

[53:29] their profits.

[53:31] [clears throat] As one company runs out

[53:33] of money, it borrows money from another

[53:35] AI company. Nvidia,

[53:37] all of these companies. And I understand

[53:39] that this is kind of dork level stuff,

[53:41] but you know, this is what I specialize

[53:42] in. This is what y'all's tax money goes

[53:44] to make me be good at. They've got this

[53:47] circle of like buying and selling and

[53:50] profiting off their own product. But

[53:52] that that circle doesn't include us. I

[53:55] mean, this what they're doing is

[53:56] basically Enron on a massive level. And

[53:59] we're going to be stuck with the

[54:00] consequences.

[54:02] I mean, you're already seeing that with

[54:03] some of these places that they the air

[54:05] pollution that they're bringing in from

[54:07] diesel, depending on how they that goes

[54:10] in the air that doesn't just stay there.

[54:12] That comes down in the form of acid

[54:14] rain.

[54:15] Pauling County is a very green county.

[54:17] It's a county I love to live in. I can,

[54:20] you know, I can almost be

[54:21] self-sufficient, you know, grow my own

[54:22] food, do what I need to do. Not going to

[54:25] be able to do that with that kind of

[54:26] heat, noise, acid rain, and air

[54:30] pollution. And it's not like dropping a

[54:32] bomb. It's not going to happen

[54:33] immediately. It's one of these things

[54:35] that happens over time. And you're

[54:38] already seeing in some of these other

[54:39] states once it comes in, there's no

[54:41] protection for us. There's no protection

[54:43] for the residents. You know, like this

[54:45] gentleman who came before me said, I I

[54:48] plan on pretty much dying in my home in

[54:50] Paul County. It it's great. I love it

[54:51] there. I don't want to have to live a

[54:55] couple of feet from a data center

[54:57] because

[54:59] where they have it on Tidwell Road, they

[55:00] keep trying to say it as Tidwell and 92.

[55:02] It is the entirety of Tidwell Road. And

[55:05] for anyone here, and I know gas is

[55:08] expensive, but go down Tidwell Road so

[55:10] you can just see just how large of a

[55:13] scale that this is planning on being.

[55:15] And I I'm not accusing you guys. I'm not

[55:18] going to talk crazy you guys, but I

[55:19] don't think it was explained in detail

[55:21] like this when they pitched it. You

[55:24] know, they probably just pitched it as,

[55:25] oh, it's great. It's a future. It's

[55:27] going to make all this money.

[55:29] If it's going to make all this money, if

[55:31] it's so great, why are the companies

[55:32] that are pushing it, why are their CEOs

[55:35] moving to other countries where they

[55:36] don't have data centers? They're not

[55:38] putting them in their backyards. They're

[55:39] putting in hours and they're leaving

[55:42] because they know that it's a house of

[55:44] cards.

[55:46] You know, I mean, they're trying to say

[55:48] all this good stuff, but you know,

[55:50] they're getting our power. They're

[55:52] getting our water. And, you know, I hate

[55:54] to quote AC/DC here, but we're getting

[55:56] the dirty D that's done dirt cheap.

[55:59] And I want to leave you with one thing

[56:02] that has stuck with me my whole life

[56:05] because I wasn't always on the right

[56:06] side of law and technology. And it is

[56:09] Matthew 16:23. For what profit is of a

[56:12] man if he gains the whole world and

[56:14] loses his own soul? Thank you.

[56:17] [applause]

[56:22] » Thank everyone of y'all. And uh there's

[56:25] no executive session uh at this time. So

[56:29] we will adjourn. But I need a motion to

[56:32] adjourn.

[56:35] » Motion to adjurnn. Miss Caker, is there

[56:38] a second?

[56:39] » Second.

[56:40] » Mr. Snyder, all in favor signify with

[56:43] uplifted hand.

[56:45] » We are adjourned. Y'all have a great

[56:47] evening.

BOC Board Meeting (09/08/2026)

Transcript