Adams County commissioners face data center questions amid routine business

Adams County commissioners spent Monday on bills, transfers, contracts and a bridge discussion on Brush Creek Road, but the biggest issue in the room was a data center fight that still had no formal proposal, no site plan and no financial commitment.

That uncertainty hangs over a project that could require 1,300 megawatts of electricity by 2032 near the Stuart Substation, according to an AES Ohio filing with PJM Interconnect. WCPO reported that a load that large would put the project among the biggest in Ohio and far beyond Adams County’s own electricity consumption, which is why the debate has shifted quickly from rumor to countywide concern.

Public comment reflected that pressure. Emily Harper and Nikki Gerber pushed commissioners on transparency and leadership, while Gerber raised the possibility of local ordinances in Winchester, Manchester and Seaman and asked whether the county would consider a countywide moratorium if those villages acted. Barbara Moore Holt said the board had no formal plans or written proposals in hand, though she said commissioners had spoken with Amazon representatives. Jason Hayslip said residents’ reactions have been mixed.

The county’s silence on a formal deal is now part of the controversy. Officials said earlier in April that no proposal had been submitted and that Adams County remained in an early exploratory stage. That leaves open the questions that matter most to residents: what land would be used, what infrastructure would have to be built, whether incentives or other public support would be offered, and who would capture the financial benefit if the project moves ahead.

Those questions have already spilled beyond the courthouse. Residents filled a March 2 commissioners meeting with questions about water protections, power demand and transparency. Protesters gathered on the courthouse square in West Union on February 28, and Sprigg Township adopted a 12-month data center moratorium in late February. Monroe Township followed with its own 12-month moratorium in early March.

County officials have said they would consider bringing in electric utilities, water-system representatives and state regulators if a proposal advances. That list shows how many layers of daily life could be touched, from utility strain to road impacts to the county’s tax future. The issue is no longer just about one parcel or one company. It is becoming a test of how much of Adams County’s land, power and public resources can be committed before residents see a signed plan.

The fight is widening statewide as well. On April 2, the Ohio Ballot Board unanimously certified a proposed constitutional amendment that would prohibit data centers with a peak load above 25 megawatts, and organizers said the petition was circulating in 73 of Ohio’s 88 counties. In Adams County, where the board also handled the usual routine business, the data center question overshadowed everything else and remains far from settled.