Granville Voters to Decide Charter Amendment Prohibiting Large Data Centers
The citizen-initiated ballot measure would bar facilities drawing more than 25 megawatts of electricity.
Electors in the Village of Granville are scheduled to vote Tuesday, Nov. 3, on a proposed charter amendment that would prohibit data centers with peak electrical loads greater than 25 megawatts. The petition defines that threshold as enough energy to power approximately 20,000 households.
Council members voted 7-0 to approve the ordinance authorizing the Licking County Board of Elections to submit the question for the Nov. 3 general election. Council members also passed a motion to declare an emergency by a 7-0 vote.
The village law director advised that council's role in authorizing the charter amendment is perfunctory under Supreme Court precedent. The law director stated that council cannot pass on constitutionality or change the wording. If council were to fail to get the charter amendment to the board of elections and there was not a general election within 60 days, the village would have to pay for a special election for said charter amendment to go on the ballot. Mayor Hartfield stated that council has this approved and it will be on the ballot, after Councilmember Morrow asked if any of the language could be modified.
Resident Tracee Laing stated that she initiated the stop data centers petitions in Granville. Volunteers collected more than the required signatures and submitted them before the Sept. 4 deadline. She asked the Village Council to vote to put the citizens' initiative prohibiting data centers on the November ballot, stating that electric bills are going up and anyone living near a data center is subjected to around-the-clock noise. Licking County already has 49 data centers, with AEP Ohio projecting new power demand at approximately 5,700 megawatts.
Resident Ken Apacki recommended submitting the question to voters, calling data centers heavy industrial polluters with emissions 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Apacki warned that facilities taking electricity from the regional grid also install 20 or 30 emergency generators that run on diesel fuel and produce emissions during testing and maintenance.
Legislation on the ballot measure was made available for review at the village offices on East Broadway, according to the notice published by Clerk of Council Autumn Klein.
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Supporting evidence (5)
Electors in the Village of Granville are scheduled to vote Tuesday, Nov. 3, on a proposed charter amendment that would prohibit data centers with peak electrical loads greater than 25 megawatts.
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ORDINANCE NO. 21-2026 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE LICKING COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS TO SUBMIT A BALLOT QUESTION TO THE ELECTORS OF THE VILLAGE OF GRANVILLE UPON THE NOVEMBER 3, 2026 GENERAL ELECTION WHETHER THE CHARTER OF THE VILLAGE OF GRANVILLE SHALL BE AMENDED TO ADD SECTION 10.12 TO ARTICLE X, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY
Council members voted 7-0 to approve the ordinance authorizing the Licking County Board of Elections to submit the question for the Nov. 3 general election.
Read supporting passage
ORDINANCE NO. 21-2026 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE LICKING COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS TO SUBMIT A BALLOT QUESTION TO THE ELECTORS OF THE VILLAGE OF GRANVILLE UPON THE NOVEMBER 3, 2026 GENERAL ELECTION WHETHER THE CHARTER OF THE VILLAGE OF GRANVILLE SHALL BE AMENDED TO ADD SECTION 10.12 TO ARTICLE X, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY
The village law director advised that council's role in authorizing the charter amendment is perfunctory under Supreme Court precedent.
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Law Director stated point of order. Council's role in authorizing a charter amendment to go to the Board of Elections is perfunctory, as the Mayor mentioned.
The law director stated that council cannot pass on constitutionality or change the wording.
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Law Director stated point of order. Council's role in authorizing a charter amendment to go to the Board of Elections is perfunctory, as the Mayor mentioned. You can't pass on constitutionality. You can't pass on, we should change the wording.
Mayor Hartfield stated that council has this approved and it will be on the ballot, after Councilmember Morrow asked if any of the language could be modified.
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Mayor Hartfield stated that Council is voting on this, but the truth is they have this approved and it will be on the ballot. Councilmember Morrow asked if any of the language could be modified.
Supporting evidence (8)
Electors in the Village of Granville are scheduled to vote Tuesday, Nov. 3, on a proposed charter amendment that would prohibit data centers with peak electrical loads greater than 25 megawatts.
Read supporting passage
The petition prohibits data centers with peak loads of greater than 25 megawatts, enough energy to power approximately 20,000 households.
The petition defines that threshold as enough energy to power approximately 20,000 households.
Read supporting passage
The petition prohibits data centers with peak loads of greater than 25 megawatts, enough energy to power approximately 20,000 households.
Resident Tracee Laing stated that she initiated the stop data centers petitions in Granville.
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Tracee Laing, 494 N Granger, stated that she is the resident that initiated the stop data centers petitions in Granville.
Volunteers collected more than the required signatures and submitted them before the Sept. 4 deadline.
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Our volunteers gathered more than the required number of signatures and submitted them before the September 4 deadline.
She asked the Village Council to vote to put the citizens' initiative prohibiting data centers on the November ballot, stating that electric bills are going up and anyone living near a data center is subjected to around-the-clock noise.
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Our electric bills are going up, along with the emissions from power production. Massive amounts of water are in use for both power production and data center cooling. Forever chemicals are added to the water, and we are left to clean up the mess. If you live near a data center, you are subjected to around- the-clock noise. Companies are giving huge tax breaks for producing very few long-term jobs, with no responsibility for environmental degradation or requirement to dismantle facilities when they have outlived their use. I'm here to ask the Village Council to vote to put the citizens' initiative prohibiting data centers on the November ballot.
Licking County already has 49 data centers, with AEP Ohio projecting new power demand at approximately 5,700 megawatts.
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Licking County already has 49 data centers. AEP Ohio projects new power demand at approximately 5,700 megawatts. That's enough to power 100% of the households in all of Ohio.
Resident Ken Apacki recommended submitting the question to voters, calling data centers heavy industrial polluters with emissions 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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Ken Apacki, 21 Old Sycamore Ln, provided a handout along with his comments. I am recommending that Council authorize the Board of Elections to submit a ballot question on data centers to the citizens of the Village of Granville. Looking at the Intel permit and looking at natural gas generation and one permit for a data center that will be generating its own electricity, we see that data centers are heavy industrial polluters. They will emit nitrous oxides, volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, and a lot more. These emissions will be 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Apacki warned that facilities taking electricity from the regional grid also install 20 or 30 emergency generators that run on diesel fuel and produce emissions during testing and maintenance.
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Even data centers that get their electric power from the grid have 20 or 30 emergency generators alongside their building that use diesel fuel for the engines. They will be testing and maintaining these engines on a regular basis, creating similar emissions.
Supporting evidence (4)
Council members voted 7-0 to approve the ordinance authorizing the Licking County Board of Elections to submit the question for the Nov. 3 general election.
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Mayor Hartfield called for a roll call vote on Ordinance No. 21-2026. Councilmember Mickelson (yes), Councilmember Morrow (yes), Councilmember Demarest (yes), Councilmember Keethler Ball (yes), Councilmember Mickelson (yes), Vice Mayor Johnson (yes), Mayor Hartfield (yes) Motion passed by a vote of 7-0
Council members also passed a motion to declare an emergency by a 7-0 vote.
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Mayor Hartfield called for a roll call vote on the emergency. Councilmember Leithauser (yes), Councilmember Mickelson (yes), Councilmember Morrow (yes), Councilmember Demarest (yes), Councilmember Keethler Ball (yes), Vice Mayor Johnson (yes), Mayor Hartfield (yes) Motion passed by a vote of 7-0
The village law director advised that council's role in authorizing the charter amendment is perfunctory under Supreme Court precedent.
Read supporting passage
Supreme Court precedent and recent Ohio Supreme Court rulings, if they've got the signatures, all we can do is forthwith get it to the Board of Elections for them to put it on the ballot.
If council were to fail to get the charter amendment to the board of elections and there was not a general election within 60 days, the village would have to pay for a special election for said charter amendment to go on the ballot.
Read supporting passage
Supreme Court precedent and recent Ohio Supreme Court rulings, if they've got the signatures, all we can do is forthwith get it to the Board of Elections for them to put it on the ballot. If Council were to fail to do that, and there wasn't a general election within 60 days, then you would have to pay for a special election for said charter amendment to go on the ballot.
https://www.noticeregistry.com/ohio/notice/public-hearing-granville-314012
Supporting evidence (1)
Legislation on the ballot measure was made available for review at the village offices on East Broadway, according to the notice published by Clerk of Council Autumn Klein.
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All legislation is available for review at the Village Offices during regular business hours, Monday through Friday from 8:00am - 4:30pm. The Village Offices are located at 141 East Broadway, Granville. Autumn Klein, Clerk of Council