On the agenda: Lancaster minutes 07-13-2026 — DATA CENTER (Jul 13)

GARRARD COUNTY FISCAL COURT REGULAR MEETING HON. CHRISTOPHER T. ELLEMAN PRESIDING JULY 13 , 2026 @ 6 :00 PM 15 PUBLIC SQUARE, LANCASTER, KY 40444 The me eting was called to order by Judge/Exec utive Chris Elleman. Opening prayer by Damon Johnson . Opening Pledge of Allegiance led by Willie Skeens. MAGISTRATES PRESENT: Glendan Ba r ker, Bobby Preston, Wayne Day, Chris Butner and Chris Davis IN RE: 1 ST READING OF DATA CENTER ORDINANCE Judge/Executive Elleman went over some of the main points of the Data Center Ordinance. He said at this time there have been no Data Centers who have reached out to Garrard County. They have spoken to legal counsel at KACo . Garrard County does not have planning and zoning so they could not institute a moratorium. He said the community will know about any proposals in advance. Beth Carlin from District 4 was in attendance. She believes that the state should be looking at Data Centers more deeply, as opposed to passing the burden to the county level. She quoted Proverbs 15:22 which says, “Plans succeed through many advisers”. She said we need more advisors on how Data Centers will impact our long-term quality of life. There are devastating impacts to local animals, nocturnal species and critical migration patterns. She expressed concern over the threat of big tech, or hyperscale tech companies. She thinks the Ordinance should be strict and ironclad. She questioned how changes can be made to the Ordinance and how those changes should be presented. She proposed a Code of Ethics Ordinance amendment that states “No elected official, appointed official, or employee of Garrard County, acting in an official capacity, shall execute or be bound by any nondisclosure agreement, confidentiality agreement, or similar contract with a private developer regarding Data Centers. No city or county official should ever sign an NDA that restricts the disclosure of public business negotiations, public expenditures, or governmental decision making except where confidentiality is expressly required by state or federal law.” She said transparency encourages better decision making and accountability. Judge/Executive Elleman said anyone could get a copy of the Ordinance tonight. The community can reach out to him with any changes needed for the Ordinance. He said this administration and this court have shown over the last four years that they don’t do backdoor politics. The court tries to be as transparent as possible, with postings on Facebook and the county website. He said the biggest platform that pushes AI for Data Centers is Facebook, and that is caused by us. Our Ordinance is based off of the Kentucky Resource Council model Ordinance. Angela Lee, from Boyle County, was in attendance. She suggested talking to residents who live around Data Centers to see what they are doing to them. She said the noises disrupt horses and beef cattle. Ellen Hop was in attendance. She wanted to know the time frame of the second reading of the Ordinance and the process. Judge/Executive Elleman told her the second reading would take place on July 27, 2026. Her big concern was with the water quality. She is a former environmental consultant and said it is frightening about what could happen. Dix River is threatened. She also suggested a robust screening process in choosing a third-party consultant that will review applications for Data Centers Kenneth Hurt was in attendance. He thinks we need a vote from the citizens within the city and the county to get an overall picture of what they think about a Data Center. He’s concerned about what is happening in Burgin, Boyle, Jessamine and Madison as we have a common water source. These Data Centers use a tremendous amount of water to cool their systems. He doesn’t want to be told that he is restricted on his personal water usage. He thinks we’ve opened the door for a Data Center to come in. Judge/Executive Elleman said it’s crucial to get something done for our protection before the Data Centers do try to come in. He thinks that is what the court is doing right now. Magistrate Glendan Barker stated he had concerns over the setback limit. The Ordinance currently says one thousand five hundred (1,500) feet and he would like to have that number changed to two thousand (2,000) feet. He said the noise never stops and a bigger setback would help. Magistrate Davis agreed. Mary Jane McKenzie from Burgin was in attendance. She said the Data Center in Burgin has sound that will travel for a mile and a half to two miles, which will go to Shakertown . A motion was made to approve the First Reading of the Data Ordinance , with the setback s changed to two thousand (2,000) feet, by Magistrate Barker and seconded by Magistrate Davis. All in favor. IN RE: PUBLIC COMMENTS Greg McNeill was in attendance. He just wanted to introduce himself as Senator Rand Paul’s new field representative for the area and to make himself available. IN RE: OLD BUSINESS The fireworks show went well. There was one tragic accident at Herrington Lake over the holiday. Ben Naylor Rd has been blacktopped. There will be a delay with the mow trim as the road department is still working on flood damaged roadways to make them passable. IN RE: PLATS Simpson Rd – four lots behind the house that was sold on Burdette’s Knob. Tract A is 8 acres, Tract B is 7 acres, Tract C is 10 acres, Tract D is 17 acres, and Tract E is 4.3 acres. They all have road frontage and access. He does need approval since it’s over three tracts. A motion was made to approve by Magistrate Preston and seconded by Magistrate Day. All in favor. Maupin Rd – four tracts. Tract A is 5.8 acres, Tract B is 4 acres , Tract C is 4.1 acres, and Tract D is 4.3 acre s. A motion was made to approve by Magistrate Davis and seconded by Magistrate Butner. All in favor. Tanyard Branch – front tract with 15 lots. All lots have been approved by the Environmentalist. Mike Powers and Freddie Green were in attendance. Mr. Powers said they were told several times along the way that no approval would be given if the pending issues regarding Mr. Green’s easement weren’t resolved. Judge/ Executive Elleman replied th a t he said they would not approve any lots with Mr. Green’s easement running through it, which this plat does not have. Mr. Powers spoke specifically about the easement being impacted . Judge/Executive Elleman stated that the Fiscal Court does not have any involvement since it is a civil issue . Mr. Powers also thinks that Tanyard Branch needs to be widened due to the increase in potential residents. Mr. Green would like the vote on the plat to be held off until the easement is surveyed to know exactly where it is at. Doug Gooch , with AGE Engineering, was in attendance on behalf of the developer , and said they’ve mapped the easement and they’ve reserved a 30-foot non-buildable, non-saleable lot, to help protect Mr. Green. Mr. Green has an issue with the water flowing through messing up his easement and Brian Smith also mentioned the increase in water. Mr. Gooch said they have done nothing yet to increase the volume of water . Continued discussion occurred unrelated to the plat. Mr. Green again asked to hold off the vote on the plat until they get something settled or get the survey done. Judge/Executive Elleman reiterated that the Fiscal Court has nothing to do with his easement or the property. Magistrate Barker would like to table the approval of this plat until the next meeting and a second was made by Magistrate Day. All in favor. I N RE: APPROVE COURT MINUTES June 29 , 2026 , minutes were presented. A m otion was made to approve by Magistrate Davis and seconded by Magistrate Day . All in favor. IN RE: APPROVE TRANSFERS From: To: General Fund $ 1,096.62 General Fund 01- 5101-314-0 01- 5101-521-0 Contracts W/ Other Counties Jailers Insurance Road Fund $ 7,821.73 Road Fund 02-9200-999-0 02-6105-471-0 Reserve for Transfer Road Salt Road Fund $ 665.72 Road Fund 02-9200-9990 02-6105-521-0 Reserve for Transfer Road Insurance A motion was made to approve the transfers by Magistrate Preston and seconded by Magistrate B utn er . All in favor. IN RE: APPROVE BILLS TO BE PAID 01 – GENERAL FUND 911 Billing Services $ 6,222.90 Airgas USA, LLC $1,581.54 Amazon Capital Services $157.31 Amerigas $1,528.37 Animal Care Center $55.00 Kentucky State Treasurer $4,41 5.00 Bluegrass Emergency Response Team $2,750.00 Bluegrass Area Development District $2.480.26 Boundtree $ 3,485.17 CASA of Lexington $5,000.00 Central Record $ 571.53 Central Kentucky Sheet Metal, Inc. $5,120.00 Danville Office Equipment $ 1,264.47 Danville Office Equipment $ 501.26 Danville Office Equipment $ 456.58 Enterprise FM Trust $ 6,813.21 Environmental Waste Systems $89.00 Epperson $1,103.99 Foamfrat LLC $4,549.65 Garrard Quick Lube $ 774.75 Garrard Hardware $ 171.46 Good Neighbor Pharmacy $291.75 Greenscapes $ 1, 590 .00 Harp Enterprises, Inc. $ 1,683.70 Highbridge Springs Water Co, Inc. $ 10.00 Jennifer Seagraves $103.50 Kentucky Association of Counties $ 254,488.41 KACO Workers Compensation Fund $67,745.70 Kentucky Uniform $ 902.75 Ky Dept Rev ACH $ 53.05 Nuesynergy $150.00 Pitney Bowes Bank Inc Purchase Power $65.92 United States Treasury $241.92 We x Bank General $ 6,260.26 Wilson Construction $4,275.00 02 – ROAD FUND The Allen Company $ 1,859. 9 7 Cammle Ford $ 5,625.00 Crawford Asphalt $5,780.00 DMB Contracting, LLC $1,429.24 Enterprise FM Trust $ 7,116.47 Garrard Hardware $ 57.97 Highbridge Springs Water Co, Inc $ 22.00 Hornback Construction Company $143,637.32 Kentucky Association of Counties $55,665.72 KACO Workers Comp Fund $12,047.31 Mago Construction Company LLC $ 2,433.75 Mason Brothers $84.99 Moore’s Mobile Service $ 100.00 Morton Salt $57,821.73 Performance Feeds LLC $ 161.73 Power Plan $ 214.67 Weldquip $14.79 We x Bank Road $5, 840.38 13 – SOLID WASTE FUND Enterprise FM Trust $ 5.00 Kentucky Association of Counties $990.00 Kaco Workers Compensation Fund $328.68 Wex SW $ 259.83 A motion was made to approve the bills by Magistrate Preston and seconded by Magistrate Davis . All in favor. IN RE: APPROVE LAST MONTH’S FINANCIAL STATEMENT Judge/Executive Elleman stated that we had a goal of starting the year off at $9M and we started at $9.4M. A motion was made to approve the June 2026 financial statement by Magistrate Day and seconded by Magistrate Butner . All in favor. IN RE : OLD RAILROAD GRADE ROAD BRIDGE UPDATE Cammle Ford was in attendance . He said progress is moving on exceptionally well. Right now, they are close to 40% finished. They will be backfilling tomorrow. They will set the box beams next Tuesday. He said the bridge rails are six to eight weeks out. IN RE: STORM REPAIR UPDATE EMA Director, Wanda Shelton, was in attendance. She has been doing a lot of damage assessments, mainly public assistance. Any time she does an assessment on a road, each stop signifies an entry. The following list of roads for public assistance were entered into Survey 123: Jack Black Rd – 11 entries Jess Ray Rd – 1 entry mudslide Long Branch – 5 entries Teatersville Rd – 7 entries Bradshaw – 3 entries Bethel Church – 3 entries Hall Rd – 1 entry Tommy Murphy – 4 entries Sad Lane – 2 entries Old Railroad Grade Rd – 1 entry Hershel/Isaacs – 2 entries Broaddus Branch – 3 entries Three Forks N – every entry into and out of the creek Locust – 1 entry Boones Creek – 1 entry Bill Layton – 2 entries Tanyard Branch – 1 entry Ben Naylor – 1 entry She also had debris removal from Long Branch, Teatersville, Bradshaw & Jack Black. Last week they called and requested FEMA go with them to do the assessments. Today they did fifteen total individual assessment inspections and of the fifteen, nine were affected, five were minor, and one was major. Now they have to wait for the President to declare as an emergency or not. Wanda commended the county road department for doing a fantastic job in getting the county roads passable. IN RE: BOONES CREEK ROAD An estimate was presented from Crawford Asphalt in the amount of $9,984.00 to repair the washed-out road on Boones Creek Rd. Judge/Executive Elleman said next year from KY-52 to the bridge will have to be blacktopped. A motion was made to approve the Boones Creek Rd repair by Magistrate Davis and seconded by Magistrate Barker. All in favor. IN RE: EMS NEW AMBULANCE BIDS Judge/Executive Elleman needed a motion to allow the court to start accepting bids for a new ambulance purchase. A motion was made to allow by Magistrate Butner and seconded by Magistrate Day. All in favor. IN RE: COUNTY SURPLUS LIST A list of furniture/equipment items was presented that are currently being stored in the basement of the County Attorney/PVA office. This inventory consists of numerous chairs and dishes, as well as other office equipment and small items. Judge/Executive Elleman needs approval to be able to surplus these items. A motion was made to surplus the inventory by Magistrate Davis and seconded by Magistrate Preston. All in favor. IN RE: OPIOID ABATEMENT UPDATE Judge/Executive Elleman presented the KYOAAC Annual Report regarding Opioid funding that was recently filed . The fund ended the year with $405,429.62. The account is restricted on what the funding can be spent on. Gunner Heise with the Jessamine County Jail said they’ve hired a re-entry coordinator for the jail to help people who are addicted. He suggested this may be something that Garrard County can look into for use in some of the funds. IN RE: EXECUTIVE SESSION Judge/Executive Elleman needed a motion to enter Executive Session to discuss litigation. A motion was made by Magistrate Barker and seconded by Magistrate Butner . A motion was made to exit Executive Session by Magistrate Preston and seconded by Magistrate Day . No action was taken. IN RE: ADJOURN MEETING A motion was made to adjourn by Magistrate Butner and seconded by Magistrate Da vis . Hon ________________________________ Garrard County Judge/Executive