Lee County Commissioners hear data center opposition, approve budget

Fervent opposition to the proposed data center dominated the public comments period at the June 15 Lee County Commissioners’ meeting.

They listed many of the same reasons they had voiced since the first hint of its inception. Citizens said they felt betrayed, ignored and threatened.They questioned how a data center was classified as “light” industrial.

One citizen questioned why the commissioners ignored a board member’s motion for a moratorium and threatened legal action due to conflict of interest when that citizen said he had evidence two board members worked for PointOne Data Center.

Citizens asked the board to appoint a committee of citizen scientists from the local community.

Citizen R. Deece from Cary questioned the approval process of the $900 million proposed data center. She asked if a study on emergency service responses had been conducted for a project of “this magnitude” and asked how to read the study.

Further, retired attorney Eric Evanson reminded the board they still had the power to enforce a moratorium, that some members had “material confusion,” plus, citizens had a signed petition. “It is not too late…The law is designed to be reasonable and just.

Read the petition here.

Read the Aug. meeting coverage on the PointOne Data Center’s stakeholders when they presented the proposal for a light industrial business park, Trustwell, here.

Citizen Amy Hall (in the above image at the podium) shared an audio of a data center two miles from the receiver. She said her family chose a rural homestead for peace, but it is now near the proposed data center’s property, threatening her family’s quality of life. Hear the audio at 6:50 mark on the video.

Commissioners voted to keep the property tax rate at .65 cents per $100 of value when they approved the 2026-27 budget on June 15. Public outcry led to a .05 cent tax reduction from the original budget proposal.

Chairperson Samantha Martin recommended a performance review of the budget. The last review was in 2011. She said the review would help them make better decisions.

Commissioner Robert Reives said he could not support “no tax increase because the county can’t afford to do what it proposed to do.” Reives said he did not want to spend money on a new performance audit when they had one from 2011.

Commissioner Taylor Vorbeck said she wanted to see where the 11% increase in sales tax revenue went on paper.

County Manager Lisa Minter said the 11% has been accounted for. “We are balanced but that additional cost for EMS needs to be budgeted for recurring costs.”

“This camouflage is not going to work…in ignoring staff recommendations,” Reives said about criticizing the budget workshop.

Vorbeck and Reives exchanged a “you said,” “that’s what you said,” conversation on when to begin the budget workshop and paying bills out of a savings account being an unsound practice.

“We have plenty of money in our savings account to give relief to our taxpayers this year,” Martin said and expanded, saying the worse case scenario was a tax increase next year.

Reives said the worse case scenario was cutting staff and argued again about the performance audit costing money.

The board approved scouting consultants to conduct a performance review and hopes to have it completed by spring for the next fiscal year.

Commissioners Reives, Cameron Sharpe and Mark Lovick voted against the spring-ready audit.

Read “There is absolutely no reason our taxes should be increased this year,” says Jim Womack to review the original proposed budget.

Review the 2026-27 budget amendments here.

Under the advice of Zoning Director Thomas Mierisch, the board approved Uniform Development Ordinance (UDO) changes to streamline administrative processes for staff and developers, changing the future landscape and culture of the county.

“Lot sizes are getting smaller,” Mierisch said about developers’ demands.

Vorbeck asked if the lot sizes in the county could be different than city sizes and Mierisch said it was possible.

Vorbeck said she did not see anything in the 140 pages about future school sites.

Mierisch said two school representatives participated in development reviews to advise them on capacities and bus routes.

Planning Director Marshal Downey said the information from the school system would come into place when working with a developer, and they may ask developers if they would donate land for a school, but they were not allowed to mandate land donations.

The changes eliminated both the Planned Unit Development (PUD) and Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) districts and replaced them with a new Village Neighborhood Development (VND) district for large-scale subdivisions requiring rezoning, which are those of 125 lots or more.

For Lee County residents concerned about rapid growth, this change deserves the closest scrutiny because TNDs and PUDs were the county’s primary tools for requiring developers to build something more than a standard subdivision.

The TND language aims for compact residential development linked to amenities like pedestrian facilities, shopping, and employment, fostering community.

The VND framework might reduce negotiation options.

The county claims VND combines PUD and TND for large developments. The elimination of traditional and planned unit developments will speed up subdivision reviews, streamline administrative processes for both county staff and developers. Read details here.

Other changes included font and style and minor technical changes, including duplexes in the city allowed by right, defining allowed uses, requiring sidewalks in most new commercial development, the number of allowed easements, banning development of major subdivisions in floodplains, covering outdoor storage and the new state fire code as seen in the below slide.

Commissioners approved renewing the contract for planning board services with the City of Sanford at $827,932.

Read the contract.

Commissioners approved the Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) as reviewed in “There is absolutely no reason our taxes should be increased this year,” says Jim Womack to review the original proposed budget.

June 15, 2026

Stephanie M. Sellers

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