Jun 09, 2026 County Council

[a. Bill 26-010 (LOSAP Amendment-Service Benefits) ]

[00:00:03]

432. ONE. CHAIR CALLS TO ORDER PUBLIC HEARING FOR BILL 260 TEN LOW. SAPP AMENDMENT. LENGTH OF SERVICE. AWARD. PROGRAM BENEFITS. I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND DO THE PRESENTATION ON THIS.

FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO THANK OUR FIREFIGHTERS FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT. I THANK THEM FOR EVERYTHING THEY DO FOR OUR COMMUNITY. I THREW A COUPLE NOTES DOWN HERE AND I JUST SAID, OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND VOLUNTEERS HAVE BEEN COMING TO OUR AID IN TIME OF NEED FOR FIRE, LITERALLY AS FAR BACK AS WE CAN DOCUMENT FROM BUCKET BRIGADES, HORSE DRAWN CARTS TO MODERN DAY APPARATUS, MILLION AND A HALF DOLLAR ENGINES, $2.5 MILLION AERIAL UNITS. THE PERSONAL GEAR, $5,000 APIECE. AND THE TECHNOLOGY THAT THEY NEED TODAY TO KEEP THEM SAFE.

THEY CONTINUE TO VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME FOR US PROTECTING OR SAVING OUR LIVES AND PROPERTY EVERY DAY. OUR VOLUNTEERS CONTINUE TO BE THE BACKBONE OF OUR FIRE SERVICE. HARFORD COUNTY'S LENGTH OF SERVICE AWARD PROGRAM WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1975. IT'S TO FIND A SMALL WAY TO RECOGNIZE AND GIVE BACK TO OUR VOLUNTEERS FOR THE CRITICAL SERVICE THEY PROVIDE.

I'VE HAD THE HONOR AND PRIVILEGE TO AMEND THIS PROGRAM TWICE, WORKING WITH CHIEF HURST, THE HARFORD COUNTY VOLUNTEER FIRE AND EMS ASSOCIATION AND OTHERS. IN 2020, WE DID ONE AMENDMENT, AND IN 2022 WE DID A SECOND AMENDMENT TO ENHANCE THE PROGRAM, MAKING IT MORE BENEFICIAL TO THE VOLUNTEERS WHILE PROVIDING A VALUABLE TOOL TO ENHANCE OUR RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION EFFORTS. WE KNOW THAT IT'S COST US NOW WHAT IT COSTS US NOW TO FOR A PAID EMS SERVICE WITH 17 UNITS ON THE ROAD AND 17 UNITS IN WAITING IF WE NEED THEM. THE CHALLENGES THAT WE FACE IN TRYING TO FIND PERSONNEL TO SERVICE THOSE UNITS. MR. OVERBAY IS HERE TONIGHT. I'M SURE HE COULD. HE COULD ATTEST TO THAT. AND RETAINING THOSE POSITIONS. TO DATE, WE'RE BUDGETED ABOUT $60 MILLION ANNUALLY FOR EMS SERVICE. THE COUNTY TREASURY HAS SHOWN LAST YEAR THERE WAS A BALANCE IN THE VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS TRUST FUND OF OVER $47 MILLION, UP FROM 39,000,000 IN 2022. IT CONTINUES TO GROW WHILE PAYING 788 PAYEES IN THE SYSTEM. THE LEGISLATION WILL CHANGE THE MONTHLY BENEFIT FOR THESE DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS FROM $325 A MONTH TO $375, AS I SAID TO COUNTY AUDITORS, FISCAL NOTE SHOWS THE 788 788 PAYEES IN THE SYSTEM, AND THIS BILL WILL COST THE COUNTY AN ADDITIONAL $550,000 ANNUALLY, WITH A TOTAL INVESTMENT OF ABOUT 2 MILLION A YEAR FOR OUR FIREFIGHTERS LOSAP PROGRAM. WE ALSO KNOW THAT IF WE ARE FORCED TO GO TO A FULL TIME PAID FIRE SERVICE, THE FIRST YEAR WILL BE WELL OVER $200 MILLION. AND I HATE TO TALK ABOUT THE COST THAT THEY'RE SAVING US, BUT IT'S IT'S REAL. SEEING THE SUCCESS THAT WE'VE HAD WITH A BLEND. AND CHIEF COVEY CAN TALK ABOUT THAT. A BLEND OF CAREER PEOPLE WITH VOLUNTEERS AT ABINGTON, AT THE NEW STATION THERE WITH PAID DRIVERS AND FIREFIGHTERS. IT'S EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL. THIS HAS HELPED WITH REDUCING RESPONSE TIMES AGAIN, ULTIMATELY HELPING TO SAVE LIVES AND PROPERTY. I WANT TO THANK ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES FOR COSPONSORING THIS LEGISLATION, AND WE BELIEVE IT'S A NECESSARY STEP TO MAINTAIN AND EXTEND OUR VOLUNTEER FIRE BASE, AND IT HELPS TO KEEP IT ALIVE AND BENEFIT TO ALL OF US. SO WITH THAT COUNCIL, MR. GINGER, THANK YOU, COUNCIL PRESIDENT. SO I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING COUNCIL PRESIDENT SAID AND THEN SOME. I THINK, YOU KNOW, I MET SOME SOME YOUNG FIREFIGHTERS OVER THE PAST, I DON'T KNOW, 7 OR 8 YEARS. AND THEY ALL SAY THEY GO DOWN TO PG COUNTY AND SOME OF THE OTHER COUNTIES, THEY WORK DOWN THERE FULL TIME, BUT THEN THEY, THEY COME BACK UP HERE AND THEY WORK. THEY WORK HERE. YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY COME BACK BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE THEY GOT THEIR START. A LOT OF THEM STILL LIVE UP THIS WAY, BUT THEY GO DOWN THERE AND THEY STAY DOWN THERE AND THEY WORK. BUT THE CAMARADERIE THAT THEY HAVE UP HERE AND WHAT THEY LEARNED UP HERE, IT'S INVALUABLE. I CAN'T THANK THE THE FIRE DEPARTMENTS ENOUGH FOR WHAT THEY DO. WE KNOW THIS IS A A SMALL AMOUNT, AND I KNOW WE'VE LOOKED AT INCREASING IT. AND THEN THERE'S SOME CONCERNS. IF YOU GO OVER TOO MUCH OF HOW THAT AFFECTS YOU GUYS. SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING AT WAYS TO, TO HELP SUPPORT YOU GUYS. AND LIKE YOU SAID, YOU KNOW, NOW SOME OF THE DRIVERS AND EVERYTHING ARE PAID IN THE HYBRID. AND WE KNOW IT WOULD COST A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY TO START OFF, YOU KNOW,

[00:05:04]

AND THERE ARE PROBABLY $2 MILLION A PIECE. SO THAT'S NOT CHEAP. SO I JUST WANT TO SAY WE APPRECIATE YOU GUYS. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. LOOK FORWARD. TOTALLY SUPPORT THIS BILL. AND THANK YOU, EVERYBODY. AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, MR. BENNETT. GOOD EVENING. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT. AND A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS FOR ALL THEY DO EVERY SINGLE DAY. I HOPE THE COMMUNITY TRULY RECOGNIZES WHAT A VALUE OUR VOLUNTEER SYSTEM IS HERE IN HARFORD COUNTY. EVEN IF YOU NEVER HAVE TO BE THE ONE TO CALL 911, THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE SAVE ON INSURANCE FOR OUR HOMES, THANKS TO HAVING A WELL STAFFED VOLUNTEER SERVICE HERE IN THE COUNTY IS TREMENDOUS. AND I KNOW THAT'S SOMETHING THAT CHIEF HURST OFTEN SPEAKS TO, THE VALUE THAT, YOU KNOW, IN HAVING DEGREES, HAVING AN ISO CLASS ONE FIRE COMPANY BRINGS TO OUR COMMUNITY. AND IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT THESE PEOPLE WHO GIVE UP THEIR WEEKNIGHTS AND THEIR WEEKENDS, THEIR A LITTLE BIT OF FREE TIME.

THEY HAVE TO BE WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT THEY GIVE UP 25 YEARS. THAT'S TO GET THE FULL BENEFITS OF, OF THIS PROGRAM IS 25 YEARS OF VOLUNTEERING FOR $375 A MONTH. NO ONE'S DOING IT TO, YOU KNOW, GET WEALTHY. IF THEY ARE, IT'S A VERY BAD PLAN. BUT IN ORDER TO GIVE PEOPLE THAT THING AT THE END TO KEEP THEM GOING AT 21, 22 YEARS TO KEEP OUR VOLUNTEERS IN THE PROGRAM, I JUST THINK IS INCREDIBLY VALUABLE. I WAS CONCERNED HEARING FROM MULTIPLE FIREFIGHTERS IN THE COMMUNITY AT A RECENT MEETING WITH THE COUNTY TREASURER REPRESENTING THE ADMINISTRATION AND TALKING ABOUT THIS BILL, THE COUNTY TREASURER EMPHASIZED OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN THE MEETING. EVERY DOLLAR WE SPEND SOMEWHERE HAS TO BE TAKEN FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE. YOU KNOW, THIS BILL, WHICH GIVES AN EXTRA $50 PER ELIGIBLE BENEFICIARY, WILL COST ABOUT $550,000 ANNUALLY. WHAT WHAT WAS THE MEANING OF THE COUNTY TREASURER SAYING THAT REPRESENTING THE ADMINISTRATION IN THAT MEETING, THAT EVERY DOLLAR GIVEN HAS TO BE TAKEN FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE? AND I'M ASKING THAT TO MR. OVERBAY, BECAUSE HE'S THE REPRESENTATION OF THE ADMINISTRATION HERE TONIGHT. MR. EVERYBODY, HAVING NOT BEEN HERE TO COMMENT ON THIS BILL, AND I WASN'T AT THE MEETING, I CERTAINLY CAN'T SPEAK TO WHAT MR. SANDLER'S WAS ADDRESSING WITH THE COUNCIL AT THAT TIME. CERTAINLY SOMETHING I'D BE HAPPY TO BRING BACK TO YOU, SIR, AS PART OF FOLLOW UP WITH THE COUNCIL, BECAUSE I YOU KNOW, I JUST THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO EMPHASIZE TO THE ADMINISTRATION THAT WE HAVE TO KEEP OUR VOLUNTEERS STRONG. WE ALSO HAVE TO BE PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE TO BE ABLE TO PAY FOR AND FUND A CAREER SYSTEM OR A HYBRID SYSTEM. AND WE'RE NOT THERE YET. BUT IN ORDER TO HAVE THE RUNWAY TO GET THERE, WE HAVE TO COMMIT TO SUPPORTING OUR VOLUNTEERS AND ANY SORT OF ACTION THAT WOULD THREATEN TO CUT FUNDING FROM OUR VOLUNTEERS IS UNACCEPTABLE IN THAT LONG TERM VISION OF TAKING CARE OF OUR COMMUNITY. SO I REALLY WANTED TO EMPHASIZE THAT AND SUPPORT OUR VOLUNTEERS TONIGHT, THAT FUNDING THIS DOES NOT MEAN TAKING FROM THOSE PEOPLE WHO SERVE US EACH AND EVERY DAY.

AND IF SOMETHING WAS TO HAPPEN TO YOUR HOME WHILE WE'RE SITTING HERE, WOULD SERVICE YOU RIGHT NOW. SO I THINK THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO EMPHASIZE TONIGHT. THANK YOU, MR. BENNETT.

ANYONE ELSE, MISS SIMMONS? I JUST AGAIN, WANT TO THANK ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS AND EMS CREW. I'VE BEEN VERY WELL CONNECTED WITH THE FALLSTON FIRE COMPANY. HONESTLY, MY ENTIRE ADULT LIFE. MY DAD'S A VOLUNTEER OVER THERE AS WELL. AND A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, WE WERE ABLE TO DONATE A HOUSE TO USE AS A CONTROLLED BURN. AND IF ANYONE HAS EVER BEEN ABLE TO WATCH YOU GUYS DO WHAT YOU DO, IT IS REMARKABLE. I WAS ABLE TO SHARE THAT EXPERIENCE AND BEING ABLE TO SHOW MY GIRLS THE AMOUNT OF BRAVERY AND DEDICATION THAT YOU GUYS PUT FORTH, AND BEING ABLE TO LEARN THE BEST PRACTICES, TO BE ABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU SAVE PEOPLE THAT YOU'VE NEVER EVEN MET BEFORE. AND SO FOR THAT, I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU AND THAT I WILL ALWAYS SUPPORT WHATEVER YOU GUYS NEED. THANK YOU, MISS EMHOFF. ANYONE ELSE? MISS ROBERTS? THANK YOU. AND I TOO, WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. I KNOW IN MY JURISDICTION I RELY A LOT ON VOLUNTEERS. I HAVE THE JOPPA COMMUNITY AND THE EDGEWOOD COMMUNITY. AND I WILL BE POWER WALKING THROUGH THE STREETS. AND I CAN SEE THE FIREMEN WAITING FOR THE VOLUNTEERS TO SHOW UP TO GO MAKE THAT RUN. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU DO FOR OUR COMMUNITY. AND YOU GUYS ARE PRETTY QUICK, AND I'VE WATCHED THAT HAPPEN RECENTLY. WE DID HAVE A FIRE IN OUR AREA, SO THANK YOU. AND ONE MORE THING, MR. RILEY. YEAH,

[00:10:04]

BUT YOU CAN CORRECT ME WHEN I'M WRONG. THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT. YOU'RE WELCOME, MR. DANA. YEAH.

ONE MORE THING. 30 YEARS AGO, I STARTED WORKING WITH ISO AND THOSE ISO CODES, AND THEY ALWAYS TALKED ABOUT HARFORD COUNTY HAVING SOME OF THE BEST VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND HAVE SOME OF THE ISO RATINGS THAT WERE BETTER THAN SOME OF THE PAID FIREFIGHTERS AREAS AROUND THE STATE. AND THAT DOES CERTAINLY TRANSLATE INTO PREMIUMS ON YOUR HOMEOWNERS BEING LESS. SO. THANKFULLY, WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO KEEP AND MAINTAIN A LOT OF THOSE, YOU KNOW, FROM HAVRE DE GRACE 701 YOU KNOW, THREE AND FIVE IN BEL AIR. AND THEY USED TO DO THINGS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT BACK THEN. IF YOU COULD SEE TEN HOMES AND THEY WOULD, THEY WOULD ALSO CREDIT THAT. SO WE'RE LUCKY TO HAVE YOU GUYS AND YOUR DEDICATION IN THE LONG RUN. AND IT'S, IT'S PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT YOU GUYS HAVE SAVED THEM OVER THE LAST 35 YEARS. BUT I KNOW IT'S A LOT. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. GIORDANO.

AND I THINK BECAUSE THE ROOM IS FULL AND A LOT OF YOU PROBABLY ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH HOW THESE FIRE COMPANIES WORK WHEN THEY RESPOND TO CALLS. I JUST TONIGHT, I JUST HAVE LEVEL BEL AIR AND SUSQUEHANNA HOSE COMPANY HERE IN FRONT OF ME. BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER IF THERE'S A CALL IN JOPPATOWNE. IT'S NOT UNFAMILIAR TO SEE A BEL AIR TRUCK THERE, A SUSQUEHANNA HOSE TRUCK THERE. IF THERE'S A CALL UP IN WHITEFORD OR MORRISVILLE, SAME.

THESE GUYS RUN WHEREVER THEY NEED BACKUP AND FILL IN. SO I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THAT. BUT YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR FROM SOME OF OUR DEDICATED FIREFIGHTERS. NEXT. WE HAVE ANYONE SIGNED UP FOR WANT TO CALL YOU FIRST SPEAKER CHRISTOPHER GIBBONS, FOLLOWED BY SCOTTY HURST. KEEP IT CLEAN, KEEP IT CLEAN. I APOLOGIZE, I DIDN'T DRESS AS SNAPPILY AS MR. HURST DID, BUT I DID COME TO WORK. SO CAN I HAVE YOUR NAME AND ZIP CODE, PLEASE? CHRISTOPHER GIBBONS, FOREST HILL TWO 1050. THANK YOU SIR. CURRENTLY THE PRESIDENT OF THE FALLSTON VOLUNTEER FIRE AND AMBULANCE COMPANY FOR MY 20TH YEAR COUNCIL PRESIDENT VICENTE AND DISTINGUISHED COUNCIL MEMBERS. ON MONDAY, MAY THE 1ST OF 1989, 37 YEARS AGO, AS A 16 YEAR OLD HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT, MY APPLICATION WAS READ IN TO BECOME A VOLUNTEER MEMBER OF THE FALSE AND VOLUNTEER FIRE AND AMBULANCE COMPANY. ONE OF THE BENEFITS EXPLAINED TO ME WAS LOZAP. I WAS AN EAGER KID, READY TO GO ON CALLS AND TAKE CLASSES. ALL I REMEMBER ABOUT LOZAP WAS THE OLD GUYS AROUND THE TABLE TALKING ABOUT THEIR MONTHLY CHECK AND HOW IT WAS A CAR PAYMENT, THE BASE PAY TO A VOLUNTEER WHO HAD ACCRUED 50 POINTS IN CALLS, MEETINGS, TRAINING AND OTHER CATEGORIES COMBINED IN THAT YEAR FOR 25 ACTIVE YEARS AND THE AGE OF 55 WAS GIVEN $300. IN 2007, THE COUNCIL RAISED THE APPROVED THE ADDITION OF A DEATH BENEFIT FOR SURVIVING SPOUSE OF 50% OF THAT BENEFIT. AND AS YOU HAD TAKEN SOME OF MY THUNDER IN 2020, YOU GUYS APPROVED AS A COUNCIL A RAISE OF THE BASE RATE FROM 300 TO $325 TO A MAXIMUM BENEFIT OF $475, WITH $6 ADDED FOR EVERY ADDITIONAL YEAR OVER 25 YEARS, $6 A YEAR. IN 2022. AGAIN, THE COUNCIL APPROVED AND LOWERED THE AGE TO COLLECT FROM 55 TO 50 WITH 25 YEARS OF SERVICE, AND THERE IS ALSO A BENEFIT FOR PEOPLE THAT JOIN LATER IN LIFE THAT AT THAT TIME WAS 70 YEARS OLD AND TEN YEARS OF CREDITED SERVICE. THEY RECEIVED A PARTIAL BENEFIT. THEY LOWERED THAT AGE TO 60 IN 10 YEARS. SO WE GREATLY APPRECIATE ALL OF THAT. THIS IS REALLY THE FIRST TIME THAT I'VE PAID ANY ATTENTION, BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOWERED THE AGE, THAT'S WHEN I ACTUALLY WAS ELIGIBLE TO ACCEPT THAT BENEFIT. BUT IN 2023, THIS WAS NO LONGER A CAR PAYMENT, MORE LIKELY A FUEL BILL OR A BIG BILL. I AND MANY OTHER VOLUNTEERS ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE ALLOTMENT PROVIDED, AND BELIEVE ME, I DIDN'T JOIN AT 16 WITH THE THOUGHT OF MAKING AN EXTRA $300. SOME 39 YEARS LATER, I JOINED BECAUSE I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A VOLUNTEER FIREMAN AND AM ONE OF THE SMALL GROUPS THAT HAVE ACTUALLY STAYED AND REMAINED VERY ACTIVE, RESPONDING TO CALLS, AS WELL AS HANDLING THE MYRIAD OF TASKS AND ACTIVITIES REQUIRED TRAINING, FUNDRAISING, BUILDING

[00:15:05]

WE RECOGNIZE THAT DUE TO AN INCREASE IN THE BUDGET, MONEY WILL NEED TO BE ALLOTTED OR CUT.

AS WE WERE TOLD, HOWEVER, THAT MONEY WELL SPENT THE SAVINGS ACCOUNT GETS FROM THE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WE SAVE HARFORD COUNTY EACH AND EVERY YEAR. A NUMBER OF THE COUNTY FLAT OUT WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO FUND OR SUPPORT IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE WITHOUT MAJOR TAX INCREASES. IN CLOSING, WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH EVERYONE IN THE FUTURE AND IMPROVING THE VOLUNTEER FIRE SERVICE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION PROGRAMS AND ISSUES THAT COME ALONG WITH IT THAT WILL HOPEFULLY IN THE FUTURE INCLUDE PROPERTY TAX CREDIT THAT WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU CHIEF. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. PAUL D'AMATO, FOLLOWED BY SCOTT PANNOWITZ. NAME IS IT SIR. GOOD EVENING.

PAUL DEMONACO 21014. I CAME HERE TO TALK ABOUT DATA CENTERS, BUT THEN I REALIZED THAT BILL WAS ON THE AGENDA. SO I DECIDED TO TALK TO THIS. IF I ASKED ANYBODY IN THE ROOM, WOULD YOU VOLUNTEER TO RUN IN BURNING BUILDINGS TO COMMIT OVER 500 HOURS TO GET FIREFIGHTER ONE.

FIREFIGHTER TWO EMT WOULD YOU TAKE THAT JOB FOR $15 A YEAR FOR 25 YEARS? THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE GETTING. BASICALLY, THEY GET $15 A YEAR FOR 25 YEARS WITH THIS NEW BILL.

THAT'S PEANUTS. THEY'RE BASICALLY RESPONDING TO CALLS ON HOLIDAYS, CHRISTMAS, THANKSGIVING, ANYTIME THAT THERE'S A HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION OR SOMETHING IN THEIR FAMILY'S LIVES, THEY'RE RUNNING OUT THE DOOR, THEY'RE GOING TO THE FIRE STATION AND THEY'RE HELPING US IN OUR TIME OF NEED. I HONESTLY THINK THIS BILL DOESN'T DO ENOUGH. WE'RE INCREASING IT $600 OVER A YEAR. SO I JUST HEARD IT'S COSTING THE COUNTY 550 K. IF YOU LOOK AT OUR BUDGET AND YOU LOOK AT IN THE BACK WHERE THEY HAVE WHERE RESERVE FUNDS AND ALL THAT OTHER STUFF, WE HAVE THE MONEY IN THIS COUNTY. WE SHOULD BE DOING MORE FOR THESE VOLUNTEERS. THANK YOU. I FULLY SUPPORT THIS BILL. I'M GLAD THAT THE COUNTY COUNCIL IS UNANIMOUS SPONSORED THIS. THANK YOU, SIR. AND I WOULD ALSO SAY YOU NEED TO INCREASE THAT DEATH BENEFIT. 5000. YOU CAN'T BURY ANYBODY. I'M SORRY. THANK YOU SIR. NAME IS UP. CHIEF SCOTT

[00:20:15]

VOLUNTEERS ROUTINELY LEAVE THEIR FAMILIES, FRIENDS AND WORKPLACES AT A MOMENT'S NOTICE TO RESPOND TO EMERGENCIES AND SERVE THE CITIZENS OF HARFORD COUNTY. MANY VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANIES STILL RELY ON A HOME BASED RESPONSE MODEL. HOWEVER, GROWTH THROUGHOUT HARFORD COUNTY AND THE TOWN OF BEL AIR HAS INCREASED INCREASED TRAFFIC CONGESTION, RESULTING IN LONGER RESPONSE TIMES FOR MEMBERS TRAVELING TO OUR STATIONS, TO STAFF, TO STAFF APPARATUS. AT THE BEL AIR VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY, WE HAVE ADAPTED BY IMPLEMENTING AN END STATION CREW MODEL TO ENSURE WE CONTINUE PROVIDING THE HIGH LEVEL OF SERVICE OUR COMMUNITY EXPECTS. THE CHANGES. THE CHANGE REQUIRES MEMBERS TO SPEND EVEN MORE TIME AT THE STATION, AWAY FROM THEIR FAMILIES AND PERSONAL COMMITMENTS DURING THE TRANSITION. DURING THIS TRANSITION, LOSAP HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BENEFITS WE HAVE PROMOTED TO BOTH CURRENT AND PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS. THE ENHANCEMENT PROPOSED IN BILL 2610 WILL STRENGTHEN THE BENEFIT AND HELP US RETAIN THE DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS WHO MAKE OUR SERVICE POSSIBLE. RECRUITING AND RETAINING VOLUNTEER MEMBERS REMAINS ONE OF THE GREATEST CHALLENGES FACING FIRE COMPANIES THROUGHOUT HARFORD COUNTY. WHEN SPEAKING WITH PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS, LOSAP IS CONSISTENTLY ONE OF THE FIRST BENEFITS WE DISCUSS. WHILE NEW MEMBERS RECOGNIZE ITS VALUE, LOSAP BECOMES EVEN MORE IMPORTANT AS VOLUNTEERS CONTINUE THEIR SERVICE. WE HAVE SEEN NUMEROUS SENIOR MEMBERS REMAIN ACTIVE AND ENGAGED BECAUSE OF THE BENEFITS PROVIDED THROUGH LOSAP. LOSAP HAS BEEN AND CONTINUES TO BE ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE TOOLS FOR ATTRACTING AND RETAINING VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS AND EMS PERSONNEL IN HARFORD COUNTY. I STRONGLY BELIEVE THE CHANGES PROPOSED IN BILL 2610 WILL HELP ALL VOLUNTEER FIRE AND EMS DEPARTMENTS RECRUIT NEW MEMBERS, RETAIN EXPERIENCED PERSONNEL AND CONTINUE PROVIDING THE HIGH QUALITY EMERGENCY SERVICES OUR CITIZENS DEPEND UPON. I RESPECTFULLY ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF BILL 2610. THANK YOU CHIEF. YES, SIR. FOR THE CITIZENS CALL VOLUME FOR BEL AIR. WE HAD 26 2675 CALLS LAST YEAR, AND WE HAD 5703 RESPONSES, UNIT RESPONSES. SO HOW MANY FOR ABINGDON 1800 1800. SO I MEAN WE'RE TALKING THOUSANDS OF CALL AMONGST THE 1011 FIRE COMPANIES IN THE AMBULANCE CORPS AND HAVRE DE GRACE. SO I JUST WANTED EVERYONE TO KNOW THAT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, CHIEF. THANK YOU. SO THIS WILL CONCLUDE THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR BILL 260 TEN. I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE NOW AND IN THE FUTURE AND IN THE PAST. AND THIS BILL WILL BE LOOKED AT TONIGHT. WE WILL ACT ON THIS BILL TONIGHT. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A SHORT RECESS SO THAT THEY CAN GET OUT AND WE'LL BRING OTHER PEOPLE IN.

[b. Bill 26-011 (Zoning Data Centers) ]

THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE A STATEMENT ABOUT BILL 26011 DETAILING MY ADMINISTRATION'S LEGISLATION BANNING DATA CENTERS IN HARFORD COUNTY. AS WE SIT HERE TODAY, DATA CENTERS ARE NOT PERMITTED, NOT A PERMITTED USE UNDER HARFORD COUNTY ZONING CODE.

SOME MAY REASONABLY ASK IF THAT'S THE CASE, WHY IS THIS LEGISLATION NECESSARY? THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE. AS COUNTY EXECUTIVE, I BECAME ALARMED BY ANOTHER BILL THAT COULD HAVE OPENED HARFORD COUNTY'S DOOR TO DATA CENTERS. THAT BILL CREATED A MORATORIUM TO PLAN FOR GUARDRAILS ON DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT. OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS. AS DATA CENTERS BEGAN TO PROLIFERATE, THE NATION, WE CONDUCTED EXTENSIVE RESEARCH AND EXAMINED THE EXPERIENCES OF COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT HAVE EMBRACED LARGE SCALE DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT. AFTER

[00:25:05]

THESE TROUBLES ARE NOT ISOLATED TO THIS COUNTRY ALONE, AS REPORTED IN THIS WEEK'S WALL STREET JOURNAL, IRELAND HAS JUST ISSUED A HALT TO ALL DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT AS RAPID DEPLOYMENT OF DATA CENTERS QUICKLY CONSUMED ONE FIFTH OF THE COUNTRY'S ENTIRE POWER SUPPLY. HARFORD COUNTY HAS THE BENEFIT OF LEARNING FROM THESE EXPERIENCES RATHER THAN REPEATING THEM. BILL 26011 TAKES A PROACTIVE APPROACH. IT PROVIDES CERTAINTY TO OUR RESIDENTS, PROTECTS OUR COMMUNITIES, AND MAKES CLEAR THAT HARFORD COUNTY WILL PRIORITIZE PUBLIC HEALTH, ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP, RESPONSIBLE GROWTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE OVER SPECULATIVE PROMISES OF REVENUE. WE CANNOT LEAVE THIS TO CHANCE. OUR COMMUNITIES, OUR NATURAL RESOURCES AND OUR QUALITY OF LIFE ARE NOT COMMODITIES TO BE TRADED. THAT IS WHY MY ADMINISTRATION HAS BROUGHT THIS LEGISLATION BEFORE YOU TODAY, AND WHY I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST YOUR FAVORABLE CONSIDERATION OF BILL 26011. THANK YOU, BOB CASSILLY. IF I MAY, ONLY BECAUSE I DIDN'T SEE YOU WHEN YOU DROPPED THIS UP HERE. MARY CATHERINE MCCALL, ARE YOU IN THE AUDIENCE? THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR NOTE. WE APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH. I JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE YOU FOR THAT. THANK YOU. STEVE, DO YOU

[00:30:06]

ALL RIGHT. COUNCIL. MR. BENNETT. HELLO. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT. I DO WANT TO REFERENCE THE MINUTES FROM THE PPAB MEETING ON MARCH 11TH THAT I HAD PHYSICALLY SHARED WITH ME EARLIER TODAY. BECAUSE I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO STATE SOMETHING THAT'S IN THOSE MINUTES. A FEW THINGS, ACTUALLY. BUT THE FIRST IS THAT IT STATES UNTIL LEGISLATION IS PASSED, BATTERY STORAGE DATA AND DATA CENTERS ARE HANDLED ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS, WHICH, AS A REMINDER, WAS MY WHOLE INITIAL POINT WHEN I INTRODUCED THE MORATORIUM, WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT NOTHING COULD BE MOVED IN A DISCRETIONARY MANNER UNTIL PERMANENT LEGISLATION WAS PASSED, BECAUSE A CASE BY CASE BASIS MEANS INCONSISTENCY, AND THAT MEANS INSECURITY FOR OUR COMMUNITY. IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT ATTENDING THIS PPAB MEETING ON MARCH 11TH WAS THE OWNER OF MOUNTAIN BRANCH, ALONG WITH A RELATIVE OF THEIRS WHO SPOKE AT THAT MEETING. IT WAS STATED AT THAT MEETING THAT THE PAB IS GOING TO DO RESEARCH AND DRAFT PROPOSED ZONING AMENDMENTS FOR BATTERY STORAGE AND DATA CENTERS, AND THE OWNER OF MOUNTAIN BRANCH SPOKE IN SUPPORT OF THIS ACTION AT THE MEETING. AND THEN LATER IN THE MEETING NOTES, IT TALKS ABOUT THE QUESTION OF TIMING. AT THE PLANNING ADVISORY BOARD MEETING ON MARCH 11TH, 2026, THE HARFORD COUNTY DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND ZONING ACKNOWLEDGED ON THE RECORD THAT THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE WOULD NOT INTRODUCE DATA CENTER LEGISLATION BEFORE THE ELECTION CYCLE CONCLUDES AND WELCOMED THE POSSIBILITY OF A COUNCIL MEMBER DRAFTING LEGISLATION INDEPENDENTLY. BOARD MEMBERS THEMSELVES MADE CLEAR THAT THEY WANTED LEGISLATION DRAFTED AND INTRODUCED NOW BEFORE THE ELECTION, NOT AFTER. WHEN I ORIGINALLY INTRODUCED THE MORATORIUM, THE WHOLE POINT WAS I HAD CONCERNS OVER THE POSSIBILITY OF SOMEONE. THE DAY AFTER ELECTION DAY, FOR EXAMPLE, CHANGING THEIR TUNE ON THIS ISSUE AND POTENTIALLY OPENING UP OUR COMMUNITY TO HARM WITH NO LONGER HAVING THE PRESSURE ON THEM OF AN ELECTION. AND THESE NOTES TO ME RECOGNIZE A POSSIBILITY THAT THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE WAS THINKING ALONG THOSE LINES. WHY ELSE WOULD YOU NEED TO WAIT TILL AFTER ELECTION DAY TO WORK ON INTRODUCING REGULATIONS AROUND DATA CENTERS? UNLESS YOU'RE CONCERN IS THAT THE COMMUNITY MIGHT NOT LIKE WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT DATA CENTERS. THIS ALSO ALIGNS WITH COMMENTS MADE BY THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND PUBLIC THAT HE'S NOT ANTI DATA CENTER. HE CAN JUST READ THE TEA LEAVES. SO WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THOSE COMMENTS FROM MARCH 11TH AT THE PAB MEETING? WELL, I WOULD CERTAINLY SAY THAT, AGAIN, HAVING NOT BEEN AT THE MARCH 11TH MEETING, I ASSUME YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT FORMER DIRECTOR GRIMM THAT WAS MAKING THOSE MEETINGS THAT MR. KROPP.

OKAY. VERY GOOD. SO HAVING NOT BEEN THERE, MR. KROPP HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THESE VERY DISCUSSIONS, AS HAS HE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE BILL THAT ULTIMATELY IS BEING CONSIDERED BY THIS COUNCIL THIS EVENING AS IT RELATES TO THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE'S COMMENTS ABOUT NOT BEING ANTI DATA CENTER. I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE BELIEF IS THAT DATA CENTERS, THERE IS A THERE'S A PLACE FOR DATA CENTERS AND THAT AG LAND CERTAINLY IS NOT SOME OF THAT.

THESE ARE NOT SOMETHING THAT'S PERMITTED CURRENTLY. SO A LOT OF THAT DISCUSSION THAT HAPPENED OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS I CAN SPEAK TO BECAUSE I HAD BEEN IN CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE ABOUT THAT, BUT THAT WAS ABOUT IDENTIFYING AND TRYING TO LEARN, AGAIN, FROM COMMUNITIES. ONE THING THAT WE LEARNED IS THAT THESE ARE VERY VALUABLE COMMODITIES, MEANING THAT THERE IS A LOT OF TAX REVENUE THAT COMES INTO COMMUNITIES BASED ON THESE, BUT THAT ONE BY ONE ACROSS THE NATION AND ACROSS THE GLOBE AS IT RELATES TO NOW, WHAT YOU'RE HEARING IS THAT FROM RESIDENTS, BOTH THOSE IN VERY CLOSE PROXIMITY AS WELL AS THOSE THAT ARE MUCH FURTHER AWAY THAN PERHAPS WHAT WAS ONCE BELIEVED TO BE PROBLEMATIC. ALL HAVE A

[00:35:04]

FOR THE DETAILS OUTLINED IN THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE'S LETTER, THAT THE BELIEF IS THAT THIS IS THE RIGHT THING FOR THE COUNTY. AND I JUST THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT I STATE ON THE RECORD THAT INCONSISTENCY IN THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE'S STANCE, BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN VERY CONSISTENT FOR A LONG TIME NOW ON THE FACT THAT WE HAVE TO PUSH BACK AGAINST THIS INDUSTRY FROM COMING INTO HARFORD COUNTY. IT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN WORKING ON FOR OVER A YEAR NOW, AND I TOOK UMBRAGE TO THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE'S COMMENTS SUGGESTING THAT WHEN I INTRODUCED A MORATORIUM, IT WAS SOME SORT OF SNEAKY EFFORT TO LET DATA CENTERS INTO HARFORD COUNTY BECAUSE IT WAS NOTHING OF THE LIKE. MEANWHILE, THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE HAS NOT BEEN FULLY TRANSPARENT WITH THE PUBLIC AND HAD STATED THAT HE DIDN'T WANT TO WORK ON ANYTHING UNTIL AFTER THE ELECTION. SO I JUST THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT TO CLARIFY SO THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND TONIGHT THIS BILL IS GOING TO PASS 7 TO 0, AND I'M THANKFUL FOR THAT. AND I'M THANKFUL THAT COMMUNITY PRESSURE AND READING THE TEA LEAVES LED THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE TO LANDING IN THE RIGHT PLACE.

IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT HE CAN'T BE HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE HE'S AT A FUNDRAISER FOR HIS PERSONAL CAMPAIGN, BUT IT'S GOOD THAT WE'RE ABLE TO GET THIS WORK DONE TONIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. BENNETT. MISS EMHOFF, GOOD EVENING. SO WE KEEP REFERENCING THE P B THE PLANNING ADVISORY BOARD. AND SO FIRST I WANT TO ACTUALLY THANK COUNCILMAN BENNETT. SINCE HE STARTED CREATING THIS LEGISLATION, HE HAS BEEN WILLING AND ABLE TO MEET WITH ME MORE THAN, YOU KNOW, HALF A DOZEN TIMES. AND I'VE BEEN FULLY SUPPORTIVE OF TIGHTENING UP ALL OF OUR ZONING LEGISLATION. I'M A BELIEVER IN EVEN IF YOUR NAME ISN'T THE TOP OF THE LEGISLATION, THAT AS LONG AS THE WORK GETS DONE, THAT'S THE BIGGEST PRIORITY.

NOW, GOING BACK TO THE PLANNING ADVISORY BOARD, JUST FOR FULL TRANSPARENCY. SO THIS IS THE SAME BOARD THAT SAID THE COUNT, THE COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBER WHO HAS PROPOSED THE MORATORIUM HAS SEPARATELY STATED IN PUBLIC TESTIMONY THAT HE HAS SPENT MONTHS STUDYING THIS DATA CENTERS. THE ANALYTICAL WORK HAS BEEN DONE. THE PROFESSIONAL PLANNING APPARATUS OF HARFORD COUNTY HAS SIGNALED OPENNESS TO COUNCIL INITIATED LEGISLATION. SO THAT'S COMING FROM THE PLANNING ADVISORY BOARD. CAN YOU GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND AS TO WHO MAKES UP THE PLANNING ADVISORY BOARD AND HOW THEY GET APPOINTED? ACTUALLY, I WOULD NEED TO BRING IN PLANNING AND ZONING TO PROVIDE YOU WITH DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THAT. THAT IS CERTAINLY NOT MY ROLE WITHIN THE ADMINISTRATION, BUT I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION. HAPPY TO, YOU KNOW, HAPPY TO PROVIDE CLARITY FOR YOU. I'LL DO THAT DIRECTLY, AND WE CAN DO THAT PUBLICLY AS WELL. SO WE HAVE A LIST OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THE ATTENDANCE TO THE MARCH 11TH MEETING WHO MADE THESE STATEMENTS. AND SO, JUST SO EVERYONE KNOWS, THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE ON THE PLANNING ADVISORY BOARD ARE APPOINTED BY THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE. AS WITH MOST OF OUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES. AND SO WE JUST FOUND IT TO BE INTERESTING THAT WHILE THESE BOARDS ARE THERE, MEETING MINUTES ARE POSTED ONLINE. THE MEETING MINUTES THAT WE WERE PROVIDED EARLIER TODAY WERE OMITTED. AND I CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER WHY. THERE'S BEEN SEVERAL COPIES OF THE MEETING MINUTES THAT, IN THEIR FULL EFFECT, THAT HAVE NOW BEEN MADE AVAILABLE. AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THE COUNTY, THE COUNTY IS PLANNING TO ACTUALLY PUBLISH THE FULL MEETING MINUTES. I ASSUME YOU RECEIVED THOSE FROM THE COUNTY AT SOME POINT TODAY. IS THAT WHAT YOU WERE REFERENCING? OKAY. THANK YOU.

MR. RILEY. STEVE, AS YOU CAN TELL, IT'S AN ELECTION YEAR. MR. CHANDLER. SO FIRST OF ALL, WHETHER I'M JUST GRATEFUL THAT THE BILL IS FORWARD, THAT WE'RE GOING TO LOOK TO BAN THE DATA CENTERS. I THINK IT'S CLEAR NOBODY IN THE COUNTY WANTS IT. MOST OF THE STATE DOESN'T WANT IT, ESPECIALLY IN THE RURAL AREAS, ESPECIALLY IN A GOLF COURSE SURROUNDED BY COMMUNITIES THAT WITHIN SIX MILES, THAT NOISE, LOW HUM, TRANSMITS THROUGH BUILDINGS,

[00:40:01]

[00:45:02]

THIS IS A NO BRAINER. NONE OF US HAVE EVER SAID THAT WE SUPPORT DATA CENTERS. DO WE LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE PRESENTING THUGS TO US? YES. WHEN THE GROUP THAT WAS HERE PRESENTING AND TELLING US THEIR SIDE OF THE ISSUE, REMEMBER THEY PRESENTED AT THE ABINGTON LIBRARY? FIRST MEMBERS OF THE ADMINISTRATION WERE THERE LISTENING. ONE OF MY COUNCIL OR TWO OF MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES WERE THERE. I WAS NOT THERE, AND MY COLLEAGUES SUGGESTED THAT WE HAVE THEM COME IN JUST TO LISTEN, TO HEAR WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY. NOT TO SUPPORT IT, BUT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION NEEDED TO MAKE A DECISION AND DO OUR DUE DILIGENCE AS WE DO EVERY DAY. SO HOPEFULLY THAT WILL ANSWER SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU FOLKS HAVE. THE GREATEST RESOURCE THAT I'VE HAD WITH YOUR GROUP IS THROUGH BRIAN CORNELL. I'VE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO BRIAN ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. I GAVE HIM A COPY OF THE DOCUMENTS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE TONIGHT. AS FAR AS THE PLANNING ADVISORY BOARD ACTUALLY GOES INTO MORE DETAIL THAT I HAVE A PRESENTATION HERE THAT I WILL GIVE HIM A COPY OF AFTERWARDS. I ACTUALLY BROUGHT THE COPY OUT THE NIGHT OF THE BULLY ROCK CANDIDATE FORUM IN REFERENCE, AND TALKED ABOUT IT IN FRONT OF THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE. SO I'M JUST TRYING TO BE TRANSPARENT ON EVERYTHING. I'VE NEVER TALKED ABOUT BEING SUPPORTIVE OF DATA CENTERS. AND I NEVER WILL. I SAID FROM THIS DAIS MONTHS AGO, HARFORD COUNTY IS NOT THE PLACE FOR DATA CENTERS. OUR AG PRESERVE GROUND, OUR AG GROUND PERIOD IS NOT THE PLACE FOR DATA CENTERS. AND TRY TO BE VERY CLEAR ON THAT. AND AGAIN, AS MR. RILEY SAID, IT IS AN ELECTION CYCLE THAT WE'RE IN. SO THINGS GET TWISTED. THINGS GET OUT THERE. FOR WHATEVER REASON, I WILL BE VOTING TO KILL THIS OR TO SUPPORT THIS BAN TO KILL DATA CENTERS. GOT A LOT GOING ON TODAY, AND I DID REFERENCE. MR. OVERBAY CAME TO ME AND MISS LG EARLY ON, ASKED US TO CONSIDER PUTTING TOGETHER A WORKGROUP FOR DATA CENTERS. AND I TOLD, YOU KNOW, THAT IT SHOULD COME FROM THE ADMINISTRATION IF IT'S GOING TO COME AT ALL. AND I TOLD YOU WHY ALL THE EXPERTS ARE ON YOUR SIDE OF THE STREET, NOT OURS. SO, AND, AND I THINK THAT WE DID THE SAME THING FOR THE IMPACT FEE STUDY. WE BROUGHT TOGETHER A LARGE GROUP. WE TALKED ABOUT IT MONTHS LATER. WE HAD A DRAFT PIECE OF LEGISLATION THAT WAS SENT TO ME FROM THE ADMINISTRATION, AND IT TOOK MISS LG SIX MINUTES TO LOOK AT THAT AND COME BACK TO ME AND SAID, THIS IS ILLEGAL. WE CAN'T DO THIS. THE STATE HAS GUIDELINES IN THIS VIOLATES THE GUIDELINES. SO WE HAD TO SEND IT BACK ACROSS THE STREET. AND, YOU KNOW, NOT TOO MUCH LATER, WE GOT A BILL THAT WAS CORRECT AND WE WERE ABLE TO MOVE IT AND LOOK FORWARD TO ADJUSTING FEES AGAIN IF WE HAVE TO. AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, IMPACT FEES, THAT'S THE WAY IT SHOULD WORK. WE SHOULD ALL WORK TOGETHER ON EVERYTHING AND STOP ALL OF THIS DIVISION THAT'S GOING ON IN OUR COUNTY TODAY. SO WITH THAT, ANYONE ELSE ON THIS DESK HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY? I'M USED TO SAYING, MISS DIXON, ARE YOU OVER THERE? WHO'S CALLING HIM OUT? I'M OVER HERE. SO HOW MANY SPEAKERS DO WE HAVE? WE HAVE 47 THIS EVENING, MR. PRESIDENT. WELL, THAT'S A LOT LESS THAN I THOUGHT. I THOUGHT IT'D BE MORE. I THOUGHT SO. AS I SAID EARLIER, BECAUSE MR. GIORDANO MADE A STATEMENT AT OUR LAST MEETING WHERE HE SAID, EVERY VOICE NEEDS TO BE HEARD. YEP. WE'RE GOING TO DO IT AGAIN TONIGHT. SOUNDS GOOD. SO THE ONLY THING I ASK IS THAT YOU BE RESPECTFUL OF THE CITIZENS SPEAKING THAT ARE RECOGNIZED AND THAT NO APPLAUDS, NO OUTBURSTS BECAUSE WE WANT TO GET THROUGH THIS. I HAD ANTICIPATED 50 PLUS AND I HAD ANTICIPATED 2 TO 3 HOURS.

SO JUST FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AND WE HAVE A FULL AGENDA AFTER THAT. SO WE MAY HAVE TO EXTEND OUR STEP DOWN FROM OUR RULES AND PROCEDURES AND ALLOW THIS MEETING TO RUN PAST 11. SO WITH THAT WITH THAT, MISS DIXON, CALL YOUR FIRST SPEAKER. CANDACE HART, FOLLOWED BY SIMON HEWITT, GREG FOX, AND ANN BLOCKER. CAN'T HEAR YOU. THAT THAT MICROPHONE IS THAT ONE'S DONE. YEAH. THAT'S NOT GOING TO GO. CALL THAT FIRST SPEAKER AGAIN. SHE'S OUTSIDE CANDACE

[00:50:05]

JUST DOWNSTREAM FROM MOUNTAIN RIDGE GOLF CLUB. SO YOU CAN IMAGINE I'M INTERESTED IN THIS.

I'M EXTREMELY GRATEFUL TO ALL OF YOU THAT YOU'RE GOING TO VOTE FOR THIS BAN. THERE ARE TWO REASONS THAT I WANT TO FOCUS ON THE SECOND ONE. THE FIRST ONE IS KIND OF OBVIOUS. A SPEEDING TRAIN WAS HEADING WITHOUT ANY CONTROL, STRAIGHT FOR OUR NEIGHBORHOOD FOR A TO SPREAD MAYHEM. AND THIS BILL, THANK GOD, PUTS BRAKES ON THAT SPEEDING TRAIN. THE INAPPROPRIATE PLACEMENT OF A HUGE INDUSTRIAL PLANT IN OUR GORGEOUS NEIGHBORHOOD IS JUST AN ABSURDITY. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. I'VE HAD ANOTHER SURPRISE TONIGHT. I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN IRELAND, AND I'VE JUST HEARD THAT IRELAND HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM TOO. SO IT'S EVERYWHERE.

SO THE MAIN POINT I WANTED TO MAKE WAS THAT WE'LL ALL CELEBRATE YOUR ACHIEVEMENT TONIGHT IN COMBINING, AS YOU SAID, WE SHOULD, CHAIRMAN, AND PASSING THIS BILL. THERE MAY BE A TENDENCY OR A TEMPTATION TO SAY, GREAT, IT'S DONE. WE'RE OVER, IT'S OVER. I HAVE HAD AN EXPERIENCE IN ARIZONA WITH A WITH A DEVELOPER THAT I WAS A CONSULTANT TO, WHO BUILT BIG PLANNED COMMUNITIES AND NEW TOWNS, AND THEY WANTED TO BUILD A COMMUNITY IN A PLACE IN CALIFORNIA THAT HAD A 40 YEAR, EVERY SINGLE DEVELOPMENT THAT THEY HAD BEEN OFFERED, THEY HAD SHOT TO SMITHEREENS. SO IT WAS THE LAST PLACE IN THE WORLD YOU WOULD EXPECT TO PASS. FIVE YEARS LATER, AFTER EXPENDITURE OF A LOT OF MONEY, A LOT OF THAT ROSE, ROSE TINTED PRESENTATIONS OF REALITY, KIND OF LIKE THE HARTFORD ENERGY ONE. A LOT OF PAID LOBBYISTS, A LOT OF HIGH PAID LAWYERS, A LOT OF COMMUNITY PEOPLE WHO WERE ACTUALLY ENLISTED TO HELP. THEY SUCCEEDED IN GETTING THEIR DEVELOPMENT INTO THAT COMMUNITY. IT TOOK FIVE YEARS. NOW ALL THE SIGNS ARE THERE THAT THIS IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN HERE. SO THE MAIN REASON THAT I'M THRILLED ABOUT THIS DATA CENTER BAN IS IT ESTABLISHES THE RIGHT TEAM AND THE RIGHT STARTING POINT FOR THAT FIVE YEAR STRUGGLE. SO WHEN WE VOTE IN THIS ELECTION, I WOULD ASK YOU ALL TO CONSIDER WHAT IS THE RIGHT TEAM THAT HAS SHOWN AND WE'VE HEARD DIFFERENT VERSIONS FROM THE BENCH JUST TONIGHT. WHAT IS THE RIGHT TEAM THAT HAS SHOWN IN THEIR ACTIONS OVER THE LAST MANY YEARS, NOT JUST AT ELECTION TIME, THAT THEY WILL BE THOUGHTFUL AND FORCEFUL LEADERS IN RESISTING THE OVERRIDE FROM MARYLAND, THE OVERRIDE POTENTIALLY FROM THE FEDS, ALL THE FORCES THAT WILL DESCEND ON US. YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD THAT THE OWNER OF THE GOLF CLUB SAID THIS WEEK, WE ARE GOING TO GET THIS DONE. ONE ENCOURAGING THING THAT I JUST HEARD THIS AFTERNOON, I'M NEARLY OUT OF TIME, IS THAT HE HAD STOPPED ALL LONG TERM BOOKINGS ON THE GOLF COURSE FOR NEXT YEAR, SINCE THE BAN HAS COME IN. HE HAS TOLD THEM TO SIGN UP. THANK YOU. NEXT YEAR.

THANK YOU. SO IN CLOSING, THANK YOU SIR. YOU'RE DONE. THANK YOU. OKAY, ONE LAST THING. THANK YOU SIR. GOOD EVENING SIR. NAME AND ZIP CODE, PLEASE. GREG FOX 21085. I HAVE A STUDY HERE THAT WAS RELEASED TWO MONTHS AGO BY CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY. IT WAS A STUDY OF UNIVERSITIES IN FIVE COUNTRIES. GOT TOGETHER TO LOOK AT TEMPERATURE EFFECTS, WHICH HASN'T BEEN DISCUSSED SO FAR.

THIS GOES IN LINE WITH NOT KNOWING WHAT YOU GET WITH A DATA CENTER. THEY LOOKED AT 6300 NON-URBAN DATA CENTERS WORLDWIDE. THEY LOOKED AT FIVE YEARS OF TEMPERATURE DATA SURROUNDING THAT PRIOR TO THEM GOING ONLINE. AND THEN THEY LOOKED AT THE TEMPERATURES AFTERWARDS AND THEY FOUND EFFECTS OUT TO SIX MILES. NOW I'M GOING TO DO THIS. THERE'S A LOT OF EQUATIONS AND CHARTS IN THIS, BUT I'M GOING TO DO THIS A WAY BY WAY OF EXAMPLE. TWO WEEKS AGO WHEN WE MET ON THIS BILL, IT WAS 95 IN THE PARKING LOT. HOT DAY. IF THERE WERE A DATA CENTER PUT IN ON THE BIG CAR LOT OUT ON ROUTE ONE, THE USED CAR SALES LOT, IT WOULD

[00:55:05]

WE DON'T KNOW THE EFFECTS. IF YOU PUT SEVEN PROPOSED DATA CENTERS INTO MOUNTAIN RUN, THEN EVERYBODY LIVING WITHIN SEVERAL MILES OF THAT WOULD EXPERIENCE A SUMMER SIMILAR TO LIVING IN DEATH VALLEY OR LAS VEGAS OR PHOENIX, ARIZONA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SIR. CALL YOUR NEXT SPEAKER. MR. PRESIDENT. WE DO HAVE CANDACE HART. GOOD EVENING MA'AM. NAME AND ZIP. CANDACE HART 21085. I'M HERE TONIGHT AS A CANDIDATE FOR THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES IN DISTRICT SEVEN B ON MAY THE 1ST, I SUBMITTED A PROPOSAL TO THE COUNTY COUNCIL CALLING FOR A BAN ON DATA CENTERS IN HARFORD COUNTY AT THE STATE LEVEL. AND MY SPONSOR, DELEGATE ANDRE JOHNSON, AGREED TO MOVE IT FORWARD IN THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION. I STAND IN SUPPORT OF A BILL 26011, WHICH WOULD PROHIBIT DATA CENTERS IN ALL ZONING DISTRICTS IN HARFORD COUNTY, AND I SUPPORT A FULL BAN BEING ADDRESSED AT THE STATE LEVEL. THIS IS ABOUT BRINGING CLARITY AND CONSISTENCY TO OUR LAND POLICY, LAND USE POLICY AND ENSURING DECISIONS LIKE THIS ARE MADE THOUGHTFULLY AND TRANSPARENTLY WITH RESIDENTS IN MIND. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MA'AM. FOLKS, PLEASE, I WANT TO REMIND YOU NO APPLAUSE BECAUSE IT ALL TAKES TIME. I WANT TO BE ABLE TO MOVE THROUGH HERE IN A TIMELY MANNER, AND WE'RE ALL HAPPY WITH EVERY COMMENT, I'M SURE. AND LOCKER, FOLLOWED BY GARY JOHNSON, JIMMY PACKET AND PAIGE KEEL. GOOD EVENING MA'AM. NAME AND ZIP. MY NAME IS ANNE BLOCKER 21085. I GUESS I REALLY DON'T NEED TO REMIND THE COUNCIL THAT HARFORD COUNTY RESIDENTS DO NOT NEED OR WANT A DATA CENTER ON THE MOUNTAIN RANCH GOLF COURSE SITE, OR ANY OTHER GREEN SPACE OR LAND AREA IN HARFORD COUNTY, WHERE A DATA CENTER SITING IS LIKELY TO CAUSE IRREPARABLE DAMAGE TO OUR LAND, OUR WATER, OUR HOMES, AND OUR QUALITY OF LIFE. THE OWNER OF MOUNTAIN RANCH GOLF COURSE, AS HE STATED ON JUNE 2ND AT THE COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING, WILL HAVE US BELIEVE THAT WITHOUT DATA CENTERS, THE ECONOMIC FUTURE OF HARFORD COUNTY IS AT RISK. HE SUGGESTED THAT THE CONSEQUENCES OF PURSUING A BAN ON DATA CENTERS WILL BE SEVERE, THAT WE WILL BECOME A COUNTY OF SOLAR FARMS PRODUCING ENERGY FOR DATA CENTERS IN OTHER MARYLAND COUNTIES, AND THAT THESE COUNTIES WILL BENEFIT FROM THE JOBS AND REVENUE THAT COULD HAVE BEEN OURS. THAT ARGUMENT IS DECEPTIVE AND DESPERATE. IT APPEALS TO FEAR AND RELIES ON FALSE CLAIMS, AND I FEEL PRETTY CERTAIN THAT NONE OF THE OTHER 22 COUNTIES IN MARYLAND WILL BE LINING UP TO BUY OUR FICTIONAL SOLAR POWER IN ORDER TO FEED DATA CENTERS THAT NOBODY WANTS. WE ARE NOT A STRUGGLING COUNTY. IN FACT, I LEARNED AT THE JUNE 2ND COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING THAT HARFORD COUNTY MAINTAINS A TRIPLE A BOND RATING, AND I HAVE REVIEWED THE PROPOSED 2027 BUDGET WITH A TOTAL OPERATING BUDGET OF $1,145,966,650. I

[01:00:02]

MR. JOHNSON, BEFORE YOU START, I OWE YOU AN APOLOGY, AND I MAY AS WELL DO IT RIGHT NOW. I, I JUMPED TO THE CONCLUSION THE OTHER NIGHT THAT YOU HAD SAID SOMETHING THAT YOU DID NOT. MY APOLOGIES. THANK YOU, SIR. AND I SHOULD TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK YOU FOR THE BIRTHDAY CARD YOU SENT ME. NAME AND ZIP CODE, PLEASE. GARY JOHNSON 21087. WINKING OFFEND SOME PEOPLE.

OPACITY OFFENDS ME. OPACITY IS A LACK OF TRANSPARENCY. SOMETHING THAT POLITICIANS ALWAYS PROMISE BUT SELDOM DELIVER. OPACITY KEEPS CITIZENS FROM KNOWING THE TRUTH. THE TRUTH IS THAT SOMEONE ON THIS COUNCIL INVITED A GROUP OF HYPERSCALE DATA COMPLEX PROMOTERS TO MAKE A PRESENTATION REGARDING A PROPOSED MOUNTAIN BRANCH SITE.

NO ONE ON THIS COUNCIL ADMITTED TO INVITING THEM, BUT IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT SUCH A PRESENTATION COULD NOT OCCUR WITHOUT THE PRESIDENT'S APPROVAL. THUS, YOU ALLOWED THEM TO SPEW THEIR SUNSHINE AND UNICORNS, SAYING THAT THIS DATA COMPLEX WOULD BE ALL GAIN WITH NO DOWNSIDE. YOU PERMITTED THAT, BUT YOU DIDN'T ARRANGE FOR US TO HEAR FROM EXPERTS WHO MIGHT HAVE A DIFFERENT OPINION. NO ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERTS, NOR ANY EXPERTS IN THE FIELD OF INDUSTRIAL SAFETY AND COMPLIANCE HAVE YET TO APPEAR BEFORE THIS COUNCIL. SHOULDN'T YOU HAVE ASKED FOR THEIR TESTIMONY? WOULDN'T THAT BE THE JOB TO SERVE US ALL? SURE. YOU.

YOU LET US SPEAK. BUT WE'RE NOT EXPERTS. CITIZENS HAVE AN EXPECTATION THAT THEIR COUNTY COUNCIL WILL REPRESENT ALL OF US. AND NOT JUST A FEW. BUT THAT'S NOT THE WAY THIS FEELS.

THIS FEELS LIKE THE FIX IS IN. WE DON'T EXPECT ELON MUSK AND HIS ILK TO CARE ABOUT US, BUT WE DO EXPECT YOU GUYS TO. SOME OF YOU CONTEND THAT WE CAN KEEP THESE DATA WOLVES AT BAY WITH A MORATORIUM. SOME OF YOU, INCLUDING MR. CASSILLY, BELIEVE THAT WE CAN STRENGTHEN OUR ZONING CODE AND THUS BAN THESE HYPERSCALE DATA CENTERS ALTOGETHER. BUT WES MOORE HAS MADE SUCH DATA CENTERS A PRIORITY, AND OUR LEGISLATURE IS WITH HIM. IN MAY, THE DAILY RECORD REPORTED THAT OUR GENERAL ASSEMBLY HAS CONCLUDED THAT LOCAL PROCESSES STAND IN THE WAY OF BROADER STATEWIDE PRIORITIES, AND THEY, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, ARE WILLING TO DISPLACE LOCAL ZONING AUTHORITY TO ADVANCE THESE PRIORITIES. SO WHAT DOES THIS COUNCIL INTEND TO DO? HERE'S A THOUGHT. PUT ASIDE YOUR PETTY SQUABBLES AND YOUR POLITICAL VENDETTAS AND COME TOGETHER TO FIGHT FOR US. FOR TOO LONG, ANNAPOLIS HAS WORKED TO UNDERMINE OUR CHARTER. THE MARYLAND COURT OF APPEALS DISREGARDED OUR LAWS PERTAINING PERTAINING TO THE QUALIFICATIONS OF SOMEONE TO SIT ON THIS COUNCIL. THE LEGISLATURE FORCES ITS AGENDAS ON OUR SCHOOLS, BUT THEN DOESN'T FUND THEM. AND NOW THEY DISREGARD OUR RIGHT TO BE THE STEWARDS OF OUR OWN LAND. TRANSPARENCY SAYS THAT YOU SHOULD PROVIDE ALL THE INFORMATION WE NEED TO KNOW BEFORE A VOTE TAKES PLACE. WHAT ARE THE RISKS TO OUR WATER, OUR EARS, OUR PEOPLE, OUR LIVESTOCK, OUR PROPERTY VALUES, AND OUR WAY OF LIFE? HISTORY HAS PROVEN THAT DATA CENTERS DON'T BELONG EVERYWHERE, PARTICULARLY THEY DON'T BELONG IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS. THEY ALSO DON'T REMAIN. ONCE ERECTED, THEY COME AND THEY GO. WHO WILL PAY TO RESTORE THE MOUNTAIN BRANCH PROPERTY TO ITS ORIGINAL CONDITION WHEN THIS ONE LEAVES? IF YOU WANT US TO TRUST YOU, THEN DO SOMETHING TO EARN OUR TRUST. THANK YOU SIR. JAMES PACKETT, FOLLOWED BY PAGE. NEIL KEIL. JUDITH BREUER, FOLLOWED BY STAN RANDALL. GOOD EVENING SIR. NAME IS IT? GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS JIMMY PAQUETTE.

21078. LIFELONG HABIT OF GRACE RESIDENT AND I CURRENTLY ATTEND TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY, WHERE.

LET ME TELL YOU, THE ZONING LAWS ARE MUCH DIFFERENT OUT THERE. SO YOU GUYS SHOULD BE PROUD THAT AT LEAST HERE IN MARYLAND, WE HAVE SOME KIND OF RESTRICTIONS ON WHEN PASSING

[01:05:01]

SO I DO SUPPORT BILL 26011. I HOPE IT PASSES. AND THIS IS OBVIOUSLY IT'S GOING TO. BUT I DO WANT TO LEAVE THIS COUNCIL AND THIS COMMUNITY WITH ONE THOUGHT BEFORE WE GO HOME. WE ACTUALLY ALREADY HAVE A DATA CENTER, AND THAT'S THE MCI FACILITY AT 2606 CARSONS RUN ROAD, WHICH HAS BEEN OPERATING QUIETLY NEXT TO THE STONEY DEMONSTRATION STATE FOREST FOR YEARS WITH MINIMAL WATER USE, MINIMAL ELECTRICITY, ZERO COMMUNITY COMPLAINTS. AND THAT'S BECAUSE THEY ONLY PROCESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS DATA. SO NOT EVERY DATA CENTER IS THE ENEMY. THE ENEMY IS THE HYPERSCALE AI DATA CENTERS. THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO BE AGAINST. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ALL TRYING TO PREVENT. BUT THE LANGUAGE THAT'S IN THIS BILL DOES NOT DEFINE THE DIFFERENCE. WHEN A DEVELOPER CHALLENGES THIS IN COURT AND THEY'RE GOING TO, A JUDGE WILL ASK HARFORD COUNTY TO DEFINE WHAT A DATA CENTER IS. AND THIS BILL WILL NOT HAVE AN ANSWER. AND THAT'S A VULNERABILITY. THEY'RE GOING TO WALK ALL OVER THAT. THERE'S INDIVIDUALS THAT I SEE OVER THERE THAT ARE CLEARLY NOT RESIDENTS. THEY'RE TYPING AWAY AND THEY'RE READY TO TELL THEIR THEIR PEOPLE BACK IN THEIR BIG CORPORATIONS, HEY, THIS IS WHAT WE GOT TO DO TO FIGHT THIS. THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE DOING. AND SO TONIGHT'S A WIN AND WE SHOULD TREAT IT AS ONE. BUT SHORTLY AFTER TONIGHT, THIS COUNTY NEEDS TO DEFINE EXACTLY WHAT A DATA CENTER IS AND WHAT ONE WOULD LOOK LIKE IF IT WERE EVER PERMITTED HERE. I HAVE DRAFTED A PROPOSED AMENDMENT. IT'S I MEAN, I'M 23. I'M TRYING MY BEST. IT'S AT BILL, THE WEBSITE. YOU GUYS CAN LOOK IT UP. BILL 26011.ORG. THAT'S BILL 26011.ORG. VERY BASIC, BUT IT COULD BE THE START OF US BEING THE FIRST COUNTY TO ACTUALLY PUT LEGISLATURE IN PLACE THAT OTHER COUNTIES CAN TAKE, AND THEY CAN TAKE THAT MASTER PLAN AND DUPLICATE THAT ACROSS OTHER COUNTIES TO ALLOW FOR A VERY SMALL DATA CENTER MODEL LIKE WE HAVE ON CARSON'S RUN ROAD. SO AGAIN, NOT OPPOSED TO DATA CENTERS OPPOSED TO AI, HYPERSCALE CRAZY BS. THAT'S THAT'S THE ISSUE. SO THIS WOULD GRANDFATHER IN MCI, WHICH IS A VERIZON CO-OP AND LIMITS ANY FUTURE FACILITY TO TELECOMMUNICATIONS USE ONLY, WHICH IS WHAT MCI IS USED FOR.

THIS ALSO WILL CAP DEVELOPMENT AT OR BELOW THE SIZE OF MCI'S EXISTING FOOTPRINT, WITH MANDATORY WILDLIFE PRESERVATION OF THE SURROUNDING LAND. WHEN THIS BILL GETS CHALLENGED IN COURT, THE KIND OF DEFINED STRUCTURE WILL GIVE HARFORD COUNTY SOMETHING TO ACTUALLY FIGHT WITH. AND AGAIN, BILL, BILL 26011.ORG. THANK YOU JIMMY. ARE YOU JIM PAQUETTE SON? YEAH.

YOUR DAD PUT AN ALARM SYSTEM IN MY STORE WHEN I WAS HAVING TROUBLE WITH THEFT. PUT IT IN IN 2:00 IN THE MORNING. OH MY GOSH. AND WHEN WE OPENED AT 11:00, WE CAUGHT THE GUY THAT FAST? YES. OH. THAT'S AWESOME. THANKS. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, MADAM. PAGE 2185. I LIVE ON STOCKTON ROAD, VERY CLOSE TO THE PROPOSED DATA CENTER. I'M A CIVIL ENGINEER WITH A CONCENTRATION IN WATER RESOURCES, AND I AM FOR THE DATA CENTER BAN. THERE ARE SEVERAL ISSUES THAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING. BUT I WOULD LIKE TO FOCUS ON THE WATER ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH A PROJECT OF THIS SIZE, BECAUSE THE HARTFORD ENERGY WEBSITE THAT LOOKS LIKE IT IS A WONDERFUL THING FOR OUR COUNTY, HAS A LOT OF MISINFORMATION. SO THE FIRST THING THAT I NOTICED WHEN I WENT ON AND STARTED DOING SOME RESEARCH WAS THAT IT SAID ZERO PUBLIC WATER FOR COOLING, NO DISCHARGE TO THE PUBLIC SEWER. WE DON'T USE PUBLIC WATER OR SEWER. WE ARE ON WELL WATER AND WE USE SEPTIC SYSTEMS. I FIND IT OFFENSIVE THAT THEY ASSUME THAT WE WON'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE. THERE'S ALSO THEY ALSO STATE THAT THEY WILL USE CLOSED LOOP AND AIR COOLING SYSTEMS. THEY WILL ALSO, AND I QUOTE, USE NO ROUTINE WATER CONSUMPTION OR DISCHARGE. THIS IS MISLEADING IN TWO WAYS. WHILE AIR COOLED SYSTEMS DO NOT USE WATER, THEY REQUIRE A SUBSTATION, A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF POWER, AND YOU'RE JUST TRADING WATER USAGE FOR ENERGY USAGE. THE CLOSED USED CLOSED LOOP SYSTEMS THAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT. NOBODY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT. THEY JUST SAY IT'S CLOSED LOOP AND THAT THERE'S NO WATER USAGE. BUT THAT'S NOT TRUE. ALL OF THESE LINES HAVE TO BE FLUSHED AND BACKWASHED. THERE ARE ALSO CHEMICALS ADDED TO THE WATER. THERE WAS A. FOOD AND WATER WATCH.ORG WEBSITE THAT SAYS EVEN CLOSED LOOP SYSTEMS, YOU LOSE 25% OF THEIR WATER VOLUME PER MONTH. SO YOU'RE STILL USING WATER. YOU'RE NOT USING MILLIONS OF GALLONS, MAYBE, BUT YOU'RE USING A LOT. IN FEBRUARY, THE MICHIGAN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HAD A

[01:10:03]

SO NOW IT'S ALMOST TIME TO VOTE. AND IT COMES DOWN TO WHOM CAN WE TRUST? THIS SCARES ME. YOU KNOW THE OLD SAYING, BEWARE OF THE WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING. I'VE SEEN THE VIDEO OF MR. VINCENTE WINKING AT THE MARYLAND DATA CENTER ALLIANCE, AND I WAS AT THE MEETING WHEN HE ALLOWED THE GENERAL MANAGER OF MOUNTAIN BRANCH TO SPEAK LONGER THAN THE ALLOTTED TWO MINUTES, ORDERING EVERYONE NOT TO INTERRUPT HER WHEN HER TIME WAS UP. MR. VINCENTE, ARE YOU THAT WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING? I DID HEAR BILL VASSILAKOPOULOS TRY TO THROW BOB CASSILLY UNDER THE BUS, WHICH GIVES ME MORE REASON TO VOTE FOR BOB CASSILLY. SO AGAIN, WHEN VOTING. THINK HARD AND DO YOUR RESEARCH. THERE ARE SOME THAT INVITE DATA CENTERS IN, AND THERE ARE SOME THAT WANT TO BAN THEM OUT. LET'S KEEP OUR COUNTY GREEN AND APPROVE THIS EMERGENCY BILL TO BAN DATA CENTERS IN ALL OF HARFORD COUNTY. THANK YOU MA'AM. STAN RANDALL. CALL YOUR NEXT SPEAKER, STAN RANDALL, FOLLOWED BY NATHAN REGULA AND BILLY BONIFACE. NATHAN. GOOD EVENING, SIR NATHAN. NATHAN REGULA TWO 1014. I HAVE A PHD IN COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME IN INDIANA AND A LAW DEGREE FROM GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY. I HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE WITH COMPUTING AND STORAGE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT IS HOUSED IN DATA CENTERS, AND HAVE HAD ACCESS TO DATA CENTERS OWNED OR LEASED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME, A FORTUNE 500 COMPANY, AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. I HAVE WORKED AT THREE FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES IN MY CAREER BEFORE STARTING MY CYBERSECURITY COMPANY HEADQUARTERED IN HARTFORD COUNTY. ALL OF THESE ROLES FOCUSED ON LARGE SCALE DATA ANALYSIS OR CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURES. DATA CENTERS DO NOT BELONG IN HARTFORD COUNTY. AT HYPERSCALE, THE BENEFITS AREN'T WORTH THE COST, AND I'LL EXPLAIN WHY. I USED TO LIVE IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA AND HAD ACCESS TO DATA CENTERS AND DATA CENTER ALLEY. SO WHEN I WORKED AT A FORTUNE 500 COMPANY, IT WAS ON A PRIVATE CLOUD TEAM THAT DESIGNED AND OPERATED SIGNIFICANT INTERNAL CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE ACROSS MULTIPLE DATA CENTERS. ESSENTIALLY, WE

[01:15:04]

CONSTRUCTION JOBS WILL LIKELY BE TEMPORARY, AND IT SEEMS UNLIKELY THAT ELECTRICIANS AND OTHER TRADES WILL ALL BE LOCAL COMPANIES. THE PRESENTATION FROM THE MARYLAND DATA CENTER ALLIANCE TALKED ABOUT 240 ELECTRICAL APPRENTICES FOR FREDERICK COUNTY, BUT I DON'T THINK HARFORD COUNTY HAS EVER HAD 240 ELECTRICAL APPRENTICES. SO IT IS LIKELY SOME OF THESE INDIVIDUALS WOULD BE FROM OUT OF THE COUNTY. NEWS STORIES ARE FULL OF OUT OF TOWN TRADESPEOPLE THAT WORK ON DATA CENTERS BECAUSE OF THEIR SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS THAT ARE REQUIRED TO WIRE DATA CENTERS SUCH AS MEDIUM VOLTAGE AND SIGNIFICANT ARC FLASH TRAINING. AND OF COURSE, WORKING 24 OVER SEVEN HELPS. HARFORD COUNTY LAW ALLOWS RESTRICTED ELECTRICIANS WITHIN A FACILITY, SO IT WOULD SEEM OBVIOUS THAT A HYPERSCALE PROVIDER WILL HAVE AN INTERNAL RESTRICTED ELECTRICIAN INSTEAD OF HIRING A LOCAL COMPANY 24 OVER SEVEN, IT'S 17 MINUTES AND 48 SECONDS INTO THE VIDEO FROM THE MARYLAND DATA CENTER ALLIANCE, MISS SCHULTZ SAYS THERE IS NO DATA CENTER THAT HAS COME ONLINE SINCE WE HAVE BEEN HAVING THIS CONVERSATION, SO THE ENERGY USAGE RIGHT NOW HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE DATA CENTERS THAT ARE HERE. THIS STATEMENT IS NOT TRANSPARENT BECAUSE IT DOES NOT FACTOR IN ENERGY INCREASES TO EXISTING DATA CENTERS. WHAT CAN HAPPEN IS EQUIVALENT TO INCREASING THE SIZE OF YOUR POWER FEED FROM BGE TO SUPPORT AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE AND SAYING, NO NEW HOUSES HAVE BEEN BUILT AND THEREFORE HOUSES ARE NOT THE CAUSE OF THE POWER INCREASE.

BUT IF YOU AND YOUR NEIGHBORS UPGRADED THEIR ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT TO SUPPORT ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING AND MORE DEMAND, THERE IS MORE ELECTRIC DEMAND. EVEN THOUGH NEW NO NEW HOUSES HAVE BEEN BUILT IN THIS EXAMPLE. SO I'M CONFIDENT THAT EXAMINING EXISTING DATA CENTERS IN MARYLAND WOULD SUPPORT THAT. AT LEAST SOME MARYLAND DATA CENTERS ARE INCREASING THEIR ELECTRICAL LOAD TO SUPPORT AI WITHIN THE SAME PHYSICAL FOOTPRINT. I SUSPECT MOST EXISTING DATA CENTERS IN MARYLAND ARE NOT GENERATING THE POWER ON SITE, BUT CONSUMING POWER FROM THE GRID BECAUSE THAT IS MORE COST EFFECTIVE AND THE STATE JUST ENABLED ON SITE GENERATION ON APRIL 13TH. SO WE DON'T BUILD HOUSES WITH NATURAL GAS FIRED WHOLE HOUSE GENERATORS AS THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF ELECTRICITY. WE WOULD ALL FIND THIS ABSURD. I THINK IT IS OBVIOUS THAT A. THANK YOU SIR. I'LL CONTINUE. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. SIR. BILLY BONIFACE 21034. I'LL KEEP MY COMMENTS BRIEF BECAUSE IT'S QUITE APPARENT EACH ONE OF YOU ARE GOING TO SUPPORT THIS TONIGHT, AND I COMMEND YOU FOR DOING THAT. AS JIM SAID, IT'S AN ELECTION YEAR AND VERY EASILY ANY ONE OF YOU COULD HAVE PLAYED ELECTION SHENANIGANS ON THIS, BUT YOU'RE SUPPORTING THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE BECAUSE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. AND IT INCLUDING YOU, COUNCIL PRESIDENT, YOU CONTROL THE AGENDA. YOU INTRODUCE LEGISLATION ON BEHALF OF THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE. SO YOU COULD HAVE MADE THIS A TOUGH PROCESS, BUT YOU DID NOT, AND THAT IS COMMENDABLE. THANK YOU. I DO HOPE THAT YOU CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER WITH MEIKO OVER THE SUMMER AS YOU TAKE YOUR SUMMER RECESS, BECAUSE THIS IS NOT GOING AWAY. THIS WILL BECOME A STATE ISSUE AT SOME POINT. I DO WANT TO TAKE ONE MINUTE TO RECOGNIZE BRIAN CORNELL. IF YOU WOULD HAVE TOLD ME HE CALLED ME SEVERAL MONTHS AGO BECAUSE HE HEARD ABOUT THE DATA CENTER GOING IN, AND HE ASKED, HOW DO I GET INVOLVED? BECAUSE HE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT THERE WAS A COUNTY COUNCIL. AND I SAID, I, I EXPLAINED TO HIM WHO TO CALL AND WHO TO GET INVOLVED WITH, THAT IT WOULD GROW FROM THAT. AND HAVING THAT FIRST MEETING TO ALL OF YOU BEING HERE AND STILL LINED UP AND DOWN THE STREET, THAT IS COMMENDABLE.

THAT IS HIM AND HIS FAMILY. THAT THAT SHOWS TRUE ACTIVISM IN ITS FINEST. SO THANK YOU.

AND HE EVEN HAS HIS OWN FIRST FACEBOOK PAGE. HE'LL PROBABLY REGRET HAVING THAT AT SOME POINT. BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCIL. SO ALL OF THIS IS YOUR FAULT. IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? YOU HAVE TO ASK HIM THAT. THANK YOU. DIANA SADOWSKI FOLLOWED BY JAY KIEL AND AMBER METALLO. NAME. IS IT? DIANA SADOWSKI 21047. TONIGHT I STAND IN SUPPORT OF THE COUNTY

[01:20:02]

DISCUSSIONS WITH THE PROPERTY OWNER REMAINED BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. THE PUBLIC WAS LARGELY LEFT IN THE DARK UNTIL THE PROSPECT OF A DATA CENTER WAS FINALLY BROUGHT INTO THESE CHAMBERS. WHY? BECAUSE EVERYONE KNEW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN WHEN THE PUBLIC LEARNED THE TRUTH.

PEOPLE WOULD ASK QUESTIONS. RESIDENTS WOULD DEMAND ANSWERS, COMMUNITIES WOULD PUSH BACK.

AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENED. THE PEOPLE OF HARFORD COUNTY HAVE SPENT WEEKS EDUCATING THEMSELVES. THEY'VE ATTENDED MEETINGS. THEY'VE REVIEWED REPORTS, THEY'VE SPOKEN TO EXPERTS. THEY'VE SHARED CONCERNS ABOUT ENERGY CONSUMPTION, WATER USAGE, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS, NOISE INFRASTRUCTURE STRAIN, AND THE LONG TERM CONSEQUENCES OF PLACING MASSIVE INDUSTRIAL FACILITIES IN OUR COMMUNITIES. MEANWHILE, WE'VE HEARD EVERY SALES PITCH IN IMAGINABLE. WE'VE HEARD PROMISES OF OPPORTUNITY. WE'VE HEARD PROMISES OF PROSPERITY, AND WE'VE HEARD PROMISES THAT EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE.

THEY'VE EVEN GIVEN THESE PROJECTS A FRIENDLIER NAME. THEY'RE NOT DATA CENTERS ANYMORE. THEY'RE CAMPUSES, A CAMPUS THAT SOUNDS WELCOMING, DOESN'T IT? BUT NO AMOUNT OF REBRANDING CHANGES WHAT THESE FACILITIES ARE, OR THE IMPACTS THEY CAN HAVE ON THE COMMUNITIES AROUND THEM. SO TONIGHT, YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOMETHING SIMPLE AND IMPORTANT. PROTECT HARFORD COUNTY AND PROTECT THE COMMUNITIES YOU WERE ELECTED TO REPRESENT. AND I'LL BE HONEST, EVERY NIGHT LATELY I'VE FOUND MYSELF THANKING GOD THAT THIS HAPPENS TO BE AN ELECTION SEASON BECAUSE WITHOUT THE SCRUTINY THAT COMES WITH ELECTIONS, WITHOUT CITIZENS PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION, WITHOUT ACCOUNTABILITY, WHO KNOWS WHERE SOME PEOPLE'S ALLEGIANCES MIGHT HAVE BEEN. SO TONIGHT IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW EXACTLY WHERE THEY ARE. VOTE YES ON THIS BILL. VOTE YES TO BAN DATA CENTERS IN HARFORD COUNTY. AND FINALLY, A MESSAGE TO MOUNTAIN BRANCH BILL. IF THIS DOESN'T WORK OUT, DON'T WORRY. THERE'S ALWAYS THAT SOLAR FARM OPTION THANKS TO WES MOORE. WINK WINK. EXCELLENT. GOOD EVENING SIR.

NAME AND ZIP. BRENNAN KIEL 218085. DID YOU SAY KIEL? KIEL. THANK YOU. KEIL. I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT OF HARFORD COUNTY SINCE I WAS TEN YEARS OLD. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BUY MY FAMILY FARM ON STOCKTON ROAD IN 2018 TO RAISE MY OWN CHILDREN RIGHT HERE IN OUR BEAUTIFUL COUNTY. SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF THE DATA CENTER BAN, NO ONE IS ASKING FOR AI, GOOGLE, FACEBOOK AND EVERY OTHER INTERNET SERVICE I USE WORK JUST FINE BEFORE AI. IT'S BEING FORCED ON US BY THESE TECH BILLIONAIRES. EVERY DAY I'M DISABLING A NEW AI FEATURE THAT CAME UP WITH THE UPDATE THAT DOWNLOADED OVERNIGHT ON MY PHONE. AN AI AND DATA CENTERS ARE NOT POPULAR. 70% OF AMERICANS VIEW THEM NEGATIVELY. I'M CONFIDENT THAT ANY COUNCIL MEMBER WHERE YOU FOOLISH ENOUGH TO VOTE AGAINST THIS BAN WOULD NOT BE SITTING IN THAT SEAT COME NOVEMBER. IT'S ALREADY HAPPENED IN MULTIPLE DISTRICTS ACROSS OUR COUNTRY WHERE ENTIRE COUNCILS HAVE BEEN VOTED OUT FOR, NOT FOR ALLOWING THESE DATA CENTERS INTO THEIR COMMUNITIES AND FOR THE DATA CENTER ITSELF. AI AND DATA CENTERS ARE ABSOLUTELY A BUBBLE, LIKE THE SUBPRIME MORTGAGES LIKE THE DOT COMS. THERE'S CURRENTLY 5000 PROPOSED DATA CENTERS ACROSS OUR COUNTRY. ELON AND SPACEX WANT TO PUT THEM IN SPACE. ONCE THAT LAND IS DEVELOPED, IT'S GONE FOREVER. EVEN WHEN THE PROPOSED DATA CENTERS SHUTTERED, IT'S GOING TO BE AN ABANDONED INDUSTRIAL EYESORE IN THE MIDDLE OF AN OTHERWISE PRISTINE AGRICULTURAL AND RESIDENTIAL AREA. AND LET'S SAY I'M WRONG. IT'S NOT A BUBBLE. THE PROPOSED SITE IS 300MW, WITH ASPIRATIONS OF EXPANDING TO 1.3MW GIGAWATTS. I APOLOGIZE, ONE GIGAWATT IS ENOUGH ENERGY TO POWER EVERY SINGLE ONE OF HARFORD COUNTY'S 100,000 HOUSEHOLDS THREE TIMES

[01:25:06]

AND I WILL SEE YOU IN ANNAPOLIS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MA'AM. SCOTT PERDUE, FOLLOWED BY VICTORIA VIRGIL. JOHN GAFFNEY AND CHRISSY FLATAU. GOOD EVENING SIR. HELLO, I'M DOCTOR SCOTT PERDUE FROM 21014. AND I WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT AN ISSUE WITH AI DATA CENTERS THAT I HAVEN'T HEARD DISCUSSED IN THE PREVIOUS MEETINGS. THE PROPOSED UPSIDE OF BUILDING AI DATA CENTERS IN ANYWHERE IS THE TAX REVENUE THAT WOULD BE GENERATED FROM THEM. HOWEVER, I THINK WE SHOULD BE SKEPTICAL OF THAT PREMISE. THERE IS CURRENTLY NO PROFITABLE AI DATA COMPANY, NOT OPEN AI, NOT XAI, NOT ANTHROPIC. THEY'RE ALL ALL CURRENTLY OPERATING AT A LOSS FUNDED BY VENTURE CAPITAL INVESTMENTS. THESE COMPANIES OPERATE AT A LOSS ON EVERY CUSTOMER, EVERY PROMPT SENT TO CHAT. GPT COSTS OPENAI MONEY EVEN THEIR HIGHEST TIER SUBSCRIPTION THAT COSTS $200 A MONTH IS REPORTEDLY UNPROFITABLE. AND THIS IS HAPPENING WHILE DATA CENTERS ARE OPERATING WITH THE FEWEST RESTRICTIONS POSSIBLE. I'M SURE WE'VE ALL HEARD CLAIMS THAT THE AI INDUSTRY IS MASSIVE AND EXPANDING, BUT THE TRUTH BEHIND THESE CLAIMS IS THAT MOST OF THESE PROFITS ARE GIVEN TO CHIP MANUFACTURERS AND INFRASTRUCTURE BUILDERS LIKE NVIDIA AND BROADCOM. ONCE THE AI IS BUILT, IT GENERATES LESS THAN NO VALUE. IT ACTIVELY DESTROYS VALUE WITH HEAVILY SUBSIDIZED SERVICES THAT ARE FUNDED BY PRIVATE INVESTORS. MUCH OF WHAT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED IN THESE MEETINGS IS WHETHER

[01:30:05]

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU SIR. GOOD EVENING MA'AM. VICTORIA. VIRGIL 21009. GOOD EVENING, COUNCIL PRESIDENT, MEMBERS AND GUESTS. MY NAME IS VICTORIA VIRGIL. I'M A SOPHOMORE AT BEL AIR HIGH SCHOOL AND A MEMBER OF MY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION. I AM SURE WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT HARFORD COUNTY IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO LIVE, WITH A RICH HISTORY AND NATURAL BEAUTY FROM THE SUBURBS AND MORE POPULATED AREAS TO THE RURAL FARMLANDS. IMAGINE WAKING UP TO THE SMELL OF DIESEL EXHAUST AND A PERSISTENT HUMMING SOUND AS LOUD AS A HIGHWAY WHILE WATCHING YOUR COMMUNITY'S WATER SUPPLY RUN LOW. AS RESIDENT HARFORD COUNTY, THIS IS NOT SOMETHING I WOULD EVER THINK OF HAPPENING, BUT THIS WILL BECOME A DAILY REALITY. DUE TO THE MASSIVE WATER AND ENERGY DEMAND OF NEARBY DATA CENTER. DATA CENTERS ARE AN EXTREME THREAT TO SUSTAINABILITY OF HARFORD COUNTY AND ITS QUALITY OF LIFE. ACCORDING TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENERGY STUDY INSTITUTE, A MEDIUM SIZED DATA CENTER CAN CONSUME ABOUT 110 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER PER YEAR FOR COOLING PURPOSES, EQUIVALENT TO ANNUAL WATER CONSUMPTION OF ABOUT 1000 HOUSEHOLDS. A LARGER DATA CENTER COULD CONSUME UP TO 5 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER PER DAY, WHICH IS ABOUT 1.8 BILLION GALLONS ANNUALLY. CHEMICAL RUNOFF IN THESE COOLING SYSTEMS CAN CONTAMINATE SOIL AND WATERWAYS, WHICH HAS THE POTENTIAL TO TRAVEL DIRECTLY TO OUR CROPS AND DAMAGE THE ENVIRONMENT. SUPPORTING LOCAL FARMERS IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO MENTION THAT FOSSIL FUELS ARE HEAVILY RELIED ON BY OUR DATA CENTERS, EMITTING AIR POLLUTANTS AND FINE PARTICLES THAT RAISE SERIOUS PUBLIC HEALTH RISKS AND WORSEN THE CONDITION OF RESIDENTS THAT HAVE RESPIRATORY DISEASES, SUCH AS ASTHMA. A LEGACY IS PLANTING SEEDS IN THE GARDEN YOU NEVER GET TO SEE. DO WE WISH FOR HARFORD COUNTY'S LEGACY TO BE BUILT AROUND DATA CENTER THAT STRIPS IT OF ITS SUSTAINABILITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE, OR A PLACE THAT OFFERS SOMEWHERE TO THRIVE FOR THE CITIZENS THAT LIVE THERE AND ITS FUTURE. TO BUILD THIS LEGACY, WE CAN START MAKING EFFORTS TO FIND SUSTAINABLE AND WATER EFFICIENT WAYS TO SUPPORT INNOVATING TECHNOLOGY AND ELIMINATING THE CONSTRUCTION OF A DATA CENTER IN HARFORD COUNTY. AS A COMMUNITY, WE MUST FOCUS ON WHAT'S TRULY IMPORTANT, PROVIDING THE BEST POSSIBLE LIFE FOR THE FUTURE AND BUILDING A PLACE WE ARE PROUD TO CALL HOME. THANK YOU, THANK YOU MA'AM. GOOD EVENING SIR. NAME IS IT? GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS PATRICK GAFFNEY FROM JOPPA, MARYLAND 21085. THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO OPPOSE DENNIS CENTERS IN HARFORD COUNTY. THANKS TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS ALREADY IN OPPOSITION. HOWEVER, THE STATE OF MARYLAND CAN ALWAYS SUPERSEDE THE COUNCIL'S AUTHORITY AND UNDERMINE YOUR ZONING DECISIONS, ISSUE SPECIAL PERMITS, AND SHIFT HARFORD COUNTY INTO A SPIRALING INDUSTRIALIZATION HAZARD. WE'RE ALL AWARE OF THE IMPACT OF DATA CENTERS ON WATER POWER, POLLUTION AND THE COMMUNITY. YOU SIMPLY CANNOT PUT ONE IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA ON WELL WATER UNLESS THE GOAL IS TO CAUSE A DISASTER, ONE LIKE WE'VE SEEN IN NEWTON COUNTY, GEORGIA. THE DALLES, OREGON, AND AMARILLO, TEXAS. ENTIRE TOWN, ENTIRE TOWNS WERE DESTROYED. SO WE NEED TO STAND UP AGAINST THE STATE, MAKE SURE WE KEEP THESE DATA CENTERS OUT OF AREAS WITH LIMITED WATER SUPPLY SUCH AS JOPPA, FALLSTON, BEL AIR, EVERYWHERE IN HARFORD COUNTY.

RIGHT. SO I'M CONFIDENT THE COUNCIL WILL DO ITS PART AND BLOCK DATA CENTERS AT THE COUNTY LEVEL, BUT YOU NEED TO OPPOSE THE STATE OF MARYLAND, AND THAT'S GOING TO HIT US SOON.

THE CITIZENS OF HARFORD COUNTY CAN HELP, BUT WE NEED YOUR EXPERTISE. WE NEED YOU TO INFORM US, PROVIDE IMPACTFUL, POWERFUL GUIDANCE AND ACTION ITEMS TO FIGHT AGAINST. DATA CENTER BATTLE WITH THE STATE. WE NEED YOU TO HARNESS THE POWER OF YOUR PEOPLE. CAN YOU PLEASE PUT TOGETHER AND ADVERTISE A WEBSITE, FOR EXAMPLE, WHICH INCLUDES CONTACT NAMES AND EMAIL ADDRESSES FOR STATE OFFICIALS, PHONE NUMBERS TO CALL, SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPACTFUL COMMENTS, REFERENCES TO LEGAL PRECEDENTS, TIMELINE OF EVENTS, YOU KNOW, TIME SENSITIVE DATA AND E MAILING LISTS SO WE CAN ALL BE ALERTED QUICKLY SO WE CAN ACT. AND WHATEVER ELSE YOU WOULD FEEL WOULD BE HELPFUL TO SWAY THE STATE'S DECISIONS IN OUR FAVOR.

THERE ARE A LOT OF CONCERNED PEOPLE WHO WANT TO FIGHT. DATA CENTERS. USE US TO BE A TOOL SO WE CAN BE SEEN AND HEARD AT THE STATE LEVEL. I MEAN, YOU'VE SEEN MISS ROBERT, MR. BENNETT, YOU'VE SEEN WHAT WE CAN DO WHEN IT COMES TO THINGS LIKE RIDGELY'S, RESERVE, DAYS COVE, THE PARK AND RIDES, YOU KNOW, THE WAREHOUSES, ZONING CONFLICTS THAT WE HAVE. SO, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT A VOICE LOCALLY, BUT WE CAN TAKE THAT AND WE CAN DEVELOP A PLAN BEFORE IT'S

[01:35:01]

PROTECT THIS LAND, PROTECT THIS COMMUNITY. PROTECT THE FUTURE WE WILL HAND TO OUR CHILDREN.

LAST TIME I SPOKE HERE. I GAVE EACH OF YOU A COPY OF THE GIVING TREE. AND SOMEONE DID OFFER FOR TO PURCHASE COPIES OF THE LORAX FOR EACH OF YOU. BUT INSTEAD OF THAT, I ASKED FOR HER TO GIVE TO DONATE TO THE HARFORD COUNTY BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB. BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE PROTECTING THE FUTURE OF HARFORD COUNTY MEANS INVESTING IN THE CHILDREN THAT WILL INHERIT IT. SO I HOPE YOU GUYS UNDERSTAND WHY YOU DIDN'T GET ANOTHER BOOK TODAY. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU MA'AM. NATHAN BECK, FOLLOWED BY JUSTINE HENDRIX, DANIEL BILLINGS AND PAULA ETTING. GOOD EVENING SIR. NAME AND ZIP. NATHAN BECK 21050. I'M COMING HERE TODAY. AS SOMEONE WHO HAS NOT ONLY BEEN TO, BUT ACTIVELY HELPED CONSTRUCT THE DATA CENTER OUT IN FREDERICK, I'M PAID TO GO THERE AND I DO MY JOB. HAVING SAID THAT, THE PROPOSED DATA CENTER AT MOUNTAIN BRANCH IS THE SAME STYLE AS UP IN FREDERICK. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BEING THAT THEY ALSO INTEND TO HAVE A NATURAL GAS POWER PLANT. THERE'S NOT MUCH NEED FOR THAT IN HARFORD COUNTY, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I DISAGREE WITH THE OUTRIGHT BAN OF ALL DATA CENTERS. MOST DATA CENTERS SINCE THE INVENTION OF THE INTERNET ARE SMALL SCALE BUILDINGS, WHICH ALLOW IP TO BE HOSTED WEBSITES, CALLING SERVICES, THINGS THAT WE USE EVERY SINGLE DAY WITHOUT EVEN THINKING ABOUT IT. THE TVS YOU HAVE ON GO THROUGH A DATA CENTER AT SOME POINT, UNLESS YOU HAVE A SMALL LOCALLY HOSTED SERVER IN THE BUILDING SOMEWHERE. IF WE BAN ALL DATA CENTERS, WE'RE RELYING ON THE OTHER COUNTIES AND STATES AROUND US TO SUPPLY THAT TO US IN PERPETUITY. THAT'S NOT GUARANTEED, AND SMALL SCALE DATA CENTERS EXIST AS CLOSE BY AS ROSEDALE. IT'S NOT FAR AWAY. YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN IT BEFORE. IF YOU'VE DRIVEN THROUGH THERE, IT JUST LOOKS LIKE A BUILDING AND IT'S NO BIGGER THAN THE ONE WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW. I THINK

[01:40:04]

THERE ARE MORE THAN 3000 PROPOSED DATA CENTER PROJECTS IN THE UNITED STATES THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN POSTPONED OR COMPLETELY CANCELED DUE TO PUSHBACK. LIKE YOU'VE SEEN AND HEARD FROM THIS ROOM IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS. THAT'S BECAUSE COMMUNITIES LIKE OURS HAVE SEEN THE SHORT TERM IMPLICATIONS OF THESE PROJECTS IN OTHER AREAS. THERE ARE HEALTH ISSUES, NOISE POLLUTION, LIGHT POLLUTION, AND LOTS OF WATER USAGE. THE COMMUNITIES NEAR THESE MASSIVE COMPLEXES HAVE BEEN ASKED TO REDUCE WATER USAGE, WHILE THE DATA CENTERS CONTINUE TO USE IT FOR THEIR SERVERS. THERE ARE INCREASED INCIDENCES OF HEALTH CONDITIONS LIKE ASTHMA AND COPD, EVEN AMONG PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT EVER BEEN SMOKERS. IN VIRGINIA, WHERE THERE ARE PLENTY OF DATA CENTERS, THEY ESTIMATE THAT THE ANNUAL HEALTH DAMAGES FROM POLLUTION COULD BE IN THE TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. AND THOSE ARE JUST THE SHORT TERM IMPLICATIONS. WE HAVEN'T HAD MASSIVE HYPERSCALE DATA CENTERS OF THIS SIZE LONG ENOUGH TO KNOW THE LONG TERM RAMIFICATIONS AND CONSEQUENCES. DATA CENTERS BRING SHORT TERM JOBS DURING CONSTRUCTION, BUT AS MANY PEOPLE HAVE NOTED, MOST OF THOSE ARE NOT LOCAL JOBS. AND EVEN THE LARGEST OF THE DATA CENTERS CREATE FEWER THAN 150 PERMANENT JOBS. THAT'S ACCORDING TO A SURVEY OF 6300 DATA CENTERS. THEY DO DRIVE UP ENERGY COSTS. THEY HAVE POISONED WATER IN LOCAL WELLS NEARBY, WHICH IS A HUGE CONCERN FOR THIS ONE. AND THEY DISRUPT ALSO THE PATTERNS OF LOCAL AND MIGRATORY ANIMALS. A MONTEREY PARK, CALIFORNIA VOTERS JUST VOTED TO PERMANENTLY BAN DATA CENTER CONSTRUCTION. THE STATE OF NEW YORK HAS INTRODUCED A MORATORIUM, AS HAS THE CITY OF DENVER, OKLAHOMA CITY AND TULSA AND SMALLER CITIES IN NEW JERSEY, ILLINOIS, WISCONSIN AND PENNSYLVANIA. THESE ARE NOT POPULAR PROJECTS BECAUSE WE HAVE HAD THE BENEFIT OF SEEING AND LEARNING FROM THE EXPERIENCES OF OTHER COMMUNITIES, AND THIS IS OUR OPPORTUNITY TO STAND UP FOR OURSELVES, FOR OUR HEALTH AND FOR THE FUTURE OF HARFORD COUNTY BY BANNING THESE DATA CENTERS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MISS DIXON. YOU SAY EVERYONE'S INSIDE NOW? YES. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, SIR. NAME AND ZIP. DANIEL BILLINGS 21771. GOOD EVENING, COUNCIL LEADERS. I'M NOT CURRENTLY A RESIDENT OF HARFORD COUNTY, BUT THIS IS MY CHILDHOOD HOME. AND IT PAINS ME TO SEE THIS BEAUTIFUL PLACE CORRUPTED BY THOSE WHO DO NOT LIVE HERE AND WON'T SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR GREED. LAST SESSION, THERE WAS A LARGE PORTION OF THE SPEAKERS IN FAVOR OF THE BAN WHO SPOKE TO THE STRAINS OF THE COUNTY'S INFRASTRUCTURE, AND THIS IS OF GREAT CONCERN. I DO WANT TO ADD, AS A GENERATOR TECHNICIAN, ONE OF THE FACILITIES DOWN IN VIRGINIA HAS 55,500 KILOWATT BACKUP GENERATORS. EACH ONE OF THOSE UNITS BEING LARGE ENOUGH TO NOT SO COMFORTABLY FIT INTO A SEMI TRUCK. BUT I WANT TO SPEAK ON THE PARTS THAT WERE GLOSSED OVER MISSED ENTIRELY. THAT BEING OF THE LOOMING AI BUBBLE BURST. AI HALLUCINATIONS AND HOW THE COMPANIES REACT. NOW, I WASN'T OLD ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND THE.COM BUBBLE BURST BACK IN 2000, BUT I CAN CLEARLY SEE THE SIMILARITIES TO THE CURRENT AI BUBBLE, AND THAT WILL SOON THAT IT WILL SOON BURST. ONE OF THE KEYSTONE COMPANIES BEHIND AI, OPEN AI IS IS BEGGING OTHER CORPORATIONS TO USE AI WHILE THEY ARE HEMORRHAGING MONEY BILLIONS AT A TIME, AND AS THE POTENTIAL OF GOING BANKRUPT BY MID NEXT YEAR.

THIS WILL THROW ALL AI DEVELOPMENT INTO CHAOS, WHICH WOULD LEAVE THE COUNTY WITH A

[01:45:03]

WE'RE NOT FINISHED WITH THIS UNPLEASANT BUSINESS AND MUST NOW PUSH THE ADVANTAGE BEFORE ANNAPOLIS CAN NULL THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE OF HARFORD COUNTY. THIS IS A CALL TO ACTION TO THE COUNCIL. DO NOT SIT IDLE, FOR THE OPPOSITION WILL SCREAM LONG INTO THE NIGHT, SO THEY MAY PILLAGE AND PERVERT OUR BEAUTIFUL COUNTY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING MAYOR.

GOOD EVENING PAULA. ADDING 21014. GOOD EVENING, PRESIDENT VINCENTE AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. I SERVE AS THE MAYOR FOR THE TOWN OF BEL AIR, AND I AM A CANDIDATE FOR DISTRICT C, WHERE I HAVE LIVED FOR OVER 40 YEARS. AND I'M HERE TONIGHT TO SPEAK TO YOU IN SUPPORT OF THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE'S BILL ON THE DATA BAN DATA CENTER BAN. I'M VERY HAPPY TO HEAR THAT. APPARENTLY IT'S GOING TO PASS 7 TO 0 TONIGHT, SO I HAVE MUCH FEWER THINGS TO SAY. BUT THE BILL DOES THE ONE IMPORTANT THING THAT WE NEED, WHICH IS IT PERMANENTLY BANS DATA CENTERS HERE IN HARFORD COUNTY. WE ARE FORTUNATE THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO LEARN FROM THE MISTAKES OF OTHERS. THEY WERE THE GUINEA PIGS IN A TERRIBLE FAILED EXPERIMENT, ABERDEEN ON MONDAY PASSED A DATA CENTER BAN. THE TOWN OF BEL AIR WILL HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING ON ITS DATA CENTER BAN BILL ON THE 22ND OF JUNE, AND THIS IS OUR ONE CHANCE TO PROTECT HARFORD COUNTY FROM THE DAMAGE THAT DATA CENTERS WILL DO TO OUR COMMUNITIES AND TO OUR COUNTY.

WE CANNOT LET IT GO BY. ONCE WE'VE LOST, WE'VE LOST. BUT THE VOTE TONIGHT, AS SEVERAL OTHERS HAVE MENTIONED, CANNOT BE THE END. WE CANNOT LET DOWN OUR GUARD, GOVERNOR MOORE AND HIS FRIENDS IN ANNAPOLIS HAVE SHOWN THAT THEY ARE VERY HAPPY TO TAKE AWAY LOCAL CONTROL AND FORCE THEIR BAD IDEAS ON COUNTIES LIKE HARFORD THAT HAVE NO INTEREST IN DATA CENTERS OR HIGH DENSITY HOUSING, OR ANY NUMBER OF OTHER THINGS THAT ARE NOT APPROPRIATE FOR HARFORD COUNTY. ANNAPOLIS THINKS IT KNOWS WHAT IS BEST FOR US OUT HERE IN HARFORD COUNTY, BUT WE KNOW WHAT IS BEST FOR HARFORD COUNTY. WE LIVE HERE, SO WE HAVE TO REMAIN VIGILANT. THE REPORT THAT WAS ORDERED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON DATA CENTERS IN MARYLAND IS DUE TO THE LEGISLATURE ON SEPTEMBER 1ST. I'M ANXIOUSLY AWAITING THAT REPORT. ONCE WE HAVE THAT IN HAND, WE'LL HAVE A BETTER IDEA OF WHERE THE STATE IS HEADING. AND THEN ALL OF US RESIDENTS, EVERYONE HERE IN THIS ROOM, ELECTED OFFICIALS, LOCAL, STATE, ALL OF US HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER TO PREVENT DATA CENTERS FROM BEING FORCED ON US HERE IN HARFORD COUNTY. AND IF ANNAPOLIS ATTEMPTS TO SEND DATA CENTERS HERE, DESPITE LOCAL OPPOSITION, WHICH I'M SURE THERE WILL BE, WE HAVE TO BE PREPARED TO FIGHT THOSE EFFORTS AND MINIMIZE ANY HARM THAT THEY COULD CAUSE TO OUR COUNTY. I LOOK FORWARD TO THE UNANIMOUS VOTE PASSING BILL 26-011, AND I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME THIS EVENING. THANK YOU MA'AM. JOHN ASTRO, FOLLOWED BY RICO ALBA, CARRIES J. EVANS AND CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON. GOOD EVENING SIR. GOOD EVENING, COUNCIL PRESIDENT. MY NAME IS JOHN ASTRO. MY ZIP CODE IS 210 NINE THREE. GOOD EVENING. I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF A LIGHT INDUSTRIAL LANDOWNER HERE IN HARFORD COUNTY, AND I URGE THIS COUNCIL TO VOTE NO ON 2611. MUCH OF TONIGHT'S CONCERN HAS CENTERED ON AGRICULTURAL LAND, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT. BUT THERE'S BEEN LITTLE CONTEMPLATION OF INDUSTRIAL LAND HERE IN HARFORD COUNTY. THIS BILL TOUCHES THE PROPERTY RIGHTS OF EVERY INDUSTRIAL LANDOWNER IN THE COUNTY, BECAUSE A BLANKET BAN IS THE WRONG TOOL, AND BECAUSE IT EXPOSES THE COUNTY TO A REAL LEGAL RISK WHILE FORECLOSING A BETTER SOLUTION. THE COUNTY'S ZONING CODE PERMITS BY RIGHT, USES FAR MORE INTENSIVE THAN A DATA CENTER. WITHIN LEE AND G I, RUBBLE FIELDS ARE PERMITTED BY RIGHT SANITARY LANDFILLS PERMITTED BY RIGHT MINERAL EXTRACTION PROCESSING EQUIVALENT TO MINING. MINING HERE IN HARFORD COUNTY, PERMITTED BY RIGHT. SO ARE CONCRETE AND ASPHALT PLANTS, ABATTOIRS AND SLAUGHTERHOUSES

[01:50:05]

NOT EVEN LOUDOUN COUNTY, THE EPICENTER FOR DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT, HAS DONE THIS.

THEY HAVE. AND LOUDOUN COUNTY HAS FACED FAR GREATER PRESSURE. IT CHOSE INSTEAD, IN 2025 TO REQUIRE AND TO REGULATE APPROVAL IN ITS INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS, AS OPPOSED TO AN OUTRIGHT BAN. COUNCIL PRESIDENT MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. YOU SHOULD OPPOSE THIS BAN. INSTEAD, ADOPT AN AMENDMENT THAT PAUSES THE APPROVAL OF ANY DATA CENTER. THANK YOU, SIR. UNTIL, MR. CHAIR, I'D APPRECIATE. THANK YOU, SIR, YOUR TIME IS UP. I WOULD SUGGEST TO REGULATE AND SET STANDARDS. SIR, YOUR TIME IS UP. SIT DOWN. GO AHEAD, SIR. GOOD EVENING SIR. NAME AND ZIP.

RICO. ALBERT CARRIES 21014. THANK YOU. COUNCIL PRESIDENT, COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBERS, AS I TRY TO FIND AN ARGUMENT THAT MIGHT RESONATE WITH FOLKS HERE TONIGHT IN THE COUNCIL. I KNOW WHERE ALL OF YOUR HEADS ARE. I KEPT COMING BACK TO THE SAME ISSUE. IT'S HARD FOR ME TO FIND AN ARGUMENT THAT MAYBE WOULD RESONATE, BECAUSE I DON'T ACTUALLY KNOW THE PRINCIPLES THAT ALL OF YOU HOLD DEAR. AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS THAT HARFORD COUNTY IS A RED COUNTY, RIGHT? LIKE THAT'S WE ALL KNOW THAT NORMALLY THAT MEANS PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS, FREE ENTERPRISE, AND KEEPING GOVERNMENT OUT OF THE WAY OF BUSINESS. BUT TONIGHT WE'RE DISCUSSING A LAW THAT WOULD PERMANENTLY BAN AN ENTIRE INDUSTRY, NOT REGULATE IT, NOT NEGOTIATE WITH IT, NOT ESTABLISH STANDARDS FOR IT, JUST BAN IT OUTRIGHT. I'VE HEARD WARNINGS ABOUT CORPORATE GREED, PUTTING PEOPLE OVER PROFIT CONCERNS OVER MONEY, CHANGING THE CHARACTER OF OUR COUNTY. AND THOSE ARE ARGUMENTS YOU USUALLY HEAR FROM LIBERALS AND PROGRESSIVES, SOMETHING YOU MIGHT EXPECT IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY OR PG COUNTY OR BALTIMORE CITY, SOMETHING I FRANKLY DID NOT EXPECT HERE IN HARFORD COUNTY. ARE WE SAYING MY PROPERTY RIGHTS ONLY MATTER IF MY NEIGHBOR AGREES? ARE WE ARGUING AGAINST PRIVATE INVESTMENT MAKING ITS WAY DOWN TO WORKING FOLKS? AS A LIFELONG DEMOCRAT, I FIND THAT FASCINATING. AND MAYBE I'M A LITTLE ENCOURAGED TO HEAR PROGRESSIVE TALKING POINTS LIKE CONCERNS OVER GLOBAL WARMING AND CORPORATE GREED. I HOPE THESE DEMOCRATIC TENDENCIES MANIFEST THEMSELVES IN OTHER PLACES OUTSIDE OF THIS ONE CONVERSATION. THINGS LIKE BEING IN SUPPORT OF CLEAN ENERGY INITIATIVES, BECAUSE I HEAR A LOT OF PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT ENERGY PRICES, BUT SOME OF THOSE SAME FOLKS ARE OPPOSED TO SOLAR PROJECTS AND BATTERY STORAGE PROJECTS, THINGS THAT WILL LOWER ENERGY PRICES AND MAKE MAKE ENERGY. YES, MA'AM.

YES THEY WILL, FOLKS, BUT WE DON'T WANT ENERGY GENERATION. WE DON'T WANT NEW INFRASTRUCTURE. WE DON'T WANT NEW INDUSTRY. WE DON'T WANT NEW INVESTMENT, BUT WE DON'T WANT HIGHER UTILITY BILLS. WE DON'T WANT HIGHER TAXES. WE DON'T WANT UNDERFUNDED SCHOOLS OR FEWER JOB OPPORTUNITIES. AN OUTRIGHT BAN DOES NOT ALLEVIATE THOSE PROBLEMS. AND I THINK AS

[01:55:03]

HARFORD COUNTY AS A FORMER PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSIONER, I'VE LEARNED THAT EVERY MAJOR LAND DECISION COMES DOWN TO ONE QUESTION WHAT ARE WE WILLING TO GIVE UP? BECAUSE EVERY YES COMES AT A COST. WE'RE TOLD DATA CENTERS BRING JOBS AND TAX REVENUES, BUT GOOD LEADERSHIP DOESN'T SIMPLY ASK WHAT CAN BE BUILT. GOOD LEADERSHIP ASKS IF IT SHOULD BE BUILT AT ALL. WHEN I LOOK AROUND HARFORD COUNTY, I SEE A PRODUCTIVE FARMLAND, OPEN SPACE, FORESTS AND COMMUNITIES WHERE FAMILIES PUT DOWN ROOTS FOR GENERATIONS. PEOPLE CHOOSE HARFORD COUNTY BECAUSE IT STILL FEELS DIFFERENT. THEY WANT IT TO STAY THAT WAY. WHAT CONCERNS ME MOST IS WHAT THESE FACILITIES COULD TAKE AWAY FARMLAND, OPEN SPACE IN OUR RURAL CHARACTER, THE VERY THINGS THAT MAKE HARFORD COUNTY SPECIAL. THESE FACILITIES CONSUME ENORMOUS AMOUNTS OF ELECTRICITY, REQUIRE MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND PROVIDE RELATIVELY FEW PERMANENT JOBS ONCE CONSTRUCTION IS COMPLETE. AND ONCE THEY'RE BUILT, THEY'RE BUILT. YOU CAN'T TURN A DATA CENTER BACK INTO A FARM. YOU CAN'T RESTORE RURAL CHARACTER AFTER IT'S BEEN INDUSTRIALIZED. ONCE THAT LAND IS GONE, IT'S GONE. I WANT TO THANK THE MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL FOR JOINING WITH BOB CASSILLY BY RECOGNIZING THAT SOME DECISIONS ARE TOO IMPORTANT TO RUSH BY SUPPORTING THIS MORATORIUM, YOU'RE GIVING OUR COMMUNITY THE TIME NEEDED TO FULLY UNDERSTAND THE LONG TERM CONSEQUENCES BEFORE BEFORE DECISIONS ARE MADE. RESIDENTS ARE HERE BECAUSE THEY LOVE HARFORD COUNTY AND BELIEVE SOME THINGS ARE WORTH PROTECTING. THEIR MESSAGE IS SIMPLE, AND I SAY TO YOU AND TO ANNAPOLIS, WE DON'T WANT INDUSTRIAL SCALE DATA CENTERS IN HARFORD COUNTY EVER. NOT ON OUR FARMLAND, NOT AT MOUNTAIN BRANCH AND NOT IN OUR RURAL COMMUNITIES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. GOOD EVENING SIR. NAME AND ZIP. CHRIS ANDERSON 21219. I AM NOT A COUNTY RESIDENT. I AM A REPRESENTATIVE OF PLUMBERS AND STEAMFITTERS LOCAL 486 DATA CENTERS ARE RAPIDLY GROWING COMPONENT IN THE NATION'S DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND REPRESENT A SIGNIFICANT INCOME OPPORTUNITY FOR. FOR HARFORD COUNTY, THESE PROJECTS SUPPORT THOUSANDS OF JOBS THROUGHOUT THE CONSTRUCTION, MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION SECTORS. LOCAL 486 REPRESENTS NEARLY 3000 HIGHLY SKILLED PLUMBERS, STEAMFITTERS, WELDERS AND HVAC TECHS. 400 OF THOSE MEN, 472 OF THOSE MEMBERS CALL HARFORD COUNTY THEIR HOME. WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO KEEP OUR MEMBERS WORKING CLOSE TO HOME, WHILE CREATING PATHWAYS FOR COUNTY RESIDENTS TO ENTER REWARDING CAREERS THROUGH OUR REGISTERED REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP.

THESE PROJECTS ALLOW US TO INVEST IN LOCAL WORKFORCE WHILE HELPING BUILD THE NEXT GENERATION OF DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE, AS A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE MENTIONED, YOU KNOW THE CONSTRUCTION, THERE IS THOUSANDS OF JOBS AND PEOPLE ALWAYS LIKE TO SAY, OH, IT'S TEMPORARY JOBS. THESE TEMPORARY JOBS ARE WHAT MY CAREER WAS BUILT ON UP UNTIL TWO, WELL, 18 MONTHS AGO, I WAS IN THE FIELD BUILDING BUILDINGS, BUILDING JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL, BUILDING DATA CENTERS. THAT IS WHAT OUR LIVELIHOOD IS BUILT ON. THAT'S WHAT MY RETIREMENT IS GOING TO BE BUILT ON, IS BUILDING THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE HOSPITALS AND DATA CENTERS THAT WE USE ON A DAILY BASIS. WITH THAT BEING SAID, I ALSO WANTED TO TOUCH A LITTLE BIT ON THE WATER AS AN EXPERT IN THE FIELD AND DOING THIS OVER 20 YEARS. THE WATER USAGE, AS YOU

[02:00:07]

EVERY DATA CENTER THAT'S CURRENTLY BEING BUILT IS USING AIR COOLED CHILLERS, NOT EVAPORATIVE COOLING. WITH COOLING TOWERS WHERE THE WATER IS EVAPORATING INTO THE ATMOSPHERE ON A DAILY BASIS, WHERE YOU HAVE THAT MAKE UP WATER OF MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF WATER. I KIND OF WENT OFF SCRIPT. SO I RESPECTFULLY URGE YOU TO CONSIDER THE LONG TERM ECONOMIC, WORKFORCE AND FISCAL BENEFITS THAT A PROJECT OF THIS NATURE WOULD BRING TO HARFORD COUNTY, THIS OPPORTUNITY TO STRENGTHEN THE LOCAL ECONOMY, CREATE FAMILY SUSTAINING CAREERS, GENERATE SIGNIFICANT TAX REVENUE, AND INVEST IN THE COUNTY'S FUTURE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU, SIR RAY BAKER, FOLLOWED BY ALAN CICHERO, NATHAN OGOLA, AND CHRISTOPHER BLOCKER. GOOD EVENING OR GOOD EVENING, SIR. NAME AND ZIP. RAY BAKER 20746. I'M NOT GOING TO BE HERE BEFORE YOU ALL LONG. I APPRECIATE AND RESPECT THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS MADE THEIR VOICE HEARD. THE LAST TIME I WAS HERE WITH YOU, THEY MADE IT HEARD BEFORE I ASKED COUNCIL PRESIDENT VICENTE WHEN HE ASKED ME, HOW AM I DOING? I SAID, YOU CAN MAKE ME DO A LOT BETTER. AND HE SAID, NO, NO. AND SO I RESPECT THAT COUNCIL PRESIDENT AND I APPRECIATE THAT. I ALSO WANT TO APPRECIATE SOMETHING THAT WE HEARD A LITTLE BIT EARLIER AND SPEAK ABOUT THE NOTION OF TRADE OFFS, THE SAME WAY THAT WE HEARD SOMEONE WHO WAS A CANDIDATE FOR COUNTY COUNCIL ALLUDE TO. WE CANNOT MERELY SAY YES WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING WHAT WE'RE SAYING NO TO WHAT WE'RE LOSING OUT ON. I INVITE US TO CONSIDER THAT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE SAY NO? I RECOGNIZE PEOPLE HAVE THIS STRONG AND INTENSE DESIRE FOR A COMPLETE AND PERMANENT BAN. I STOOD BEFORE YOU ALL JUST SOME WEEKS AGO, SUPPORTIVE OF A MORATORIUM, BELIEVING THAT THROUGH A MORATORIUM, WE MIGHT GET TO A PLACE THAT WOULD ULTIMATELY PROVIDE THE PEOPLE THAT I REPRESENT WITH THE BALTIMORE, DC BUILDING CONSTRUCTION TRADES AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME TO WORK RIGHT HERE IN HARFORD COUNTY.

WE EVEN HEARD, WELL, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH APPRENTICES IN HARFORD COUNTY. WHEN I'M AT JOPPATOWNE HIGH SCHOOL, THEY'RE ASKING ME, SO HOW CAN I GET IN WHEN I'M AT HARFORD TECH? THEY'RE ASKING ME SO. SO WHAT WORK OPPORTUNITIES DO YOU HAVE? AND THE ONLY TIME THAT I CAN EXPAND OUR APPRENTICESHIP CLASSES IS IF WE HAVE MORE WORK ON THE HORIZON. AGAIN, I AM AWARE THAT YOU ALL ARE NOT INTERESTED IN BUILDING A DATA CENTER. WHAT I AM ASKING OF US TO CONSIDER, EVEN WITH THE DECISIONS THAT WE'RE MAKING AROUND PERMANENCE, IS THAT WE THINK ABOUT THAT WHICH WE'RE GIVING AND THAT WHICH WE'RE GETTING. I UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE ALL APPARENTLY VERY BIG FANS OF SOLAR FARMS HERE. I UNDERSTAND WE'RE NOT FANS OF SOLAR FARMS, AND WE'RE NOT FANS OF THE STATE MANDATES TELLING US WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN. AND YET THE ACTIONS THAT WE ARE PREPARED TO URGE OUR COUNCIL PEOPLE HERE TO TAKE TONIGHT INVITE THAT SAME BEHAVIOR. IT INVITES THAT SAME HOSTILITY. NOW, WHERE WE ARE NOW, WE HAVE SOME DEGREE OF LEVERAGE. AND I'M INCLUDING MYSELF IN THE WHY. WHY? BECAUSE I AM A RESIDENT OF MARYLAND. I ALSO PAY BG AND E PRICES. I ALSO HAVE TO GRAB MY ENERGY FROM THE PJM. AND SO I UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE CONCERNS AND COMPLAINTS THAT ARE PRESENT. AND SO AT THIS JUNCTURE, IF WE DO NOT HAVE A PERMANENT BAN, THE COUNCIL, THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE, WHOMEVER IT MAY BE, THAT IS YOU GUYS ELECTION, NOT MINE, HAS BETTER LEVERAGE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN NEGOTIATE WITH DEVELOPERS TO SET THE TERMS THAT ARE FITTING FOR ANY INDUSTRIAL PROJECT THAT WILL TAKE PLACE HERE. I WOULD LIKE TO PUT MY MEMBERS TO WORK. I'VE HAD SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES COME AND TELL YOU THAT THEY'VE WORKED IN THE FIELD, AND IT PROVIDES JOB AND LIFE CHANGING OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD THE THING THAT YOU ALL ARE SAYING YOU ALL DO NOT WANT, BUT YOU HAVE LEVERAGE. NOW, YOU MAY NOT HAVE THAT LEVERAGE SOON. I WOULD MUCH PREFER HARFORD COUNTY TO BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN A CONVERSATION WHERE THEY HAVE LEVERAGE THAN WHERE THEY DO NOT, BUT THAT DECISION IS ULTIMATELY YOURS. I HOPE, SINCERELY, THAT THE COUNCIL WILL RECONSIDER THE PERMANENCE OF THE BAN. I HOPE THE PUBLIC WOULD RECONSIDER THE PERMANENCE OF THE BAN, BUT NONETHELESS, THE DECISION IS YOURS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

THANK YOU SIR. GOOD EVENING SIR. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS ALAN 021009. I'M GOING TO TRY AND

[02:05:05]

WE'RE NOT SURE, RIGHT? LET'S GAMBLE. LET'S FLIP A COIN AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS. I DON'T SUPPORT THAT. WE ALL KNOW THERE'S GOING TO BE ENERGY PRICE INCREASES. I HAD A WHOLE THING WRITTEN ABOUT THAT. BUT THE FACT IS THEY'RE NOT GOING TO PAY THEIR OWN BILL THAT'S COMING TO US. WE WE KNOW THAT. AND I HAVE YET TO SEE A TENANT OF ANY DATA CENTER CUT EVERYBODY THAT IT AFFECTS A CHECK. SAY, WE GOT YOUR BILL OVERAGES. DON'T WORRY, IT'S ON US. I DON'T THINK THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. I DON'T THINK THAT THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT OR THE STATE GOVERNMENT IS GOING TO DO THAT. RIGHT. IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. SO WE'RE NOW PAYING THE BILL FOR SOMETHING THAT, GENERALLY SPEAKING, I THINK PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM DO NOT WANT.

RIGHT. I UNDERSTAND THERE'S TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY AT LEAST, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THAT'S NOT WHAT WE WANT. THE JOBS THING HAS BEEN BROUGHT UP. SO I'M GOING TO AGAIN SUMMARIZE. YES, THERE ARE CONSTRUCTION JOBS THAT WILL SPIKE FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS AND THEN THEY WILL GO AWAY. I KNOW A GENTLEMAN JUST MENTIONED THAT THE A CAREER HAS BEEN MADE OFF OF THESE TEMPORARY JOBS. ABSOLUTELY UNDERSTANDABLE. RIGHT. WE ALL NEED TO WORK. WE'VE BEEN BUILDING OTHER THINGS. THE DATA CENTER CONVERSATION IS NEW OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS. DID NOBODY HAVE A JOB PRIOR TO THAT? I DON'T SEE HOW THIS IS IS REQUIRED. RIGHT. SO OVERALL, I JUST KIND OF FEEL THAT THE JOB HERE IS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOOD FOR HARFORD COUNTY AND WHAT'S GOOD FOR HARFORD COUNTY IS WHAT'S GOOD FOR THEIR RESIDENTS. SO I'M NOT STUPID ENOUGH TO SAY SOMETHING IS ALL GOOD OR ALL BAD. THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS. BUT I THINK THAT TO HAVE DATA CENTERS ANYWHERE IN HARFORD COUNTY, GIVEN THE CURRENT LANDSCAPE OF HOW WE ALL WORK AND LIVE AND OPERATE, IS A NET NEGATIVE, WHICH IS WHY WE DO NEED TO BE IN FAVOR OF THIS BAN. I'VE GOT FOUR SECONDS LEFT. I THANK YOU ALL FOR INVITING US OUT TO TALK. AND REAL QUICK, THANK YOU. IF ANYBODY ELSE IS STILL IN THE ROOM, I DON'T KNOW WHO'S COME AND GONE, BUT THE FIREFIGHTERS. ANOTHER BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THEM. I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THEY DO.

THANK YOU GUYS. GOOD POINT. I THINK IT'S MY TURN. I DON'T KNOW. I HOPE I'M NOT SKIPPING SOMEONE. MY NAME IS CHRISTOPHER BLOCKER. ZIP CODE 21085. SOME THINGS IN LIFE ARE INEVITABLE SICKNESS, SUFFERING, DEATH. THESE ARE THINGS THAT AS HUMAN BEINGS, WE OUGHT TO LEARN TO BEAR WITH GRACE. THEY ARE EXISTENTIAL FACTS. THEN THERE ARE THINGS IN LIFE THAT ARE NOT INEVITABLE THAT OTHERS WANT US TO BELIEVE ARE INEVITABLE. THEY ONLY BECOME INEVITABLE WHEN WE ACCEPT THEIR REASONING WITHOUT QUESTION. THE POINT IS TO MAKE US COMPLACENT, RESIGNED, DISCOURAGED. THESE ARE NOT EXISTENTIAL FACTS, BUT ENTIRELY DEPENDENT ON THE CHOICES THAT WE MAKE HERE AND NOW. HISTORY IS FULL OF EXAMPLES. IT HAPPENS IN THE POLITICAL SPHERE ALL THE TIME. X CANDIDATE IS TOO EXTREME. SO EVEN IF YOU LIKE THEIR POLICIES, YOU SHOULD VOTE FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT CANDIDATE. IT'S ONLY THE FACT THAT EVERYONE BELIEVES THIS, THAT WE END UP WITH LUKEWARM REPRESENTATIVES WHO WOULD RATHER TOE THE PARTY LINE THAN ADVOCATE FOR THE INTERESTS OF THEIR CONSTITUENTS. IT'S HALF THE REASON SO MANY PEOPLE IN OUR COUNTRY END UP SUPPORTING WARS THAT COST COUNTLESS INNOCENT LIVES. WAR IS INEVITABLE. IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO PROTECT OUR FINANCIAL OR NATIONAL SECURITY INTERESTS.

AND IT'S SIMPLY AN UNFORTUNATE REALITY THAT SO MANY INNOCENT CIVILIANS WILL DIE. THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO TO MITIGATE THE DISASTROUS EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, AND NO VIABLE ALTERNATIVES TO BURNING FOSSIL FUELS, FOSSIL FUELS. IT'S FAR TOO INGRAINED IN THE GLOBAL

[02:10:02]

RIGHT NOW, WE ARE AT A PRECIPICE. AS HUMAN BEINGS, WE CAN ACCEPT THE REALITY THAT TECH GIANTS LIKE PETER THIEL, MARK ZUCKERBERG AND ELON MUSK WANT A FETUS, THAT IT IS TIME FOR US TO ADAPT TO AN INEVITABLE FUTURE WHERE AI IS EMBEDDED INTO EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIVES, SPYING ON US, COLLECTING OUR DATA, SELLING OUR ATTENTION OFF TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER, TO THE POINT WHERE OUR DAILY LIVES ARE NOTHING BUT AN ENDLESS STREAM OF ADVERTISEMENTS. ON THE NEXT RUNG DOWN ARE THE OPPORTUNISTIC OWNERS OF PROPERTY GOLF CLUBS, FOR EXAMPLE, WHO STAND TO MAKE A MODEST SUM OF TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS BY ACTING AS THEIR FAITHFUL LACKEYS. THEY WILL DO THINGS LIKE LIE AND MANIPULATE MANIPULATE YOU TO BELIEVE THAT DATA CENTERS ARE ACTUALLY GOOD FOR YOU. OR AT THE VERY LEAST, NOT BAD. I'M NOT GOING TO COUNTER THEIR CLAIMS, BUT THE IDEA THAT THEY CARE A WHIT FOR THEIR COMMUNITY IS UTTERLY LAUGHABLE. IF THEY DID, THEY WOULD SELL THEIR PROPERTY TO BUILD A HOMELESS SHELTER, A WILDLIFE SANCTUARY, A PUBLIC GYMNASIUM, A LEARNING CENTER FOR UNDERPRIVILEGED YOUTH. USE YOUR IMAGINATION. THE BIGGEST LIE THAT THEY NEED YOU TO BELIEVE, HOWEVER, IS THAT THIS IS INEVITABLE WHEN THEY CAN'T CONVINCE YOU THAT THE DATA CENTER WILL BENEFIT YOU AS THEY SURELY CANNOT, THEY WILL CONVINCE YOU THAT IT IS INEVITABLE. BUT THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY BELONGS TO HUMAN BEINGS, AND THE FUTURE OF HARFORD COUNTY BELONGS TO HARFORD COUNTY RESIDENTS. THANK YOU SIR. SIR, I BELIEVE YOU SPOKE, HAVEN'T YOU? YES. I'M HERE TO REPRESENT CONSULTING, INC. OR CYBERSECURITY COMPANY. SO CONTINUING MY SPEECH. SO SPEAKING AS A CITIZEN AND THEN AGAIN AS A REPRESENTATIVE FOR CORPORATION, AN ORGANIZATION.

YES. PART OF A CORPORATION. OKAY. THANK YOU. YES. THANKING OUR FOUNDING FATHERS FOR THE FIRST AMENDMENT. SO I THINK IT IS OBVIOUS THAT A DATA CENTER, STARTING WITH ON SITE GENERATION, WILL EVENTUALLY CONNECT TO THE GRID WHEN THE LAWS CHANGE AND THERE IS ADEQUATE TRANSMISSION CAPABILITY, WHETHER THEY CONTINUE OPERATING POWER AND PUSHING IT INTO THE GRID OR CONSUMING IT LOCALLY PROBABLY DEPENDS ON THE COST. CERTAINLY, FOLKS IN PERIMETER FIGHTING ENHANCED GENERATION CAPABILITY IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD AND NEIGHBORS ARE FIGHTING THE TRANSMISSION LINES. SO THERE ARE TOO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS TO PERMIT DATA CENTERS, AS OTHERS HAVE. OTHERS POINTED OUT, THE FIGHT IS PROBABLY JUST GETTING STARTED. IF THE STATE OVERRIDES AND SOME IDEAS ON LEGISLATION THAT THE COUNCIL CAN DO SO. I SAY THE POTENTIAL RISKS ARE ENORMOUS TO THE HEALTH AND FINANCES OF HARFORD COUNTIANS, AS THEY COULD IMPACT TENS OF THOUSANDS OF WATER USERS AND NOT TO MENTION OUR ELECTRICITY COST. THE. IN THE PRESENTATION WITH THE DATA CENTER, MARYLAND DATA CENTER ALLIANCE, MR. BENNETT ASKED WHO SPONSORED THE MARYLAND DATA CENTER ALLIANCE.

THEIR WEBSITE SHOWS THE LOGOS OF AMAZON. TURNER TURNER, A CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, AND CONSTELLATION, THE POWER COMPANY. I THINK THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN THE TRANSPARENT ANSWER TO MR. BENNETT'S QUESTION, BUT THAT'S NOT THE ANSWER HE RECEIVED. SO LATER IN THE VIDEO, MR. SCHULTZ ACKNOWLEDGES THE LIMITS OF HER KNOWLEDGE OUTSIDE OF THE TALKING POINTS AND STATES THAT SHE ISN'T AN ENGINEER AND CAN'T COMMENT ON PFAS AND WATER. SO VIRGINIA REQUIRES PFAS TO BE TREATED BY POLLUTERS IN FAIRFAX WATERS TERRITORY BECAUSE THE PUBLIC WAS PAYING FOR PFAS CLEANUP AS A RESULT OF DATA CENTER POLLUTION. YOU CAN LOOK AT FAIRFAX WATER'S WEBSITE. I BELIEVE THEY ALSO SUED A NUMBER OF PFAS POLLUTERS, AND VIRGINIA PASSED HOUSE BILL 2050 TO CREATE A SPECIAL WATER DISTRICT FOR FAIRFAX WATER, WHERE, OF COURSE, A LOT OF THE DATA CENTERS ARE. SO IN THE FUTURE, I THINK HARFORD COUNTY CITIZENS WOULD PREFER TO HEAR FROM ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS WITH EXPERIENCE IN POWER DISTRIBUTION, COMPUTER ENGINEERS THAT CAN DISCUSS HYPERSCALE INFRASTRUCTURE, ELECTRICIANS, WELL, DRILLERS THAT KNOW OUR AQUIFERS, CIVIL ENGINEERS WITH EXPERIENCE IN WATER TREATMENT AND WASTEWATER TREATMENT, AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERS THAT DESIGN COOLING SYSTEMS. SADLY, IT SEEMS THAT VERY LITTLE HAS BEEN LEARNED FROM THE WAREHOUSE BATTLE THAT THE COURAGEOUS CITIZENS LAUNCHED AND WON. TAXPAYERS ARE BETTER SERVED BY AVOIDING LITIGATION, AS THE APPROVALS FOR THE WAREHOUSES WERE ULTIMATELY RESCINDED. WHEN THE FACTS EMERGED AND THE LITIGATION WENT TO THE SUPREME COURT. MARYLAND SUPREME COURT.

MY ADVICE TO THE COUNCIL PRESIDENT IS TO INVITE EXPERTS, NOT INDUSTRY CHEERLEADERS OR LOBBYISTS, SO THAT THE FACTS ARE DETERMINED EARLIER IN THE PROCESS. CITIZENS DESERVE REAL ANSWERS WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT OUR LAND, OUR HOME, OUR HARFORD. SO A FEW OTHER POINTS

[02:15:06]

TODD WETZEL BERGER, FOLLOWED BY MICHELLE CHRISTMAN, ELLEN EVELYN BISCHOFF AND CARRIE KELLY. CALL YOUR FIRST SPEAKER AGAIN. OH, NEVER MIND. TODD WETZEL. BERGER, CAN YOU HEAR ME? OKAY. YES 21047. I AM PRETTY CYNICAL OF DEALING WITH THE GOVERNMENT, AS PROBABLY MOST OF YOU AREN'T HERE. I THINK I HAVE A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE, OTHERWISE I WOULDN'T HAVE SPOKEN TONIGHT.

I'M A REAL ESTATE INVESTOR. PRIVATE LENDER. I 100% SUPPORT PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS.

MOUNTAIN BRANCH IS ZONED AGRICULTURAL. NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS. WHAT I THOUGHT IT WOULD CONTEMPLATE TO PUT AN INDUSTRIAL COOLING CENTER OR DATA CENTER ON AN AGRICULTURAL PROPERTY. I'VE GOTTEN ZONING VARIANCES. I'VE DONE ALL THIS BEFORE. IT'S UNFATHOMABLE. I ZONING LAWS EXIST FOR A REASON. THAT SAID, MY EXPERIENCE IS IN A PAST LIFE. 2008 CRASH. I HAVE A FINANCE BACKGROUND. I BECAME A WHISTLEBLOWER AND A LITIGATOR, EXPOSING THE MULTIBILLION DOLLAR FRAUD OF THE BANKS. IT WAS TOTALLY BY CHANCE. IT WASN'T PLANNED, AND I WENT NAIVELY TO THE FBI, IRS, SEC. I THINK DOUG GANSLER WAS THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AT THE TIME.

SPECIAL PROSECUTORS. NOBODY WOULD TOUCH IT. I DECIDED TO EXPOSE IT MYSELF, ALL DRIVEN BY RAGE, PEOPLE'S LIVES IMMENSELY DESTROYED. AND SO I WENT DOWN THIS PATH, AND I GOT THE DEATH THREATS AND THE HARASSMENT AND THE HACKING AND ALL THE STUFF YOU CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE. I MET A LOT OF WHISTLEBLOWERS, NSA, CIA, WORLD BANK, AND I WENT DOWN THAT PATH FOR ABOUT A HALF A DECADE AND END UP LITIGATING. AND 8 OR 9 STATES, STATE FEDERAL BANKRUPTCY COURT, APPELLATE COURT. I WENT TO PANAMA DOCKETED A CASE AGAINST CITIBANK WITH PANAMANIAN ATTORNEY. AND WHAT I FOUND BACK TO THESE DATA CENTERS, WHEN THERE'S THIS MUCH MONEY AT STAKE HERE, THEY WILL NOT STOP. THANK ALL OF YOU FOR VOTING TONIGHT TO BAN THIS. ONE GENTLEMAN MENTIONED ABOUT THE STATE LEVEL. MY EXPERIENCE IS TO THINK ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO NEXT. I'VE DEALT WITH CROOKED JUDGES, CROOKED POLITICIANS. I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO TELL YOU. THINK ABOUT THE NEXT STEPS AHEAD BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH MONEY INVOLVED.

THEY WILL NOT STOP. SO IT'S A WIN HERE TONIGHT. THINK ABOUT THE NEXT LEVEL AT THE STATE LEVEL, AND THINK ABOUT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, HOW THEY'RE GOING TO TRY TO STEAMROLL OVER US. THINK TEN STEPS AHEAD. WHERE'S THE MONEY GOING TO GO? AND MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE IS THIS IS A HUGE, HUGE WIN. THERE'S STRENGTH IN NUMBERS. WHAT I FOUND THIS IS HUGE. AND ANOTHER THING I FOUND IS A WINNING STRATEGY IS THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION. I LEARNED THAT FROM TOM DRAKE, WHO WAS A WHISTLEBLOWER AT NSA. AND THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION IS VERY POWERFUL. AND THE LAST THING IS SHINING A BIG LIGHT ON THE CORRUPTION. AND EVERYBODY HERE HAS THE ABILITY TO DO THAT. SHINE A BIG LIGHT. BECAUSE WHAT I FOUND, AND I'M MINDFUL OF MY TIME EVERY TIME I EXPOSE CROOKED JUDGES, GOT CROOKED POLITICIANS. THEY RAN WHEN THE LIGHT WAS SHINE ON THEM. SUPER, SUPER POWERFUL. SO I HOPE THIS IS HELPFUL. THINK AHEAD, TEN STEPS AHEAD BECAUSE THIS IS NOT GOING TO STOP. THE OWNER OF MOUNTAIN BRANCH, I INVITED HIM TO A PUBLIC DEBATE AND I SAID, HEY, ANY TIME, ANY PLACE, INVITE THE MEDIA. CRICKETS. SO MAKE IT PERSONAL AND MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD. I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR ALL OF YOU COMING OUT IN THE LAST SAYING, THIS IS LITERALLY A FIGHT OF GOOD VERSUS EVIL, AND I PRAY TO GOD THAT WE ALL SUCCEED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SIR. GOOD EVENING MA'AM. GOOD EVENING. I'M MICHELLE CHRISTMANN 21132. I THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. MY DAD VOLUNTEERED FOR 61 YEARS RUNNING FIRE AND AMBULANCE CALLS IN HARFORD COUNTY, MARYLAND. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR 027 VOTE. I APPRECIATE THAT I STAND HERE BEFORE YOU THIS EVENING AS SOMEONE WHO BELIEVES DEEPLY IN WHAT HARFORD COUNTY REPRESENTS FAMILY HISTORY AND THE RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT BOTH, I'M ALSO THE LEGISLATIVE CHAIR FOR HARFORD COUNTY REPUBLICAN WOMEN AND ALSO RUNNING FOR MARYLAND HOUSE OF DELEGATES 35, A HARFORD AND CECIL COUNTY, MARYLAND. I GREW UP IN KINGSVILLE, MARYLAND. I REMEMBER CLEAN STREAMS, OPEN LAND, AND A COMMUNITY BUILT BY

[02:20:02]

THE HARFORD COUNTY COUNCIL HAS A CHOICE TO STAND WITH THE CITIZENS BY PASSING BILL NUMBER TWO, 6011 AND PUTTING A STOP TO THIS, I'M ASKING YOU TO STAND UP, SPEAK OUT AND MAKE IT CLEAR HARFORD COUNTY IS NOT FOR SALE. ONCE ELECTED, I DO INTEND TO REPEAL SB 931 AND KEEP LAND USE DECISIONS IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND NOT ANNAPOLIS BUREAUCRATS. IF WE DO NOT PROTECT HARFORD COUNTY NOW, WE WILL NOT GET ANOTHER CHANCE. AGAIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME, AND I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR EVENING AND GOD BLESS YOU ALL. GOOD EVENING MA'AM.

NAME AND ZIP. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS EVELYN BISCHOFF AND MY ZIP CODE IS 21047. AND FIRST, I JUST WANT TO CONGRATULATE ALL OF US AND OUR COUNCIL FOR BEING THE SECOND ON THE BOOKS DATA BAN. I THINK THAT EVERYBODY'S POINTING OUT ALL OF THE HOW IT OPENS DOORS FOR THE STATE TO STEAMROLL US. AND I HAVE TO SAY, I THINK MARYLAND CAN TRY TO STEAMROLL US, BUT I HAVE A FEELING THAT ALL ACROSS THIS COUNTRY RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE PEOPLE FIGHTING THIS EXACT THING. IF WE ALL BAND TOGETHER AND WE ALL SPEAK OUT AND WE ALL STAND UP, AND IF YOU JOIN ALL OF US, WE CAN STOP THIS. SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, I SUPPORT THE EMERGENCY BILL 26-011. ON THE BAN ON DATA CENTERS. TODAY I WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT JOBS. YOU'RE PROBABLY GOING TO HEAR FROM SOME OF THE UNION FELLOWS TONIGHT THAT WANT YOU TO THINK THAT DATA CENTERS WILL BRING HUNDREDS OF JOBS. OF COURSE, MOST OF THEM HAVE LEFT ALREADY, BUT WHATEVER. I WILL ADMIT, THERE WILL BE WORKERS EMPLOYED AT EVERY DATA CENTER CONSTRUCTION SITE. HOWEVER, WILL THEY BE WORKERS FROM HARFORD COUNTY, MARYLAND? I KNOW PEOPLE THAT LIVE NEAR OTHER DATA CONSTRUCTION SITES REPORT LONG CARAVANS OF RVS SHOWING UP AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CONSTRUCTION TO HOUSE WORKERS. BECAUSE THEY DO NOT LIVE NEAR THE AREA THEY ARE WORKING, BUSINESS INSIDER.COM SAYS CONSTRUCTION WORKERS OFTEN TRAVEL TO DATA CENTER SITES AND STAY FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME. HAS ANYONE EVER THOUGHT ABOUT THE OTHER JOBS? FORTUNE MAGAZINE JUST PUBLISHED AN ARTICLE STATING BIG TECH IS DESPERATE. IMAGINE THAT AMAZON IS SPENDING 200 BILLION TO BUILD DATA INFRASTRUCTURE WHILE CUTTING 30,000 WORKERS.

MICROSOFT IS SPENDING 190 BILLION WHILE LAYING OFF 30,000 CORPORATE EMPLOYEES IN THE LAST EIGHT MONTHS. META DISMISSED 10% OF ITS STAFF IN MAY AFTER ANNOUNCING IT WOULD DOUBLE ITS AI APEX OF 72 BILLION FROM 2025, AND ORACLE REDUCED ITS STAFF OF 20 TO 30 000 EMPLOYEES, WHICH COINCIDED WITH THE COMPANY'S 248 BILLION INVESTMENT IN FUTURE DATA CENTER LEASES.

SOUNDS TO ME LIKE THE BUBBLE IS BURSTING OUT OF JUST THOSE FOUR COMPANIES. THAT IS 87,886 JOBS THAT HAVE BEEN CUT. WHEN THE CONSTRUCTION IS DONE AND THE DUST SETTLES, HOW MANY PERMANENT JOBS WILL RESIDE AT A SINGLE DATA CENTER? 2030. IN NO WAY WILL THOSE 2 OR 3 DOZEN JOBS OFFSET THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PERMANENT JOBS THAT WILL EVENTUALLY BE LOST ACROSS THE COUNTRY? DO NOT LET THEM MANIPULATE YOU INTO THINKING THAT THEY ARE BENEFICIARIES, BRINGING JOBS TO THE MASSES BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT. GOOD EVENING MA'AM. HELLO, MY

[02:25:11]

AS AI TECHNOLOGY CONTINUES TO EXPAND, SO DOES THE DEMAND FOR ELECTRICAL AND WATER FACILITIES AND THE GROWTH PLACES, INCREASING PRESSURE ON LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES INFRASTRUCTURE THAT HARFORD COUNTY DOES NOT CURRENTLY HAVE. HARFORD COUNTY SHOULD NOT HAVE TO RISK HIGHER UTILITY COSTS, GREATER STRAIN ON WATER RESOURCES OR ADDITIONAL PRESSURE ON OUR POWER GRID TO ACCOMMODATE A PROJECT WHOSE IMPACTS ARE STILL NOT FULLY UNDERSTOOD. ONCE THESE FACILITIES ARE BUILT, THE EFFECTS ON THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES CAN BE VERY DIFFICULT TO REVERSE. I APPRECIATE THE COUNCIL'S WILLINGNESS TO TAKE THIS ISSUE SERIOUSLY AND TO ACT BEFORE THESE DEVELOPMENTS BECOME A REALITY IN OUR COUNTY, PROTECTING OUR RESIDENTS, OUR RESOURCES AND OUR QUALITY OF LIFE SHOULD COME FIRST. AND I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU ON BEHALF OF FOOD AND WATER WATCH AND RESIDENTS ACROSS HARFORD COUNTY FOR TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY AND VOTING YES ON THE BILL TO BAN DATA CENTERS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU, WILLIAM BLOCKER, FOLLOWED BY DEBBIE SCHREIBER, STEPHANIE FLASH, AND SEAN MALONEY. GOOD EVENING SIR. NAME AND ZIP BILL BLOCKER 21085. AS EVERYBODY ELSE, I'M NOT GOING TO GO STATISTICS OR ANYTHING ELSE. THIS IS REALLY PERSONAL. I'M HERE TO EXPRESS STRONG OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSED DATA CENTER AT MOUNTAIN RANCH GOLF COURSE. HOWEVER, MY PURPOSE IS NOT SOLELY TO OPPOSE THE PROPOSAL. IT IS ALSO TO ENCOURAGE THOUGHTFUL CONSIDERATION OF MORE APPROPRIATE USE OF THE LAND. I LIVE ON STOCKTON ROAD, APPROXIMATELY ONE QUARTER MILE FROM THE GOLF COURSE. MY FAMILY AND I HAVE BEEN MEMBERS OF MOUNTAIN RANCH GOLF COURSE FOR ABOUT 20 YEARS. I HAVE ENJOYED MY MEMBERSHIP, THE COURSE ITSELF, THE PEOPLE THAT WORK THERE. IT IS A FINE FACILITY. OVER THE YEARS I HAVE PARTICIPATED IN MANY TOURNAMENTS AND HAVE HELPED TO SPONSOR CHARITABLE EVENTS AT THE COURSE. THIS ISSUE IS AGAIN DEEPLY PERSONAL TO ME. HOWEVER, I AM DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL LOSS OF NATURAL HABITAT IN THE AREA, INCLUDING FEDERALLY PROTECTED GREAT BLUE HERON PAINTED TURTLES ON NUMBER ONE, THE MONARCH BUTTERFLIES AND THE ON THE MILKWEED AND THE FOURTH AND FIFTH FAIRWAYS AND THE PILOTED WOODPECKERS, THE KINGFISHERS AND THE RED TAILED HAWKS THAT NEST IN THE WOODS BEHIND THE POND ON NUMBER FOUR. THIS MAY BE THE END OF THE PROPERTY'S USE AS A GOLF COURSE. HOWEVER, I STRONGLY OPPOSE THE DESTRUCTION OF THE AREA FOR AN INCOMPATIBLE USE, PARTICULARLY PROPOSED DATA CAMPUS. WE ARE ALL STILL LEARNING ABOUT THE POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACTS OF SUCH FACILITIES. I'M ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL IMPACT ON POLLINATORS AND OTHER SENSITIVE SPECIES THAT MAY BE AFFECTED BY NOISE, VIBRATION AND OTHER OPERATIONAL FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DATA CENTER. I URGE THE OWNERS AND THIS COUNCIL TO CONSIDER ALTERNATIVES THAT ARE ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE, COMPATIBLE WITH SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS AND PROTECTIVE OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND PROPERTY VALUES. I ASK THE COUNCIL TO CONSIDER A BROADER QUESTION. BALTIMORE COUNTY OWNS FIVE GOLF COURSES. HARFORD COUNTY HAS ZERO. SHOULD HARFORD COUNTY EXPLORE PRESERVING THIS PROPERTY AS A RECREATIONAL OR PUBLIC ASSET THAT WOULD SERVE RESIDENTS NOW AND IN THE FUTURE? I DISAGREE WITH THE PROPOSAL TO CONVERT THIS PROPERTY TO A DATA CENTER. INSTEAD, I ENCOURAGE ALL PARTIES TO LOOK FORWARD AND IDENTIFY A USE THAT PRESERVES THIS BEAUTY AND ENVIRONMENTAL VALUE COMMUNITY BENEFIT, RATHER THAN ALLOWING IT TO BECOME A DETRIMENT TO OUR HOMES AND OUR ENVIRONMENT. BRING ON THE STATE. LET'S DO IT. THANK YOU SIR. GOOD EVENING, MADAM DEBBIE SCHREIBER TWO 1047. I WAS GOING TO THANK THE FIRE AND EMS FOR ALL THEIR WORK 24 OVER SEVEN PROTECTING US, BUT I BELIEVE THEY LEFT. TONIGHT. WE VOTE FOR A BILL TO BAN DATA CENTERS IN HARFORD COUNTY. I HAVE LIVED IN FALLSTON FOR 48 YEARS. MANY YEARS AGO, THERE WAS AN ARTICLE IN THE NEWSPAPER TITLED FALLSTON THE BEST KEPT SECRET. AND ALL I THOUGHT WAS, WHY ARE

[02:30:05]

GOVERNOR MOORE HAS INCREASED THE ALREADY AGGRESSIVE GOALS OF THAT LEGISLATION, INCLUDING FULL ELECTRIFICATION OF THE STATE OF MARYLAND, INCLUDING THE BAN OF GAS POWERED VEHICLES IN 2035 AND THE BAN ON THE SALE OF GAS, OIL AND PROPANE HEATING SYSTEMS AND WATER HEATERS IN

[02:35:03]

HARFORD COUNTY WILL ALWAYS BE HOME. AND, YOU KNOW, DRIVING PAST MOUNTAIN RANCH GOLF CLUB NEARLY EVERY DAY I'VE BEEN AROUND THE WORLD. NOWHERE IS MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN OUR SHARED HOME HERE IN HARFORD COUNTY. FROM THE LANDSCAPES, THE WATERWAYS, FARMS AND COMMUNITIES OF THIS COUNTY THAT'S SHAPED WHO I AM. SO THAT'S WHY I'M HERE TONIGHT. IN SUPPORT OF THE PROPOSED BAN ON HYPERSCALE DATA CENTERS, THE PEOPLE OF FAITH. WE ARE CALLED TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF CREATION AND TO LEAVE FUTURE GENERATIONS A WORLD THAT IS HEALTHY, LIVABLE, AND ABUNDANT. THAT RESPONSIBILITY REQUIRES US TO CAREFULLY CONSIDER PROJECTS THAT WOULD PLACE EXTRAORDINARY DEMANDS ON OUR LAND, WATER AND ENERGY SYSTEMS. WE DON'T REALLY HAVE TO SPECULATE ABOUT WHAT THESE FACILITIES CAN MEAN FOR COMMUNITIES, BECAUSE WE'VE ALREADY SEEN IT IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA, JUST DOWN THE ROAD WHERE HYPERSCALE DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT HAS TRANSFORMED ENTIRE LANDSCAPES AND PLACED ENORMOUS PRESSURE ON ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE, MARYLAND RESIDENTS ARE ALREADY STRUGGLING WITH SOME OF THE SHARPEST UTILITY BILL INCREASES IN THE COUNTRY, ADDING MASSIVE NEW ELECTRICITY DEMANDS TO AN ALREADY STRAINED GRID RAISES SERIOUS QUESTIONS ABOUT AFFORDABILITY, RELIABILITY AND ULTIMATELY, WHO BEARS THE COST. WATER IS ANOTHER MAJOR CONCERN. DATA CENTERS CAN CONSUME MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF WATER ANNUALLY FOR COOLING, AND EVEN WHERE OPERATORS PROMISE EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES, THOSE COMMITMENTS CAN CHANGE OVER TIME. WE DON'T HAVE THE REGULATIONS IN PLACE TO MANDATE THOSE, AND ONCE CONSTRUCTION BEGINS, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS HAVE MUCH MORE LIMITED LEVERAGE TO ADDRESS THE UNFORESEEN IMPACTS. HARFORD COUNTY SHOULDN'T GAMBLE WITH RESOURCES THAT FAMILIES, FARMS, ECOSYSTEMS AND FUTURE GENERATIONS DEPEND UPON.

RESIDENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAVE ALSO REPORTED SIGNIFICANT QUALITY OF LIFE IMPACTS FROM DATA CENTERS, INCLUDING CONSTANT NOISE FROM COOLING EQUIPMENT AND BACKUP GENERATORS.

BEYOND THE IMPACTS ON NEARBY NEIGHBORHOODS, PERSISTENT INDUSTRIAL NOISE CAN DISRUPT WILDLIFE, INCLUDING POLLINATORS AND OTHER SPECIES THAT ARE ESSENTIAL TO HEALTHY ECOSYSTEMS

[02:40:02]

WELL, THE FIRST ONE AGAIN, BRIAN CORNELL.

GOOD EVENING, SIR. GOOD EVENING, BRIAN CORNELL TWO 1085. WHAT WE EXPERIENCED IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS, I LIKE TO COMPARE TO WHAT I IMAGINED FEELS LIKE GETTING SMASHED BY A ONCE IN A LIFETIME STORM. OUR SMALL COMMUNITY WAS ROCKED BY THIS UNEXPECTED STORM AND IMMEDIATELY WENT INTO ACTION BY GOING DOOR TO DOOR, CHECKING ON EVERYONE TO SEE IF THEY WERE OKAY. AND THEN OUR SMALL COMMUNITY QUICKLY GREW AND SPREAD ACROSS THE COUNTY AND INTO NEIGHBORING COUNTIES. NEIGHBORS STARTED COMING OUT OF THEIR HOMES AND STARTED SUPPORTING ONE ANOTHER, SHAKING HANDS AND HUGGING FOLKS THAT THEY'VE LIVED DOWN THE ROAD FROM THEIR ENTIRE LIVES. AND SOME WERE MEETING FOR THE FIRST, VERY FIRST TIME, BUT THEY ALL HAD THE SAME CONCERNS. LOOKING BACK, I WOULD NEVER WISH THESE CIRCUMSTANCES ON ANY COMMUNITY. BUT IN A STRANGE WAY, I'M VERY THANKFUL FOR THIS CHAPTER OF MY LIFE. I'M THANKFUL FOR THE LIFELONG FRIENDSHIPS AND THE BOND THAT HAS BEEN FORGED FROM BEING IN THE TRENCHES TOGETHER. THERE ARE MANY NEW FRIENDS SITTING IN THIS ROOM TONIGHT THAT HAVE EACH OTHER'S BACKS, AND WE NEVER WOULD HAVE MET IF THIS STORM NEVER SHOWED UP. I'D LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING ELSE ABOUT ANOTHER NEIGHBOR THAT WE SHARE, AND I LIKE TO REFERENCE SCRIPTURE TO HELP EXPLAIN. IN THE BOOK OF LUKE, THERE'S A SITUATION WHERE AN EXPERT OF THE LAW CHALLENGES JESUS. HE ASKED JESUS, WHAT MUST I DO TO GAIN ETERNAL LIFE? JESUS'S ANSWER WAS SIMPLE, BUT PROBABLY SOMEWHAT ANNOYING TO THE EXPERT. JESUS SIMPLY SAID, LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND. AND THEN JESUS ADDED ONE MORE COMMAND LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR. WITH THAT SAID, I'D LIKE TO REITERATE SOMETHING THAT WE PRAYED ABOUT THE FIRST TIME WE MET UP AS A GROUP. WE PRAYED FOR BILL, THE OWNER OF MOUNTAIN BRANCH. WE PRAY BECAUSE WE LEARN THAT BILL HAS BEEN STRUGGLING AS A BUSINESS OWNER OWNER, AND IT WAS DIFFICULT TO KNOW THAT ONE OF OUR NEIGHBORS WAS STRUGGLING, EVEN THOUGH WE DIDN'T AGREE WITH HIS PLANS FOR A SOLUTION. I JUST WANT BILL TO KNOW THAT HE IS MY NEIGHBOR, WHO I ALSO CARE ABOUT. WE ARE JUST TRYING TO DO WHAT WE KNOW IS RIGHT FOR ALL OUR FAMILIES AND ALL OUR NEIGHBORS FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. SO THAT BRINGS US TO TONIGHT AND THE DECISION THAT WE MUST MAKE. LET ME JUST ADMIT THAT SOMETIMES AS I LISTEN TO THE LOCAL NEWS, I WONDER IF THERE IS A PERFECT PLACE IN THIS COUNTRY TO LIVE IN THESE MOMENTS, I OFTEN LOOK PAST OUR NEIGHBORHOODS IMAGINING THAT PERFECT PLACE. BUT TONIGHT, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEAD OUR STATE. WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE THE FIRST COUNTY IN THE STATE AND THE SECOND COUNTY IN THE NATION TO BAN DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT AND BOLDLY SAY, THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT YOU JUST CAN'T PUT A PRICE TAG ON. WITH THAT SAID, KNOWING THAT THERE REALLY IS ONLY ONE PERFECT PLACE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ALL TRYING TO GET TO. I BELIEVE THAT A VERY SPECIAL, GREAT PLACE MIGHT JUST BE RIGHT UNDER OUR NOSE, RIGHT? YOUR TIME IS UP. THAT GREAT PLACE TO LIVE AND RAISE A FAMILY THAT IS WORTH PROTECTING IS OUR LAND, OUR HOME, AND OUR HARFORD COUNTY. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, MA'AM. NAME AND ZIP. LISA MATHIS 21085. A HAPPY, PRODUCTIVE, THRIVING COMMUNITY IS WHAT WE ALL WANT. AND A COMMUNITY LIKE THAT THAT HAS TRUST IN THEIR LOCAL GOVERNMENT, IN THE PEOPLE AROUND THEM, IN

[02:45:04]

I'M GRATEFUL TO THE COUNCIL FOR PASSING THIS BILL TONIGHT. I HOPE YOU HAVEN'T CHANGED YOUR MINDS. BUT OUR TRUST HAS BEEN SHAKEN. THE THE MISINFORMATION OR THE OMISSION OF INFORMATION ON THE DATA CENTER THAT THEY'VE PROPOSED. YOU KNOW, I'M GETTING PRETTY DARN TIRED OF HEARING ABOUT THIS MAGIC CLOSED LOOP SYSTEM. YOU KNOW, IT DIDN'T TAKE THAT MUCH SLEUTHING FOR ME TO FIGURE OUT THAT IT DOES HAVE TO BE FLUSHED. YOU KNOW, AS AS IT'S BEEN POINTED OUT MULTIPLE TIMES. WE DON'T HAVE PUBLIC WATER AND SEWER OUT THERE, SO LET'S NOT BRUSH IT ALL UNDER THE RUG. WELL, I'M RUNNING OUT OF TIME. SHUCKS. GOLLY. I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY IT WOULD BE NICE TO STAND FIRM AND PRESERVE. THANK YOU. MA'AM. AGRICULTURAL ZONING. THANK YOU. JESSICA RILEY HAMMOND, FOLLOWED BY KRISTI HEISEY AND ELLIE CORNEY. GOOD EVENING, JESSICA RILEY HAMMOND, BEL AIR, TWO 1015. I'M A CANDIDATE FOR COUNTY COUNCIL IN DISTRICT C AS WELL. LISA, I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU WENT, BUT I WANT YOU TO KNOW I LEARNED HOW TO RIDE AT OLNEY AS A CHILD.

I WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORT THIS BAN. HARFORD COUNTY HAS MADE ITS POSITION CLEAR AND IT'S JUST THE RIGHT THING TO DO. RESIDENTS HAVE SHOWN UP, SPOKEN OUT AND REPEATEDLY SAID THEY DO NOT WANT LARGE SCALE DATA CENTERS IN OUR COMMUNITY. THIS IS NOT ABOUT BEING ANTI-TECHNOLOGY. IT'S ABOUT PROTECTING OUR WATER, OUR FARMLAND, OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, OUR INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE CHARACTER OF OUR COUNTY. ONCE THESE FACILITIES ARE BUILT, THE IMPACTS CAN LAST FOR DECADES. TONIGHT, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PUT OUR COMMUNITY FIRST AND PROVIDE CERTAINTY TO THE MANY RESIDENTS THAT HAVE BEEN ASKING FOR IT. I URGE YOU TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF THE BAN, AND LUCKILY, I BELIEVE YOU WILL. THE NEXT STEP WILL BE PUSHING FOR THIS AT THE STATE LEVEL, WHICH I'VE ALREADY BEEN ALREADY BEGUN DOING. I SPOKE TO DELEGATE SUSAN MCCOMAS ON THE PHONE YESTERDAY. I'VE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH MARY DELANEY JAMES.

THIS IS GOING TO REQUIRE PROBABLY MORE OF A FIGHT THAN WE'VE ALREADY HAD SO FAR. THE ENCOURAGING THING IS HOW ORGANIZED AND STRONG OUR COMMUNITY HAS BEEN. I HAVE TO SAY, I STARTED POSTING ABOUT THIS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, AND BILL PAULSEN HERE GOT IN TOUCH WITH

[02:50:03]

THEY'VE TALKED ABOUT THE INCREASE IN THE TEMPERATURES. WHAT IS THAT GOING TO DO OVERALL? HOW IS THIS GOING TO FAN OUT? WHAT'S IT GOING TO DO TO THE BAY? WHAT'S IT GOING TO DO TO THE CRAB POPULATION. WHAT'S IT GOING TO DO TO THE BASS POPULATION. THERE'S A LOT MORE THINGS INVOLVED HERE. IF YOU LOOK AT THE MAPS OF ALL THE DATA CENTERS IN THE US, THIS JUST KIND OF CLICKED FOR ME EARLIER TONIGHT. WE TALK ALL ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING. MAYBE THERE'S A LOT MORE TO IT THAN THE COWS. MAYBE IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE DATA CENTERS AND THEY'RE JUST NOT GOING TO TELL US, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE KEY PEOPLE AT THE TOP ARE MAKING DECISIONS FOR ALL OF US. THEY'RE THEY'RE MULTIBILLIONAIRES TRILLIONAIRES, AND THEY HAVE AN END GAME. AND WE'RE JUST LITTLE ANTS IN THAT END GAME, THEY REALLY DON'T CARE. SO WHAT IS THIS PUSH FOR ALL OF THESE DATA CENTERS? WHY DO WE NEED ALL OF THIS? WE REALLY DON'T. WE DON'T. I DON'T NEED TO BE TOLD AT EVERY TRAINING THAT I GO TO FOR REAL ESTATE, THAT I NEED TO USE AI, THAT I NEED TO MAKE IT CREATE SONGS FOR ME, THAT I NEED IT TO DO THIS, THAT, AND THE OTHER THING, THE BIG THING WITH ALL OF THOSE TRAININGS THAT I GO TO, THE BIG CONCERN EVERYBODY HAS IS THEY SAY THE PUBLIC WANTS TO KNOW WHAT'S REAL AND DOWN THE ROAD, WE'RE NOT GOING TO KNOW WHAT'S REAL. THEY WANT TO SEE PEOPLE IN THE FLESH. WE DON'T NEED MORE AI. AS FAR AS MOUNTAIN BRANCH GOES, IT'S JUST A SAD SITUATION, AND I FEEL BAD FOR THE OWNER THAT HE'S MISMANAGED THINGS THE WAY THAT HE HAS. HE SHOULD NOT BE IN THIS SITUATION. HE'S TOLD US A LOT OF THINGS AND MADE A LOT OF PROMISES. I FEEL LIKE HE'S A TWO TONGUED SNAKE. I LOVE EATING AT MOUNTAIN BRANCH. I GO THERE A LOT, YOU KNOW, BUT I JUST DON'T FEEL THAT HE WOULD EVER FOLLOW THROUGH ON ANYTHING THAT HE'S PROMISED. FROM A REAL ESTATE STANDPOINT. I HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE ASK ME WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THE VALUES OF THEIR HOMES. WOULD THEY BE ABLE TO SELL THEIR HOMES IN THE FALLSTON AREA, JOPPA AREA? I PULLED NUMBERS A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, AND I WANT TO SAY THAT PROBABLY BETWEEN TWO AND 047210852109210 IS ONE THREE FOR KINGSVILLE. THAT NO. ONE EIGHT THAT THERE'S THERE'S ABOUT 7000 HOMES. I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT AQUIFER MOVES UNDER THAT, BUT WE ARE ALL WELL AND SEPTIC. SO SURE, AS SURE AS WE'RE ALL HERE THAT WATER IS GOING TO GET CONTAMINATED.

THERE'S WELLS THAT ARE GOING TO GO DRY AND THERE'S PEOPLE'S PERKS THAT ARE GOING TO FAIL.

AND THEN WHAT DO WE DO? WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THOSE HOUSES? NOBODY'S GOING TO WANT THEM.

IT'S A HUGE TAX BASE. SO PLEASE DON'T TURN YOUR BACK ON THE PEOPLE OF THOSE AREAS. PLEASE VOTE FOR THIS BAN. AND THANK YOU. THANK YOU MA'AM. GOOD EVENING MA'AM. GOOD EVENING.

I'M ELLIE TORNEY 21085. GOOD EVENING, COUNCIL MEMBERS, MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY,

[02:55:01]

PAUL DE MANADO AND MATTHEW BROWN. PAUL DE MANADO 21014. FIRST I'M GOING TO START WITH JIMMY WAS RIGHT. HARFORD COUNTY. WE DO HAVE MORE DATA CENTERS THAN A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF. THERE'S DEPENDING UPON THE STANDARDS BODIES, THERE'S 4 TO 5 DIFFERENT TIERS OF DATA CENTERS, WITH THE SMALLEST BEING ONLY A COUPLE HUNDRED SQUARE FEET. I AM ADAMANTLY OPPOSED TO HARFORD COUNTY HOSTING HYPERSCALE DATA CENTERS. THE SIZE AND MASS OF THOSE IN LOUDOUN COUNTY. BILL 26-011, AS WRITTEN AND INTRODUCED, IS FLAWED. MAYBE IT WAS A RUSH BY THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATION WITH LITTLE CONSULTATION TO SCORE POLITICAL POINTS IN AN ELECTION YEAR. THEY SAID DURING THE TESTIMONY THAT THE RESEARCH THAT COMPREHENSIVELY THERE'S SOME FLAWS IN THE DEFINITION THAT THEY'RE USING. THE BILL TEXT DATA CENTER SHALL BE DEFINED AS A BUILDING OR GROUP OF BUILDINGS, A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF WHICH IS USED TO HOUSE COMPUTER SYSTEMS, COMPUTER STORAGE EQUIPMENT, NETWORK SYSTEMS, AND ASSOCIATED INFRASTRUCTURE THAT INDIVIDUALS OR ENTITIES USE TO ORGANIZE, PROCESS, STORE AND DISSEMINATE VOLUMINOUS AMOUNTS OF DATA, OFTEN FOR A FEE. WHO IN THE ROOM HAS A SMARTPHONE? WHO HAS INTERNET TO YOUR HOUSE? A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE A CELL TOWER ACTUALLY HAS A BUILDING BEHIND IT THAT IS ROUGHLY 200 TO 400FT■!S. THE BUILDING IS DEDICATED WITH NOTHING BUT RACKS OF COMPUTER EQUIPMENT, CARRIER EQUIPMENT. THIS BAND MEANS NO MORE CELL TOWERS, NOT THE TOWERS THEMSELVES, BUT THE CARRIER EQUIPMENT THAT FEEDS OUR CELL PHONES TO WORK. EDGE PROCESSING NODES. INTERNET GOING TO YOUR HOUSE, THE OLD TELEPHONE SWITCH BUILDINGS SO SOUTH, A STREET IN BEL AIR, THE BRICK BUILDING FROM VERIZON THAT IS A DATA CENTER. THE OLD TELEPHONE SWITCHES. WHAT IT WAS ALL COPPER AND EVERYTHING. IT'S NOW SOFTWARE DEFINED NETWORKING.

IT'S ALL SOFTWARE BASED EQUIPMENT RACKS, COMPUTER EQUIPMENT, NETWORK EQUIPMENT.

JIMMY WAS RIGHT. WE HAVE A LOT OF THOSE BUILDINGS AROUND THERE MEANS NO MORE EXPANSION IN OUR COUNTY. IT MEANS YOU CAN FORGET ABOUT TECHNOLOGY UPGRADES. IF WE GET NEW CELL PHONES, WE'RE GOING TO BE IN THE DARK AGES. NOW, I'M NOT ADVOCATING THAT WE DON'T DO THE BAN. I'M ADVOCATING THAT WE ACTUALLY AMEND OUR BAN LANGUAGE. SOME OF THE BAN LANGUAGE OUT THERE ACTUALLY PUT SOME SIZE LIMITATIONS AND POWER CONSUMPTION AND THAT TYPE OF STUFF. ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND IS THE LARGEST EMPLOYER IN HARFORD COUNTY, WITH 21000

[03:00:01]

HE'S BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF COMBATING EVERYONE'S FAVORITE GOVERNOR HERE. IN FACT, THE BILL THAT WAS PASSED WITH THE UTILIZATION OF ENERGY WAS MADE TO DIRECTLY COMBAT THE PUSH FOR DATA CENTERS. AM I TRYING TO SAY THAT EVERYTHING OUR GOVERNMENT HAS DONE IS CORRECT? ABSOLUTELY NOT. I DISAGREE WITH HIM TOO. BUT WHAT I AM HEARING IS A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING FAR ENOUGH. A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING AND THAT IS CORRECT.

IT'S NOT JUST THE STATE, IT'S THE FEDERAL LEVEL. IT'S THE PERSON IN CHARGE OF THE ENTIRETY OF AMERICAN ENERGY WHO'S BEEN PUSHING FOR THESE DATA CENTERS AND PRIORITIZING OUR ENERGY. HE HAS MADE IT HIS MISSION THAT HE WANTS TO PUSH THIS FOR THE BETTERMENT OF AMERICA IN HIS MIND. AND LIKE YOU SAID, YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE GETTING BULLIED. YOU FEEL LIKE THE STATE IS PUSHING YOU ASIDE AND DISREGARDING YOUR FEELINGS FOR YOUR AREA. BUT IS IT TRULY THE STATE? DID YOU DIG DEEP ENOUGH? BECAUSE ULTIMATELY SPEAKING, OUR GOVERNOR IS TRYING. BUT JUST AS THE COUNTY CAN BE BULLIED BY THE STATE, THE STATE CAN BE BULLIED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. AND I WOULD HOPE PEOPLE WOULD DO A LITTLE MORE DUE DILIGENCE TO REALIZE, WHERE DOES STUFF START? THERE'S ALWAYS A BEGINNING THAT WE OVERLOOK BECAUSE WE'RE TOO FOCUSED ON THE NOW. AND THE OTHER THING I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT IS, WHILE I AM AMAZED AT THE LEVEL OF PARTICIPATION, INVOLVEMENT, GROUPS, EVERYTHING BEING DONE TO PRESERVE HARFORD COUNTY, I WANT TO SEE THAT SAME LEVEL OF ENERGY IN PROGRESSING THE COUNTY. WHERE ARE THE PEOPLE SPEAKING TO TRANSPORTATION? THERE WAS A WHOLE THING WHEN IT COMES TO TRANSPORTATION REFORM OR TRANSPORTATION BILL MONTHS AGO. HAVEN'T HEARD A PEEP ABOUT IT.

THERE IS ISSUES BRINGING UP WHEN IT COMES TO REGULATING THE SCHOOL BOARD. WE'VE HAD THAT BACK AND FORTH, OF COURSE. WHAT ABOUT THE LOSS OF THE HOSPITAL? THAT'S HOW THAT'S AFFECTING SENIOR LIVING HOMES AND THEIR ABILITY TO GET THEIR MEDICATION AND THEIR CARE. WHERE IS THAT? AND THIS IS NOT, I WOULD SAY, A FAULT OF THE COUNTY COUNCIL ITSELF. I WOULD SAY IT'S ABOUT OUR PRIORITIES. WE ALL UNANIMOUSLY AGREE THAT WE DON'T WANT THE DATA CENTERS. WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR TWO MONTHS NOW. IT WAS PRETTY MUCH A UNANIMOUS DECISION, BUT WHERE IS THE TIME AND ENERGY SPENT TO WHAT IS ACTIVELY NEEDED IN THE COUNTY RIGHT NOW? I UNDERSTAND PRESERVING THE IDENTITY OF HARFORD COUNTY. I WANT TO DO THAT TOO, IN MY CAPACITY AS COUNTY EXECUTIVE, BUT I ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE LOOK AT THE ACTIVE PROBLEMS CURRENTLY FACING BEFORE THE PROBLEMS THAT APPEAR. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. THERE ARE NO MORE SPEAKERS, MR. PRESIDENT. WITH NO MORE SPEAKERS. BEFORE I CONCLUDE THIS PUBLIC HEARING, I WANT TO TAKE A MINUTE. COUNCIL, IF I MAY, AND RECOGNIZE SENATOR JB JENNINGS IN THE AUDIENCE. JB, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO SAY ANYTHING, BUT YOU'RE MORE THAN WELCOME IF YOU'D LIKE TO, ON THIS ISSUE. THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT. MAYBE I SHOULD COME IN A COUPLE MINUTES LATER SO I

[03:05:12]

THAT'S A PLACE WHERE YOU SHOULD PUT A DATA CENTER BEFORE YOU DO IT. YOU'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE THE ELECTRICITY TO POWER THEM. AND OF COURSE, THE WATER ISSUES THAT WE'VE DEALT WITH.

THE ONLY CONCERN I HAVE IS WITH ABERDEEN PROVING GROUNDS, WITH SEACOM BEING LOCATED THERE AND WITH THIS LEGISLATION MAY DO I SUPPORT THE LEGISLATION WITH AMENDMENTS? YOU'VE HEARD SOME OF THEM, DATA CENTERS. YOU KNOW, I LIVE OFF OF. FOR THE RECORD, I LIVE AT 21085 IN JOPPA. I HEAR THE MUSIC FROM MOUNTAIN BRANCH ON FRIDAY NIGHTS, SATURDAY NIGHTS, WHEN HE HAS HIS CONCERTS. BUT RIGHT ON ROUTE SEVEN, THERE'S A DATA CENTER. WHAT IT IS, IT'S A VERIZON SWITCHING CENTER THAT'S CATEGORIZED AS A DATA CENTER. SO I THINK, AS IT'S BEEN SAID BEFORE, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE YOU DO THIS LEGISLATION CORRECTLY WITH WHAT TYPE OF DATA CENTER YOU'RE TRYING TO GO AFTER, BECAUSE WITH THE WRONG TYPE OF TERMINOLOGY, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GOING TO BE SHUTTING DOWN A LOT OF OTHER STUFF THAT SHOULDN'T BE. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO COME BACK AND OPEN THIS THING UP. BUT YOU KNOW, FOR THE RECORD, THIS IS SOMETHING, UNFORTUNATELY, WE'RE GOING TO DEAL WITH IN ANNAPOLIS THIS UPCOMING SESSION. WE DEALT WITH IT WITH, UNFORTUNATELY, WE'RE DEALING WITH IT WITH THE SOLAR FARMS, WITH THE WAY THAT THE STATE TOOK THE COUNTY JURISDICTION OUT OF IT. BUT I WILL TELL YOU THIS MY COLLEAGUES REGRET WHAT THEY HAVE DONE. I'VE LISTENED TO THEM BECAUSE IT'S AFFECTING A LOT OF THEIR JURISDICTIONS. DATA CENTERS. LAST SESSION CAME UP BECAUSE THEY WERE TRYING TO PUT SOME OUT IN WESTERN PART OF, I'M SORRY, WEST BALTIMORE COUNTY AND THE REYNOLDS TOWN AREA. AND IT WAS AMAZING TO WATCH THESE LEGISLATORS JUMP UP AND TRY TO BAN THEM RIGHT AWAY.

AND THAT'S WHEN, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT PART OF THE COUNTY THAT I REPRESENT, BECAUSE I REPRESENT BOTH BALTIMORE AND HARFORD COUNTY. SO THE LEGISLATORS HAVE REALIZED THERE'S BEEN A MISTAKE. WE SAW THAT GOVERNOR MOORE AND I DID WRITE A LETTER TO THE COUNCIL, WHICH IS ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE. YOU CAN READ WITH ALL MY INSIGHT ON THIS. AND I WAS NOT PREPARED TO SPEAK. I JUST KIND OF WANTED TO COME IN AND LISTEN. SO I DON'T HAVE ANY NOTES HERE.

IT'S ALWAYS BETTER WHEN YOU BREAK THE AI GENERATED NOTES. YOU KNOW, YOU SOUND MORE PROFESSIONAL. BUT WE ARE GOING TO ADDRESS THIS MOST PROBABLY THIS NEXT SESSION. AND THE GOAL IS NOT TO TAKE LOCAL JURISDICTION OUT OF IT. I WILL NOT SUPPORT THAT. IT IS UP TO COUNTY COUNCIL. YOU GUYS DO ZONING. WE DON'T IN THE STATE, AND I THINK THAT'S THE ISSUE YOU'RE GOING TO NEED. YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO ASK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU TO PAY ATTENTION COME THE SECOND WEDNESDAY OF JANUARY, WHEN SESSION STARTS, OF WHAT LEGISLATION IS COMING OUT. YOU KNOW, WE DID PASS SEVERAL BILLS LAST SESSION, TWO SESSIONS AGO, 2025 FIVE THAT THE GOVERNOR VETOED, BUT THE LEGISLATURE DID COME BACK AND OVERRIDE THOSE VETOES THAT SAID, NO, WE TALKED ABOUT IT. SOMEBODY TALKED ABOUT IT EARLIER THIS EVENING ABOUT THE STUDY. WE'RE WAITING ON THAT. WE'RE WAITING TO SEE. BUT I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY COMING OUT. I APPRECIATE THE COUNCIL LISTENING TO THIS. ALL I'M SAYING IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE GOT TO LOOK CLOSER AT THE LEGISLATION ON ON THE THE TECHNICALITIES OF WHAT DATA CENTERS ARE AND WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO BAN, BECAUSE OTHERWISE IT'S GOING TO BE TOO BROAD. AND I THINK WE'RE GOING TO BE TIED UP IN COURT. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, MR. PRESIDENT. THANK YOU. JB THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT. ALL RIGHT. WITH THIS. WITH THAT, WE'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR BILL FIVE. FOUR. THREE TWO. ONE. CHAIR CALLS TO ORDER.

[1. CALL TO ORDER ]

[03:10:05]

FIVE CONSIDERATION OF PETITIONS, APPLICATIONS, APPOINTMENTS AND NOMINATIONS. WE HAVE NONE. SIX

[7. APPROVAL OF MINUTES ]

[10. INTRODUCTION AND CONSIDERATION OF AMENDMENTS ]

MR. GINGER, PLEASE READ MEMORANDUM OF CHANGE ONE THROUGH THREE TO RESOLUTION 01126 INTO THE RECORD FOR INTRODUCTION MEMORANDA. MEMORANDUM OF CHANGE NUMBER ONE TO RESOLUTION 11-26. PROGRAM FISCAL YEAR 2027 TO 2032. PROJECT REGIONAL WORKFORCE TRAINING CENTER THIS MEMORANDUM OF CHANGE CORRECTS THE PROJECT TITLE TO REGIONAL WORKFORCE TRAINING CENTER TO ALIGN WITH THE BUDGET ORDINANCE AND THE BOND BILL. MEMORANDUM OF CHANGE NUMBER TWO TO RESOLUTION 011-26. CAPITAL FISCAL YEAR 2027 TO 2032. PROJECT DROP TOWN AREA WATERSHED RESTORATION. THIS MEMORANDUM OF CHANGE CORRECTS THE PROJECT TITLE TO DROP TOWN AREA WATERSHED RESTORATION TO ALIGN WITH THE BUDGET ORDINANCE AND BOND BILL. MEMORANDUM OF CHANGE NUMBER THREE RESOLUTION 011-26. CAPITAL FISCAL YEARS 2027 TO 2032. PROJECT COUNTY WATERSHED RESTORATION IMPROVEMENTS. THIS MEMORANDUM OF CHANGE CORRECTS THE PROJECT TITLE TO COUNTY WATERSHED RESTORATIONS IMPROVEMENT TO ALIGN WITH THE BUDGET ORDINANCE ON THE AND THE BOND BILL. THANK YOU, MR. LLOYD. YOU WANT TO COME FORWARD, PLEASE, MISS SULLIVAN, MR. SANDLER. STEPHEN, I DIDN'T SEE YOU. JIMMY. WAS THAT FAST ENOUGH? YES, YES.

GOOD EVENING. COUNCIL. SO, YES, THESE THREE MEMORANDUMS OF CHANGE. JUST UPDATE THE PROJECT NAMES TO MATCH WHAT'S IN THE BOND BILL AND THE BUDGET ORDINANCE. AND JUST JUST FOR CONSISTENCY REASONS. OKAY. ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? DO THE TIMING. WE ARE CONSIDERING THIS MEMORANDUM OF CHANGE THIS EVENING. MAY I HAVE A MOTION? COUNCIL PRESIDENT, I MOVE TO REMOVE MEMORANDUM OF CHANGE ONE, TWO, THREE TO RESOLUTION 011-26. FISCAL YEAR 27 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. MAY I HAVE A SECOND, PLEASE? THANK YOU, MR. RILEY. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED TO APPROVE MEMORANDUM OF CHANGE RESOLUTIONS 01126. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? MISS DIXON? MR. PRESIDENT, I MRS. ROBERTS I MRS. EMHOFF I. MR. MR. RILEY I MRS. I MR. BENNETT I. EVEN IN OUR SPEED, THERE'D BE SEVEN VOTES IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, ZERO IN A NEGATIVE MEMORANDUM. CHANGE TO RESOLUTION 01126 IS HEREBY APPROVED. MR. GINGER, PLEASE READ AMENDMENTS 29 THROUGH 37 TO BILL 26006 INTO THE RECORD FOR INTRODUCTION AMENDMENTS 29 TO 37 TO BILL NUMBER 26-006. ANNUAL BUDGET APPROPRIATION ORDINANCE INTRODUCED BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT VICENTE REQUEST TO THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE AMENDMENT 29 ON PAGE 35. IN LINE 13.

STRIKE 111,000,440 000 AND SUBSTITUTE 106,440,000. AMENDMENT 30 ON PAGE 35 IN LINE 12. STRIKE 3,500,000. SUBSTITUTE ZERO. AMENDMENT 31. ON PAGE 35. IN LINE 21. STRIKE 222,385,000. SUBSTITUTE 213,885,000. AMENDMENT 32 ON PAGE 37. LINE 15. STRIKE 222,385,000. SUBSTITUTE 213,885,000. AMENDMENT NUMBER 33. ON PAGE 45. IN LINE 15.

STRIKE 364,514,265 AND SUBSTITUTE 356,014,265. AMENDMENT 34 ON PAGE 59. LINE 16. STRIKE 8,856,000. SUBSTITUTE 5,356,000. AMENDMENT 35. ON PAGE 59. IN LINE 17.

STRIKE 111,440,000. SUBSTITUTE 106,440,000. AMENDMENT 36 ON PAGE 59. LINE 23. STRIKE 222,385,000. SUBSTITUTE 213 885,000. AMENDMENT 37 ON PAGE 59. LINE 24. STRIKE 222,386,000.

[03:15:07]

COUNCILMAN RILEY AND I WERE THE ONLY ONES WHO VOTED AGAINST IT. WHAT'S MOST TROUBLING IS THAT JUST ONE DAY EARLIER, RETIRED EIGHT CPS ACCOUNTABILITY SUPERVISOR PHIL SNYDER, 26 YEAR VETERAN OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, PUBLICLY EXPOSED CONCERNS ABOUT ADMINISTRATIVE SPENDING, INCLUDING 371,000 FOR CONFERENCES, MASSIVE ADMINISTRATIVE PAY INCREASES AND QUESTIONABLE WORK FROM HOME. NO SHOW PRACTICES. PART OF THAT IS THAT THIS INCLUDES A HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS RATIFIED A COMPENSATION PACKAGE THAT INCLUDED BOTH COLA AND MARKET ADJUSTMENTS. AND APPARENTLY THERE WAS SOMETHING LIKE A MAYBE A ME TOO PROVISION EXTENDING INCREASES ACROSS MULTIPLE BARGAINING UNITS. THE CLAIM THAT THE CENTRAL OFFICE REMAINED POSITION NEUTRAL TO DESERVES CLOSER SCRUTINY. WHILE THE NUMBER OF THE POSITIONS MAY HAVE NOT INCREASED, SIGNIFICANT SALARY INCREASES APPEAR TO HAVE RESULTED FROM RECLASSIFYING POSITIONS INTO HIGHER PAY GRADES. POSITION NEUTRAL DOES NOT MEAN COST NEUTRAL. HARFORD COUNTY IS NOT MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY OR BALTIMORE CITY. STUDENT POPULATION IS ROUGHLY ONE THIRD THE SIZE OF THOSE LARGER DISTRICTS. TAXPAYERS DESERVE TO KNOW WHY CENTRAL OFFICE POSITIONS ARE BEING RECLASSIFIED TO HIGHER SALARY GRADES AND WHAT THE COST WILL BE. THE PUBLIC SHOULD HAVE FULL TRANSPARENCY ON THESE INCREASES AND THEIR LONG TERM IMPACT ON THE COUNTY BUDGET. BUT GOING BACK HERE, THE ALLEGATIONS DID NOT COME FROM A POLITICAL ACTIVIST OR AN OUTSIDE CRITIC. THEY CAME FROM A 26 YEAR VETERAN OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE, A PROFESSIONAL WHOSE CAREER WAS DEDICATED TO ENSURING TRANSPARENCY AND RESPONSIBLE STEWARDSHIP OF TAXPAYER RESOURCES. THE BITE DESPITE THESE SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS, THE COUNCIL RECEIVED NO COMMUNICATION FROM CPS. THE SUPERINTENDENT COUNCIL LIAISON, JACOB BENNETT, BEFORE VOTING TO APPROVE THE ADDITIONAL FUNDING SO TAXPAYERS DESERVE ANSWERS BEFORE MILLIONS ARE HANDED OVER.

NOT NOT AFTER. IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT THE MONEY GOT TRANSFERRED. THAT SHOULD HAVE JACOBS SHOULD HAVE RECUSED HIMSELF ON ON THESE THINGS TOO, AND HE DID NOT. BUT ANYWAY, THANK YOU, COUNCIL PRESIDENT. ANYONE ELSE? MISS DIXON, MR. PRESIDENT, I MRS. ROBERTS I MRS. EMHOFF I MR. GIORDANO I MR. RILEY I MRS. I MR. BENNETT I THERE BEING SEVEN VOTES IN THE AFFIRMATIVE ZERO IN THE NEGATIVE AMENDMENT 29 TO BILL 26006 IS HEREBY APPROVED. AMENDMENT 30 VOTING BLOCK 2ND MAY HAVE A MOTION. COUNCIL PRESIDENT MOVE TO APPROVE AMENDMENT 30 TO BILL 26-006. SECOND. SECOND. THANK YOU, MR. RILEY. IT'S BEEN MOVED. AND SECOND TO APPROVE VOTING BLOCK TWO. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? MISS DIXON? MR. PRESIDENT, I MRS. ROBERTS, I MRS. EMHOFF, MR. GIORDANO I MR. RILEY I MRS. I MR. BENNETT I BEING SEVEN VOTES IN AFFIRMATIVE ZERO NEGATIVE AMENDMENTS. THIRD AMENDMENT 30 TO BILL 26006 IS HEREBY APPROVED AMENDMENTS 31 THROUGH 33. VOTING BLOCK 3RD MAY HAVE A MOTION. COUNCIL PRESIDENT MOVE TO APPROVE AMENDMENTS 31 THROUGH 33 TO BILL 26-006. MAY I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. THANK YOU, MR. RILEY. IT'S BEEN MOVED IN SECOND TO MOVE VOTING BLOCK NUMBER THREE. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION, MISS DIXON? MR. PRESIDENT, I MRS. ROBERTS, I MRS. EMHOFF, MR. GIORDANO. HI, MR. RILEY. HI. MRS. I MR. BENNETT, I BEING SEVEN VOTES IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, ZERO NEGATIVE AMENDMENTS 312 33 TO 2606 ARE HEREBY APPROVED. AMENDMENTS 34 THROUGH 37. VOTING BLOCK 4TH

[03:20:09]

AMENDMENT NUMBER 15 ON PAGE ONE. STRIKE BEGINNING WITH BILL NUMBER IN LINE 17 THROUGH 26-005 AND LINE 18 IS SUBSTITUTE BILL NUMBER 26-006, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENTS 14 THROUGH 15 TO BILL 26008. FISCAL YEAR 27 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. MAY I HAVE A MOTION? COUNCIL PRESIDENT. I MOVE TO APPROVE AMENDMENTS 14 AND 15 TO BILL 26-008. BOND AUTHORIZATION CPI MAY HAVE A SECOND. SECOND. THANK YOU, MR. RILEY. IT'S BEEN MOVED. AND SECOND, TO APPROVE AMENDMENTS 14 AND 15, BILL 26008. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? MR. LLOYD? ANYTHING YOU WANT TO ADD OR ANYTHING, MISS DIXON? MR. PRESIDENT, I MRS. ROBERTS I MRS. EMHOFF, MR. GIORDANO I MR. RILEY I MRS. I MR. BENNETT I BEING SEVEN VOTES IN THE AFFIRMATIVE ZERO NEGATIVE AMENDMENTS 14 AND 15 TO BILL 26008 ARE HEREBY APPROVED. 11

[11. CALL FOR FINAL READING OF BILLS ]

BILL 26006, AS AMENDED, HAS BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION, MR. BENNETT? MR. PRESIDENT, I JUST WANT TO SAY THIS ISN'T THE BUDGET I WOULD WRITE, BUT ALSO THAT'S NOT MY JOB, THANK GOODNESS. AND OF THE FOUR BUDGETS THAT'S BEEN POSED TO US IN THE PAST FOUR YEARS, THIS IS THE ONE I FEEL MOST COMFORTABLE WITH. I'M THANKFUL THAT THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE IS GOING TO GET AN INCREASE IN FUNDING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FOUR YEARS.

I'M THANKFUL TO SEE THE LIBRARIES GET INCREASED FUNDING. THANKFUL TO SEE OUR NONPROFITS CONTINUE TO BE SUPPORTED. I'M THANKFUL THAT OUR VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANIES ARE BEING FULLY FUNDED ACCORDING TO THE FORMULA FOR THE FIRST TIME, WHICH IS VERY EXCITING FOR ALL COMPANIES TO BE FULLY FUNDED AND IN MANY CASES ABOVE THE FORMULA IN THEIR FUNDING LEVELS. IT'S NOT EVERYTHING I WOULD WANT TO SEE IN THE BUDGET. I WANT TO CONTINUE TO SEE FURTHER WORK ON SUPPORTING THE CITY OF ABERDEEN TO HAVE ADEQUATE ACTIVITY CENTER. I WANT TO SEE WORK DONE TO PREPARE OURSELVES FOR CAREER FIRE DOWN THE LINE, AND I WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN HAVE SUCH WILD FLUCTUATIONS IN BUDGETED VERSUS ACTUALS MANY YEARS IN A ROW. BUT THAT BEING SAID, WE CAN'T LET PERFECT GET IN THE WAY OF GOOD. AND I FEEL OKAY ABOUT WHERE THIS BUDGET LANDS. THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE, MISS DIXON? MR. PRESIDENT, I MRS. ROBERT I MRS. EMHOFF I MR. GIORDANO I MRS. MR. RILEY I MRS. OTTO I MR. BENNETT I THERE BEING SEVEN VOTES IN THE AFFIRMATIVE ZERO IN A NEGATIVE BILL 26006, AS AMENDED, IS HEREBY APPROVED. I WANT TO COMMEND ALL OF YOU FOR THE JOB THAT YOU DID, AS WE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE. SO. AND YOUR TEAMS FOR SURE, BILL 26007, REVISED PRIOR YEAR BOND BILLS. MAY I HAVE A MOTION? COUNCIL PRESIDENT MOVE TO APPROVE BILL 26-007. REVISE PRIOR YEAR BOND BILLS. HAVE A SECOND. SECOND.

THANK YOU, MR. RILEY. IT'S BEEN MOVED. AND SECOND TO APPROVE BILL 26007 REVISED PRIOR YEAR BOND BILLS. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? MISS DIXON? MR. PRESIDENT. HI MRS. ROBERT I MR. MRS. EMHOFF I MR. GIORDANO I MR. RILEY I MRS. I MR. BENNETT I BEING SEVEN VOTES IN THE

[03:25:06]

THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. MR. BENNETT. I ECHO THE COUNCIL VICE PRESIDENT'S REMARKS. I KNOW THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF THIS BILL SENT OVER TO US. MISS ALLEGY SENT BACK, BECAUSE IT BASICALLY WOULD HAVE BANNED ANY BUILDING THAT HAD A COMPUTER INSIDE OF IT. AND SO THIS WAS THE BETTER VERSION THAT WE RECEIVED. IT DEFINITELY ALL FOR THE INTENT, BUT WE DO HAVE TO CLEAN UP THE DEFINITIONS. AND THAT'S WORK THAT IS GOING TO TAKE TIME AND MAKING SURE WE GET THAT LANGUAGE RIGHT SO THAT WE DON'T FIND OURSELVES IN THE COURTS OR HAVING UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES. BUT FOR NOW, THIS IS AWESOME TO HAVE IN PLACE, AND WE CAN THEN TAKE THE TIME TO FIX IT WITHOUT WORRYING ABOUT WHAT COULD COME IN THE MEANTIME. ANYONE ELSE? I JUST WANT TO TAKE A MINUTE AGAIN TO THANK EVERYONE FOR THEIR PATIENCE THIS EVENING. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE TOTAL NUMBER WAS OF IN ATTENDANCE, BUT I DO KNOW THE CHAMBER WAS PACKED AND WE PROBABLY HAD 60 OR 70 PEOPLE STANDING ON THE STREET WAITING TO GET IN. AND I WANT TO APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT YOU GOT UP AND GAVE SEATS TO THE FIREFIGHTERS SO THEY COULD COME IN AND LISTEN TO THEIR PUBLIC HEARING AND PARTICIPATE. AND THEN WHEN THEY LEFT, YOU GUYS CAME BACK IN. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? MISS DIXON? MR. PRESIDENT, I MRS. ROBERT I, MRS. EMHOFF, MR. GIORDANO, I. MRS. MR. RILEY I MISS MRS. I MR. BENNETT I I'M SORRY. THE PERSON YOU SHOULD REALLY APOLOGIZE TO IS HIS WIFE. THERE BEING SEVEN VOTES IN THE AFFIRMATIVE ZERO AND A NEGATIVE BILL 26011, AS AMENDED, IS HEREBY APPROVED. 12 ENROLLMENT OF BILLS BILLS 26006, AS AMENDED. 2600726008 AS AMENDED

[12. ENROLLMENT OF BILLS ]

[03:30:11]

[8. INTRODUCTION AND CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTIONS ]

MAY I HAVE A MOTION? COUNCIL PRESIDENT, I MOVE TO APPROVE RESOLUTION 011-26. FISCAL YEAR 27 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, AS AMENDED. I HAVE A SECOND. SECOND. THANK YOU, MR. RILEY.

IT'S BEEN MOVED IN SECOND TO APPROVE RESOLUTION 01126, AS AMENDED. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE, MISS DIXON. MR. PRESIDENT, I MRS. ROBERTS, I MRS. EMHOFF, MR. GIORDANO, I MR. RILEY, MRS. ROSADO I MR. BENNETT I THERE BEING SEVEN VOTES IN AFFIRMATIVE ZERO IN THE NEGATIVE RESOLUTION 01126, AS AMENDED, IS HEREBY APPROVED. 13

[14. NEW BUSINESS ]

[15. COMMENTS AND INPUT FROM ATTENDING CITIZENS ]

[03:35:05]

THAT'S IT. THERE ARE NO MORE SPEAKERS. YAY! 16 BUSINESS FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS. MR. BENNETT.

[16. BUSINESS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS ]

MISS ROBERT, THANK YOU. I'M JUST GOING TO MENTION EVENTS THIS WEEKEND, AND I TOO WILL BE ATTENDING THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS TORCH AT 7 A.M. BUT THIS SATURDAY AT HARTFORD SQUARE IS GOING TO BE A NATIONAL FLAG DAY OF USA AT 10 A.M. IT'S GOING TO BE A SPECIAL CEREMONY THERE.

AND IN THE EVENING, SAME LOCATION AT HARTFORD SQUARE. WE'RE HAVING OUR FIRST FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT IN HONOR OF AMERICA. 250 THE MOVIE WILL BE INDEPENDENCE DAY, AND THAT WILL START AT 6 P.M. YOU JUST NEED TO BRING A CHAIR AND THERE WILL BE FREE COMPLIMENTARY REFRESHMENTS. AND THEN I WAS GOING TO MENTION UPPER BAY JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL, WHICH IS ALL WEEKEND FROM JUNE 12TH TO JUNE 14TH AT THE HOSANNA SCHOOL. AND THAT'S IT. THANK YOU, MISS ROBERT. MISS EMHOFF, I JUST WANT TO GIVE A SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS TO THE HARTFORD ACADEMY GRADUATE THIS YEAR. SEVERAL OF US WERE ABLE TO ATTEND THE HARTFORD ACADEMY GRADUATION, AND IT WAS A REMARKABLE EXPERIENCE. I WAS ALSO ABLE TO ATTEND THE HARTFORD COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY SUMMER READING PROGRAM KICKOFF TODAY, THE HARTFORD COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY SUMMER READING PROGRAMS THEME THIS YEAR IS UNEARTH A STORY. IT RUNS FROM JUNE 1ST TO AUGUST 15TH. AND SO THEY HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH OF JURASSIC PARK DECORATIONS ALL OVER THE PLACE. SOME OF IT LITTLE ONES MIGHT NOT GET, BUT ADULTS WILL UNDERSTAND WITH SOME OF THEIR PROPS AND EVERYTHING. WHAT I FOUND TO BE BOTH HUMOROUS AND SLIGHTLY OFFENSIVE, BUT I REALLY APPRECIATED WAS THEY HAVE A TECHNOLOGY FOSSILS SET UP WHICH INCLUDED THINGS LIKE TUBE TVS, WEATHER RADIOS, DVD PLAYERS AND VHS PLAYERS, WHICH I JUST THOUGHT WAS A REALLY CUTE PLAY ON THE FOSSIL THEME. AS COUNCILMAN BENNETT SHARED, THE ABINGTON EMERSON COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD WILL BE MEETING THIS THURSDAY, JUNE 11TH AT 630 AT THE ABINGTON FIRE DEPARTMENT. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANK YOU, MISS EMHOFF. MR. GINGER, THANK YOU, COUNCIL PRESIDENT. SO I'M GLAD WE BANNED DATA CENTERS. I AM DISAPPOINTED, THOUGH, THAT WE HAVEN'T BANNED SOLAR FARMS THAT WE TRIED TO BAN. WELL, NOT BAN, BUT WE TURNED DOWN SOLAR FARM BACK IN 2019, FIELDER'S PROPERTY ON 136 AND 543. AND IT WOUND UP GETTING BUILT. AND NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN, ALL AROUND THE COUNTY, WE'VE GOT FARMS THAT ARE BEING TURNED INTO SOLAR FIELDS AND SOME WE JUST HAD A MEETING FOR THAT SOLAR PROJECT. IT WINDS UP BEING FIVE MEGAWATTS, BUT NOT FIVE MEGAWATTS IN CONTINUOUS. IT'S BROKEN UP IN THREE LITTLE PARCELS, SO IT'S EASIER FOR THEM TO GET THROUGH. I WISH OUR OTHER DELEGATES FROM HARFORD

[03:40:02]

OTHERWISE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE OUR ENTIRE COUNTY BE SOLAR FARMS ANYWHERE WHERE THEY CAN STICK A SOLAR FARM. THEY'RE GOING TO PUT A SOLAR FARM. AND THE GENERATION THAT THAT DOES ISN'T GOING TO SOLVE OUR PROBLEM AND IN THE LONG HAUL. AND SO I'M REALLY DISAPPOINTED THAT ANNAPOLIS HASN'T DONE MORE TO THAT. MAYBE THEY'RE GOING TO LOOK AT THE DATA CENTERS AND DO SOMETHING. AND SAME THING WITH THE BATTERY STORAGE FACILITIES. THEY'RE THEY'RE DANGEROUS. IF THEY CATCH FIRE, THEY'RE GOING TO BURN FOREVER. THERE'S NO WAY TO PUT THEM OUT THE POLLUTE OUR WATER SYSTEM. SO, YOU KNOW, WE NEED ANNAPOLIS TO DO BETTER. YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY WAS ON BOARD WITH THE DATA CENTERS, BUT I STILL DIDN'T HEAR FROM ANY OF THE THE OTHER DELEGATES DOWN THERE FOR THAT. SO THAT'S DEFINITELY DISAPPOINTED. ATTENDED HARFORD LEADERSHIP. MY LEGISLATIVE AIDE GRADUATED JOANNE. SO CONGRATULATIONS, JOANNE, FOR THAT. IT'S A GREAT PROGRAM. IF YOU GET A CHANCE TO DO THAT, PLEASE DO THAT. I KNOW COUNCIL PRESIDENT MYSELF. ME, I THINK COUNCILMAN RILEY DID EITHER ONE OF YOU GUYS DO HARFORD LEADERSHIP ACADEMY? YEAH. OKAY. CECIL. WELL, IT'S A GREAT THING TO DO. SO IF YOU GET A CHANCE TO DO THAT. BOOT BARN OPENED UP. THEY DON'T HAVE ANY BOOTS THAT FIT MY WIDE FEET, SO I DON'T KNOW WHERE I'M GOING TO GO GET BOOTS AT. BUT BEL AIR MARKET IS ON JUNE 14TH, THE SUMMER CONCERTS HERE AT SHAMROCK PARK AT 7 P.M. IS JUNE 14TH AND JUNE 19TH IS SUMMER MOVIE NIGHT AT SHAMROCK PARK.

THAT KICKS OFF AND I THINK I'M DONE. THANK YOU, COUNCIL PRESIDENT. THANK YOU, MR. AND MR. RILEY. YES, I WANT TO SEND OUT CONGRATULATIONS TO LISA'S LAVENDER AND JARRETTSVILLE.

THEY CELEBRATED THEIR GRAND OPENING ON FRIDAY. I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF ATTENDING. THAT'S IT. THANK YOU, MR. RILEY. MISS. THANK YOU. COUNCIL PRESIDENT. I WOULD LIKE TO CLOSE THE NIGHT OUT WITH A QUOTE. THE BEST LEADER IS THE ONE WHO HAS SENSE ENOUGH TO PICK GOOD PEOPLE TO DO WHAT HE WANTS DONE, AND THE SELF-RESTRAINT TO KEEP FROM MEDDLING WITH THEM WHILE THEY DO IT FAR AND AWAY, THE BEST PRIZE THAT LIFE HAS TO OFFER IS THE CHANCE TO WORK HARD AT WORK WORTH DOING. NOBODY CARES HOW MUCH YOU KNOW UNTIL THEY KNOW HOW MUCH YOU CARE. DO WHAT YOU CAN WITH WHAT YOU HAVE, WHERE YOU ARE. GET ACTION. BE SANE. DON'T FRITTER YOUR TIME CREATING THINGS FOR THE REST OF US TO CLEAN UP. THANK YOU, THANK YOU MISS 17 BUSINESS FROM

[17. BUSINESS FROM THE PRESIDENT ]