MCDONALD, Ohio (WKBN) — The debate over data centers continues in the Valley. Community members voiced their opinions at Wednesday’s village council meeting in McDonald.
It was a packed house as residents weighed in on whether data centers should be allowed in the village.
“Maybe they can come in, but there’s a personality to this community that deserves to survive,” a resident said.
“We want on the bus and in a productive and collaborative manner to make sure that we preserve our most important assets in this village,” another resident said.
Residents say the top two assets are the health, peace and well-being of citizens — along with preserving the status of the village. Many were optimistic about a potential data center coming to McDonald, but others questioned whether the village’s current zoning would even allow one.
“As it sits right now, without any change in language, data centers should not exist in our village. They do not meet the criteria of zoning,” a resident said.
It also raises concerns over property costs, especially for those who spent money on making renovations to their homes.
“If a data center comes in here, my advice to my son will be put the for-sale sign in the yard, because I don’t want him to lose the value that we pumped in that house,” one resident said.
Some residents were firmly against a data center coming to the village. They say the Tangible Personal Property Tax that phased out in 2006 helped relieve residents 60 to 70 percent of the tax from the old McDonald Steel site. However, they say they will not get the same relief if a data center is built.
“If they don’t want to pay us 1% now, they’re going to fight to not pay us 1%. Andrew Carnegie was kinder to McDonald than they’re ever going to be, and those people have more money than Carnegie,” a resident said.
Some residents believe a moratorium should be considered, saying it’ll be a benefit to have.
“I don’t know if that’s the answer, but at least it’ll buy to further evaluate,” a resident said.
McDonald Mayor Ray Lewis says they have been in talks with a potential developer of the data center. He says they will be in charge of telling the community what they want to submit to the village and what it wants to do.
That company will have an open forum Sept. 15 to discuss that. More information is set to be released in the future.