LETTERS

TO THE EDITOR

Just say ‘maybe’

To the editor:

I am deeply concerned by what seems to be a growing tendency of county commissioners to slap moratoriums on anything and everything they do not fully understand.

In the last year, this would cover wind energy, possibly short-term rentals at the county lake, and now data centers and battery energy storage systems.

The optics for any business looking to relocate are horrible. The impression is not that we want business with proper safeguards but that we have become Chicken Little and see the sky falling in the shadow of every passing cloud of thought.

It is entirely possible / probable that the lake sewer system is maxed out. Perhaps the improvement district should be examining potential upgrades with commissioners’ encouragement?

It strikes me that data centers are a poor fit for a county without any excess water resources, but I thought that was why we develop zoning regulations.

Battery energy storage systems should be considered with proper safeguards. Grid stability is becoming ever more critical, and I feel confident in saying that neither commissioners nor residents of our county wish to have electrical service that is less than dependable.

How about we leave the mindset of “NO!” to every idea put forth and consider a thoughtful “maybe”?

We older folks will likely survive the isolationist impression all the moratoriums give off to others, but our kids and grandkids may find themselves in a county much more like our neighbors to the east: beautiful, but lacking in doctors, hospitals, roads, and retail establishments and served by a single school district because of steady depopulation.

This is not to chastise anyone. I have known most of the commissioners for years and consider them friends, but let’s lay off the moratoriums and let planning and zoning work through appropriate regulations without county commissioners dictating the contents thereof from the beginning.

Rex Savage
Florence