A Black Kentucky councilwoman walked out of a council meeting Tuesday (September 8), stopping a vote that could have advanced plans for a massive data center in her community.
Melinda Wofford left the Burgin City Council meeting, causing the council to lose its quorum and ending the meeting before members could vote on whether to have the city attorney draft an ordinance to annex several parcels of land where Panattoni Data Centers wants to build a hyperscale facility. It would have been the second time the city considered annexing the property, according to the Kentucky Lantern.
The Tennessee Holler shared a video of Wofford leaving the meeting via X.
Wofford told the Kentucky Lantern she walked out intentionally. "You can’t do business without a quorum,” she said.
Her departure was enough to end the meeting because another council member had recused himself over a potential conflict of interest, while a third member was absent.
Residents have raised concerns about the data center’s potential impact on noise, air quality, water, electricity demand, and local infrastructure. Zoé Strecker, a Mercer County resident who spoke against the project, urged officials not to rush the development.
“There is every reason not to rush,” Strecker said, arguing that residents should not be “sacrificed” for the development. “We are clearly a target. Why? Because the land is inexpensive, the power is nearby and cheap, and the local government is eager for an increase in tax base.”
Panattoni senior vice president Brock Tomlinson defended the project, saying the company has “listened closely to the residents in Burgin and Mercer County.” He pointed to the possibility of tens of millions of dollars in local tax revenue.
Burgin currently has no planning and zoning regulations. During Tuesday's meeting, Wofford voted to advance a plan for the city to join Mercer County's joint planning and zoning commission, then said she would not approve an annexation until the city had those rules in place.
The council did not take the planned annexation vote Tuesday night.
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