Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Oregon resident Aimee Mottmiller, who was involved heavily with gathering signatures to put on the November ballot a limit on the size of data centers and make that change in the city’s charter, said at the Aug. 10 city council meeting that the Lucas County Board of Elections has completed its review of the signatures, and the representatives there said they have met the required number of valid signatures.
Mottmiller said that constitutional provisions established a 60- to 120-day window for the Oregon city council members to procedurally advance the issue to the ballot. She noted that 60 days would equate to Sept. 4.
“There is a real timetable in front of us, and the next step should be to not allow it to simply sit,” she said. “We are asking that the ordinance be assigned and require action be taken promptly so that the matter can be returned to the Board of Elections and the election process can continue. The residents completed their part. The Board of Election has reviewed the signatures. Now we look to the city to complete its part of the process in accordance with its applicable requirements and deadlines.
“The next responsibility is procedural. The ordinance needs to move forward so the election process can continue within the required time frame. I hope council will make that next step clear and timely, so residents know exactly when the matter stands and what happens next. I look forward to November when Oregon residents can participate directly at the ballot box. Regardless of how any individual ultimately votes, this is local democracy in action. Residents became involved, asked questions, signed petitions, attended meetings and used the process available to them. When the election day arrives, every voter will have the opportunity to make his or her own decision. That is where this question should ultimately be resolved — by the voters of Oregon through the ballot box.”
Evan Morrison, the political director for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local Union 8, also spoke of concerns that local construction workers are often overlooked in these situations such as the potential data center in Oregon.
“Too often, the construction workforce is overlooked by all parties,” he said. “Local politicians and development organizations can demand a local workforce and local contractors. Landowners can demand responsible development in the local workforce. The end user themselves can hold themselves to a high standard, but this hasn't happened. Across Ohio, we see end users and general contractors partnering with out-of-state contractors that pay substandard wages, offer poor health care and no retirement. IBEW Local Union 8 and building trades have presented a path that would create opportunities for recent graduates of local schools to work, making good wages, learning our industry while protected by the best safety standards. This path would ensure local skilled workers are employed and would guarantee that our local area standards are honored. We, like the community members who have demanded answers and been rebuffed, delayed and told no, we have experienced the same issue.”
Paul Roman, the city’s public service director, responded to those comments later in the meeting.
“In past discussions, if the data center were to ever come to fruition, we have always stressed local union labor for this project,” he said. “That clearly has always been my stance. I know and I believe both the past administration and current administration still stresses local union labor for this project. We'll continue to do that.”
The other side
As the fight against the data center continues, other residents asked if not a data center, what else is going to be done by city council to help offset the financial problems in the city and the school district, and in turn avoid having to additionally tax the citizens in the future.
Steve Iler, a resident of Piper Drive, said that the phrase that money is the root of all evil is often twisted, and the comment is actually “for the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.”
“We simply cannot continue to pretend that this city either does not now or will soon not have financial conditions that are a cause for concern,” he said. “And that isn't even counting the schools. So, what is your plan? If not a data center, then what?”
He then countered arguments about people bashing the low number of employees that a data center employs as a reason against the project, stating that data center employee wages could bring in roughly $63,000 per year in income tax revenue based on 25 employees at $112,000 per year.
“The people complaining about the lack of jobs at a data center are the same ones loudly cheering for an Ollie's Bargain (Outlet),” he said. “Ironically, the average wage of an Ollie's employee is $12 to $19 per hour. The store manager can make up to $59,000 per year. Ollie's averages 15 to 25 employees per store. Even at 25 employees, at the top end of $19 an hour, working 40 hours a week, which, let's be honest, most of those employees would probably be part-time, that's roughly $22,000 in income tax to the city, not even close to being comparable. And this doesn't include the revenue from the construction phase and the potential long-term revenue stream from the (data center).”
He also insinuated that those for the data center are afraid of speaking up.
“If you happen to not agree with their stance, you will know about it,” he said. “You will be told, quote, you could volunteer to stop eating to save resources for data centers and save fertilizer, win-win. Or, quote, why don't you and the former mayor jump off the High-Level Bridge? Stop being a bully like the former mayor. Apparently having a different opinion means you should not exist as some people. Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, one of those statements was made by a sitting member of council. But it's okay, because according to her, my hatred for her is palpable. Second, imagine telling someone to stop being a bully in the same breath as telling them to jump off a bridge. So, let's talk the charter change.
“The people realize the dangerous path we are going down. The precedence this could set could be catastrophic. Not only does this destroy the premise of representative government, it has the potential to stifle any serious growth from ever occurring in this city. This would open the door to anyone and everyone to starting a petition and potentially blocking any investment in this city because of the, quote, not-in-my-backyard mentality. And just food for thought, could it be that certain council members and a certain mayor have been so tight with a certain group and so supportive of their petition drive because it would mean that they don't have to go on the record as being the ones who turned down a potential financial windfall? They could just say, hey, it wasn't us, it was the citizens. It kind of seems that way. I could go on and on, but I will end by asking this again. If not a data center, then what? Tell us your solution.”
Resident PJ Kaphammer also spoke, saying he believes that the data center “is a dead issue” and that the city needs to move forward with finding an alternative solution.
“I would like a solution of how you replace the funding?” he said. “We spent $9 million on the (data center) property, and we sold it, but if it dies, the money's gone. We also spent, and I say we as a city, spent over a million dollars on hiring full-time firefighters. You're going to have to find a solution to pay for them things. I implore you … and the schools are in real bad shape. If you look at their five-year forecast, in the fifth year, they're $8.5 million negative. They're negative spending now with no fix for more money coming in. That's going to be taxation on us, the citizens, because they're going to need to pass some kind of levy.”
Following the resident portion of the meeting, city council member Kathleen Pollauf spoke, and she referenced the article on Genoa’s development thoughts described in the Aug. 10 issue of The Press.
“Their administrator made a lot of great points that I seem to really agree with, and that is, we're a community,” she said. “We're not the bad guys up here. We live here just like you guys do. If you want a data center, that's fine. If you don't want a data center, that's fine too. You took the steps to make sure that you did what you need to do to not have one or to have one. It's the voters' decision now. I totally respect that because I do believe in this city and I do believe in the people that live here.
“We all have a choice, but I would like to see that choice have all the information, good and bad and correct, and I want it to be shared equally, both sides, all information. And I understand that people are passionate about that, and I appreciate that.
Pollauf said that Facebook has done a lot of damage in the city.
“We all have to sit and really think of what we want for our community,” she said. “There are consequences to every decision we make. It's really hard when people say stuff and everyone sees it on Facebook. So, you don't know. I don't know that it's a dead issue. I was never informed of that. I only go by the information that's given to me and hopefully it's the correct information. I'm not afraid to say what I feel, and I'm not afraid to say things even on Facebook. I don't hide behind anything. What you get is from me. I have a really hard time wanting to do my job here.
“When I look at these ordinances and how much it has cost, and we don't have revenue now. It was 2004 when it was shot down to put a safety levy on the ballot so we could get the personnel we need in both police and fire. That was shot down because something big was going to happen in the industrial area. Well, that fell through. Now this is going to be falling through, and I know that many of you, it's like 50-50 divide right now.
“I'm okay with the citizens deciding this in the ballot. I really am. But if we don't get this, where is our revenue coming from? How are we going to have a better police department, have a better fire department, have a better streets department and have everything that we're accustomed to — good streets, plowed streets, garbage pickup and all that. We have been able to have those.
“I sit here and I think, in my best judgment, I cannot spend another dime with this uncertainty. Where is our income coming from? What revenue do we have? If we don't get a data center, I agree. What is next? What is next? Because every week, I've come up here, listened to one narrative, and nobody speaks about the positive. And I read this one article from Genoa, and I'm like, that's a community that's trying to work together. We've got ourselves so divided, and we've known each other ever since we moved here or lived here or grew up here.
“So, I myself, there’s going to be a lot of no’s because we have to pay for new firefighters and there's things that the police need. I'm afraid that we're going to hit a brick wall and not be able to take care of those things. I think we should be a community. I think we should work together. We're not enemies here. We all live here. That's where I stand now.”
