By Allyson Dix
For Glasgow News 1
Agricultural uses and data centers remained key topics of discussion at Hiseville Elementary School on Thursday evening during the final town hall meeting, which drew approximately 100 people.
Barren County officials wrapped up the series of four town hall meetings on Aug. 13, aimed at allowing residents to provide public feedback and ask questions concerning countywide land use regulations and zoning in the unincorporated parts of Barren County.
The Barren County Fiscal Court is expected to consider the first reading of an ordinance this fall. If the ordinance receives the required approval on two readings by a majority of the county’s seven magistrates, land use regulations and zoning will officially be adopted.
The panel of officials at the meetings has included most magistrates, Barren County Judge-Executive Jamie Bewley Byrd, County Attorney Mike Richardson, Planning and Zoning Director Kevin Myatt, and Deputy Judge-Executive Garland Gilliam.
All four meetings have remained largely civil, aside from some heated discussions between elected officials and citizens during the Austin Tracy meeting on July 21.
Officials continue working to draft an ordinance through the county’s newly-formed Land Use Committee. Before magistrates consider voting on the matter, the process will also include an advertised public hearing before the Joint City-County Planning Commission, where the public will have an opportunity to review and discuss the proposed ordinance before the proposal moves to the fiscal court.
Many residents have voiced concerns about hyperscale data center development during all four meetings. Hyperscale data centers are massive industrial facilities designed to house large numbers of computer servers and support large-scale digital operations.
In late March 2025, the Kentucky General Assembly passed House Bill 775, which became law without Gov. Andy Beshear’s signature and includes provisions that give incentives for certain data center developments, with varying incentives tied in part to county population.
For a county with a population less than 50,000, which is the case for Barren County, any qualified data center project that makes a capital investment of at least $25 million is eligible to receive a sales and use tax exemption.
The governor signed an executive order on Aug. 6, 2026, directing the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet and the Kentucky Public Service Commission to “take action against any harmful impacts from potential data centers.”
Executive orders such as this are subject to legal challenges and court review because they are not laws passed by the General Assembly.
With growing interest in data center development in rural Kentucky, many counties and cities across the state have enacted local ordinances to pause development, such as moratoriums.
Moratoriums are temporary measures that delay or prohibit certain development, a move Cave City, which does have land use regulations and zoning regarding data centers, made in May 2026 when the city approved a 12-month moratorium on any data centers.
While many residents have publicly opposed data center development during all four town hall meetings and have asked for other potential avenues to halt the process, the county attorney has consistently maintained that his legal opinion for the county is that a moratorium enacted without any underlying land use or zoning will not withstand a court challenge.
Sarah Myers, a Barren County resident, asked if the county had considered a model ordinance drafted by the Kentucky Resources Council for counties in Kentucky without zoning.
Richardson said he was familiar with the drafted ordinance but the language could be a violation of state laws.
“I’ve read that ordinance and a lot of it deals with land usages, and when you start getting into that territory where they could possibly be knocked down by the courts because it’s a violation of KRS 100,” Richardson said.
County Attorney Mike Richardson speaks to the crowd during a town hall at Hiseville Elementary Thursday, August 13. Auggie Brown/Glasgow News 1
He further said some of the elements listed by the Kentucky Resources Council may be considered for the county’s proposed zoning ordinance.
Meanwhile, farmers have raised questions and concerns as they personally weigh the potential effects zoning could have on their operations and properties, and some have strongly opposed zoning altogether.
On Thursday, Magistrate Tim Coomer, who represents the Hiseville area, told town hall attendees that things change sometimes.
“The decision we have to make here in the county, as everyone knows, time changes, things change, whether we like it or not,” Coomer said. “Sometimes, we have to change.”
Coomer emphasized that without zoning, “anything” can build or be placed beside a property in the county with no stipulations.
“If you have zoning, something can still come in, but [if] you have regulations, you can have setbacks, property owners adjoining that land will be notified, there will be public hearings,” Coomer continued. “[I’m] not saying it won’t get built, but you’ll at least know what’s coming, and if you want to go to that meeting and express concerns, you’re welcome to.”
If land use regulations are adopted by the county, officials have said that zoning amendment proposals would require notice to adjoining property owners, and public hearings with testimonies under oath would be held for future project development.
Coomer noted many farmers were present at the Hiseville meeting before Kevin Myatt, the planning and zoning director, explained the protections afforded to farmers across the state.
Myatt said Kentucky’s Right to Farm Act provides protections for agricultural practices and operations from nuisance, odors, and other processes farmers use.
“When zoning comes into place, the most protected group is the agricultural entities of that county,” Myatt said, explaining that even with zoning, no one can dictate how many acres of corn someone wants to grow or what size barn can be constructed on a property.
There are four types of zoning classifications: residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural.
To be considered for an agricultural zone, a property owner qualifies in Kentucky if they have a minimum lot size of at least five acres. Despite this, legal agricultural practices are still protected under the Right to Farm Act no matter what zoning classification a property is listed as, officials have said.
“Our intention is to look at the county as a residential zoning classification because agricultural uses and practices will be completely exempt in all zoning classifications,” Myatt said.
One potential change that property owners might consider is a situation in which a person wants to give part of their land to their children.
For example, if a landowner with five acres (minimum lot size for an agricultural zone) decides to give one acre to their child, both properties now become the subject of a zone change.
Similarly, If a landowner with ten acres gives one acre to their child, Myatt explained that only the one-acre parcel would undergo a zone change because the remaining acreage would still meet the five-acre threshold.
“Our purpose here would be to write an ordinance that is the least impactful for Barren County citizens, but at the same time, provide protection for those individuals that live in a rural setting or rural nature,” Myatt said.
He also confirmed during a question-and-answer session that no current data center development proposals have been filed in Barren County as of Aug. 13, 2026.
After the meeting, Byrd told Glasgow News 1 she is thankful for those who have taken part in the town hall meetings since July.
“I feel like the crowds were bigger here at Hiseville and Park City than the previous two,” Byrd said. “People have had the opportunity to speak and we’ve had questions. I feel like it’s been good.”
The judge-executive also said she is learning alongside others as the county considers the potential for zoning.
“I’ve really let Mike [Richardson] and Kevin [Myatt] take a lot of these questions because a lot of this is legal and zoning, and I want to make sure that all specifics are met,” Byrd said. “It also pulls out some of the controversial arguments and stuff like that so that people are citing facts, and it’s really hard for people in the crowd to argue with facts.”
Byrd said feedback from the meetings has been recorded and will be utilized as officials move forward with drafting an ordinance.
Additionally, citizens can still reach out to officials by calling their offices:
Judge-Executive – 270-651-3338
Joint City-County Planning Commission – 270-659-0661
Barren County Attorney – 270-651-8766
The Barren County Land Use Committee will hold its first meeting on Aug. 20 at 6 p.m. in the council chambers of the Luska J. Twyman Municipal Building, formerly known as Glasgow City Hall.
