Attendees gather outside after a Special Burgin Council Meeting at Burgin Fire Department in Burgin, Kentucky, on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. Peyton Tindall/The Watchdog

BURGIN, Ky. – An annexation ordinance tied to a potential data center development in Mercer County failed again to move forward during a Burgin City Council meeting.

One of the agenda items for the meeting held on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at the Burgin Fire Department was voting to authorize the city attorney to write an annexation ordinance involving land for a proposed hyperscale data center.

Although the annexation ordinance did not move forward, Council approved the first reading of an interlocal agreement establishing the Joint Harrodsburg-Burgin-Mercer County Planning and Zoning Commission and Joint Harrodsburg-Burgin-Mercer County Board of Adjustment.

Councilmember George Hensley votes during a Special Burgin Council Meeting at Burgin Fire Department in Burgin, Kentucky, on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. Hensley voted no to joining Mercer County Planning and Zoning and yes to the proposed data center. Peyton Tindall/The Watchdog

Annexation ordinance unable to move forward

Due to not having quorum, or not having enough councilmembers present to take official action, Council could not vote on whether the city attorney should draft the annexation ordinance.

Councilmember Melinda Wofford left the meeting before Council considered the annexation agenda item. Prior to Wofford walking out, Councilmember Travis Irvin recused himself for a potential conflict of interest. Councilmember Kevin Wallace did not attend the meeting in its entirety.

Between Irvin’s recusal, Wofford’s walking out and Councilmember Wallace’s absence, quorum was not met.

During public comment, some Mercer County residents voiced concerns about the potential annexation and Panatonni Data Center’s proposed development, such as Zoé Strecker, who addressed potential impacts regarding health, air and water pollution, noise and land loss.

According to Strecker, tens of thousands of people who live near data centers are struggling with such issues.

“We have an opportunity right now to avoid being victims later,” Strecker said. “I do not want to be in a situation where we are suing some corporation for detrimental effects. Let’s just not allow this into our community in the first place.”

Brock Tomlinson, a senior vice president of Panattoni Data Centers who spoke during public comment, said the development posed a potential financial benefit.

“We’re estimated to generate approximately $38 million annually at full operation,” Tomlinson said. “That is roughly $19 million annually for the city and $19 million for the schools.”

Tuesday’s meeting marked the second time annexing land for a potential data center by developer Panattoni Data Centers was brought before the Burgin City Council.

At a meeting on July 9, City Council voted 3-2 in favor of the “first reading” of an annexation ordinance. However, the second reading of the annexation was later cancelled because the city said the first reading was not legally accurate.

Senior vice president for Panattoni Data Centers Brock Tomlinson leaves a Special Burgin Council Meeting alongside his bodyguards at Burgin Fire Department in Burgin, Kentucky, on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. Peyton Tindall/The Watchdog

Burgin City Council moves forward with interlocal planning, zoning agreement

Burgin Mayor Joe Monroe broke a tied vote to approve the interlocal agreement that would establish a joint planning and zoning commission among Burgin, Harrodsburg and Mercer County, as well as a board of adjustments.

Councilmembers Wofford and Sindicat Dunn voted to approve the interlocal agreement, and Councilmembers George Hensley and Scott McCoy voted against the agreement.

McCoy said he voted no on the interlocal agreement because it “leaves Burgin in the minority” and subject to decisions made “at the Mercer County and Harrodsburg level.”

The proposed Joint Harrodsburg-Burgin-Mercer County Planning and Zoning Commission would be made up of five Mercer County representatives, four Harrodsburg representatives and two Burgin representatives, according to City Attorney John Wood.

After Monroe voted to move forward with the ordinance, the crowd of attendees applauded. He said there needed to be some form of regulatory control for a data center development, and that the only way to get that was to have planning and zoning.

“If we don’t have any kind of regulatory control in place, then if the data center was annexed in, then brakes would be off,” Monroe said. “They could do as they please and there ain’t nothing we could do about it, nothing.”

Before the interlocal agreement is set in place, Burgin City Council will have to hold a second reading of the ordinance, according to Monroe. The agreement would also have to go through the city of Harrodsburg, Mercer County and the state of Kentucky for approval.

Attendees react after the proposed data center failed to pass during a Special Burgin Council Meeting at Burgin Fire Department in Burgin, Kentucky, on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. Peyton Tindall/The Watchdog