Robin Lively urges the Barren County Fiscal Court to impose a moratorium on data centers moments before County Attorney Mike Richardson said the county is not equipped to do so. (Photo by Allyson Dix for Glasgow News1)
By ALLYSON DIX
For GlasgowNews1
The Barren County Fiscal Court met Tuesday morning for its regular meeting, where county officials addressed the future of data centers in Barren County.
County Attorney Mike Richardson addressed the legal considerations surrounding a possible moratorium on data centers, including what options may be available in a county without zoning regulations.
Robin Lively was given two minutes for public comment and urged the county to pursue a moratorium on data centers, noting her concerns with the recent actions unfolding in Cave City. She also requested a public hearing so citizens can discuss concerns related to data centers.
Richardson said his legal opinion is that without zoning, the county has no legal authority to issue a moratorium despite other counties pursuing the same.
“In a county that has no zoning that says they are going to do a moratorium [and] we’re not going to accept anything, it really has no teeth to it – there’s no backing to it,” Richardson said.
Richardson explained that if a data center proposed development in an area without zoning, the developer would file a lawsuit, and “they would probably win.”
The county attorney also recognized concerns expressed on social media about data centers.
“At the end of the day, I have to sit here and look out for the county,” Richardson said. “I understand people are very upset and I don’t blame them.”
Barren County Attorney Mike Richardson appears remotely during Tuesday morning’s Barren County Fiscal Court meeting. Richardson discussed legal considerations surrounding a potential moratorium on data centers in a county without zoning regulations. (Photo by Allyson Dix for GlasgowNews1)
Zoning regulations are like guardrails that apply administrative laws for how an otherwise lawful business can come in, Richardson said. Some of those tools include the comprehensive planning and subdivision regulations, among other measures, put in place through planning and zoning. Arriving at forbidding data centers is a multi-step process.
Without those guardrails already in place, Richardson said the courts would automatically strike down an imposed moratorium put in place by Barren County.
Barren County Judge/Executive Jamie Bewley Byrd said the county is taking steps to learn more about data centers with training sessions for magistrates and ongoing communication is occurring, including discussions with Rich Ornstein, an attorney with the Kentucky Association of Counties (KACo).
Byrd said Ornstein confirmed Richardson’s legal opinion.
“Counties without zoning, it’s more of a it doesn’t hold any merit,” Byrd said. “If somebody wants to do anything, they can still do it. That’s a concern [for] not just us, but other counties too.”
Byrd also addressed the actions taken by the fiscal court last spring when magistrates approved the removal of graves from land in Cave City that is being considered for a potential data center. She said that at that time there were no plans or discussions about a data center, but rather discussions involving other potential businesses, such as a distribution center and an ammunition company.
Barren County Judge Executive Jamie Bewley Byrd presides over the June 16, 2026 Fiscal Court meeting. (Photo by Allyson Dix for GlasgowNews1)
She also clarified that there is no end user for Cave City’s potential data center.
“There’s property owners and then there’s a developer; there’s no end user,” Byrd said. “That’s where I have major concerns because it is a developer.”
Byrd said she plans to meet with Barclay Trimble, superintendent of Mammoth Cave National Park, to discuss concerns related to a proposed data center near the park, but confirmed that the county has no legal authority over the park because it is operated by the federal government.
“Barclay and I are going to meet, and he’s going to address his concerns and questions he would like answered,” Byrd said. “We’re going to require, as a county, the answers to be sent out to us and whoever wants them.”
Byrd said, “We’re doing everything we possibly can.”
She also said the developer for Cave City’s data center, in a phone call, asked if Barren County had zoning. Once she replied the county did not, he dropped discussing the county and shifted focus back to Cave City.
Cave City Councilperson Leticia Cline (center) listens during the Barren County Fiscal Court meeting on June 16, 2026 (Photo by Allyson Dix for GlasgowNews1)
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