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Planning Commission Discusses Data Centers,
Farmland Preservation and Personnel Policies

Planning Commission – September 10, 2026 

Meeting Details: The Geauga Planning Commission met in regular session on September 10, 2026 at 7:30 am at the Geauga County Office Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Chardon, OH 44024.  This meeting was in person with no virtual attendance option. The agenda is normally available online prior to the meeting. A copy was available at the meeting. Observer Note: The website presents the minutes and meeting dates, and the agenda is included in that section.

Public Comment Policy: No formal policy, but in practice, public comment could be permitted at the Chair’s prerogative. However, public comment is not typically invited during regular meetings.

No public comment is solicited or offered except in cases where an applicant or zoning inspector is present to answer questions regarding an item on the agenda. 

Board Attendance:

Staff Attendance: Linda Crombie, Planning Director, Allyson Kobus-Havel, Planner II, and Pamela Irizarry, Administrative Assistant were present.

Others Attending: This Observer and no other members of the public were in attendance. 

Minutes - Once approved by the board, the minutes are available online here.  Scroll down until the section on Minutes and Agendas.

Pledge of Allegiance - The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Roll Call - Roll was called. A quorum was present. 

Approval of Minutes - August 11, 2026 Regular Meeting

A minor correction was identified by Ms. Brakey on page five regarding the mileage reimbursement rate. The minutes contained references to a mileage reimbursement increase written as “$0.76 cents.” It was noted that the amount should be expressed either as “$0.76” or “76 cents.” The same error appeared four times.

A motion was made and seconded to approve the August 11, 2026 meeting minutes as amended. The motion passed without opposition. Mr. Fabig abstained.

Approval of Agenda/Addendum

The Commission unanimously approved the agenda as presented.

Financial Report and Approval of Expenses

Ms. Irizarry reviewed August expenditures and revenues. Among the expenses noted were an Amazon reimbursement for supplies purchased for the Farmland Preservation Plan public forum and registration for Ms. Kobus-Havel to attend the Ohio GIS Conference in September. August year-to-date revenues were reported as $955.

Ms. Irizarry advised that two hospitalization payments after the completion of the report had since posted. The financial report presented at the meeting therefore reflected updated information. She also explained that the report covered the Commission’s general fund account. A separate Farmland Preservation Plan account has been established and will be presented when transactions occur in that account.

During Commission discussion, Mr. Gorris noted that the financial information in the meeting packet had been distributed as an editable spreadsheet rather than a PDF. He recommended returning to PDF format for the official packet so that figures could not inadvertently be altered after distribution. Staff indicated that the reports previously had been distributed as PDFs and agreed to return to that practice. 

Mr. Gorris also observed that approximately 62% of the annual budget had been expended at a point when approximately 66% might be expected, indicating that expenditures were running slightly below budget.

The Commission additionally discussed the wording of its expense resolution, which states that the Commission “authorizes payment” of bills or claims even though the listed expenses have already been paid by the time the resolution is approved. Mr. Gorris questioned whether the language should instead reflect the Commission’s retroactive approval or ratification of payments and suggested consulting with the appropriate county personnel regarding wording that would be preferable for audit purposes.

A motion was made by Ms. Brakey and seconded by Mr. Bergansky to approve the financial report and expenses. The motion passed without opposition.

Other Business

There was no other business.

Major Subdivisions to Be Reviewed

A. Lake Lucerne Subdivision No. 1 (Block D) — Replat of Sublot 11 and Part of 10 — Bainbridge Township — Final Plat

Ms. Crombie presented a proposed consolidation of all of Sublot 11 with a portion of Sublot 10, noting that Sublot 10 had previously been divided. The resulting parcel will contain approximately 0.5159 acres.

The proposal completed the departmental review process, and comments received during review had been addressed. Ms. Crombie reported that an existing sewer lateral serves the property. An existing house and driveway on the south side of Summit Drive are to be demolished and new improvements constructed, requiring consolidation of the property. In response to a question, Ms. Crombie explained that the remaining portion of the original lot is owned by the adjoining property owner and is not part of the proposal.

A motion was made by Ms. Brakey and seconded by Mr. Bergansky to approve the final plat. The motion passed without opposition.

Township Zoning Amendments

A. Hambden Township — Text Amendment ZC-2026-01

The amendment, initiated by the Hambden Township Zoning Commission on August 3, 2026 would increase the minimum commercial building size from 400 square feet to 1,000 square feet.

Ms. Crombie reported no objections to the proposed change and recommended approval. A motion was made and seconded to approve the amendment. The motion passed without opposition.

Director’s Report

Ms. Crombie reviewed her Director’s Report. No formal motions were taken under this section.

1. Lot Splits

Ms. Crombie reported that eight lot splits were processed throughout Geauga County during August. A map showing their locations was presented to the Commission.

2. Northeast Ohio Planning and Zoning Workshop

Ms. Crombie reported on the Northeast Ohio Planning and Zoning Workshop held in Geneva in late August. Approximately 30 people from Geauga County attended, reportedly the highest attendance of any county represented. Attendees included members of township zoning commissions and zoning inspectors.

Ms. Kobus-Havel attended sessions concerning comprehensive planning, GIS StoryMaps and data centers. The comprehensive planning sessions included a presentation concerning Concord Township, which is nearing completion of its comprehensive plan update. The GIS session addressed StoryMaps, a tool staff has previously used for Planning Commission projects.

The workshop’s data-center session included three speakers and generated considerable interest. One presentation addressed technical aspects of data centers, including water consumption and differences among facility types, some of which use little or no water. The Lake County Auditor discussed the potential benefits and disadvantages of data-center development, while Ryan Smalley of Envision, who assisted with the Geauga County General Plan, addressed zoning and land-use considerations.

Ms. Kobus-Havel reported that a principal message from the session was that communities should exercise caution about outright prohibitions of data centers because doing so could expose them to legal challenges. Conditional-use regulation, with appropriate conditions addressing a facility’s impacts, was discussed as a preferable approach.

The Lake County Auditor also cautioned communities about granting lengthy tax abatements to data centers. He noted that technology can change substantially during a 10- to 15-year abatement period, potentially allowing a facility to reach obsolescence or relocate before the community realizes the anticipated tax revenue.

Ms. Crombie observed that data centers were a recurring subject throughout the workshop, including during sessions not specifically devoted to them.

3. Data Centers

Following the workshop report, Ms. Crombie returned to the broader question of how the Planning Commission might assist townships in addressing data centers. She noted that the recommendation against outright prohibition was consistent with concerns previously discussed by the Commission during its review of Auburn Township’s data-center zoning amendment. Data centers have also been discussed by the County zoning group, where local zoning representatives expressed interest in model definitions and regulatory language.

Ms. Crombie asked whether the Commission wanted the department to begin developing background information, an appropriate definition of “data center,” and potentially sample conditional-use provisions in consultation with the Prosecutor’s Office. Ms. Crombie emphasized that the work should provide educational context as well as possible zoning language because data centers vary substantially in size and impact, and not every township possesses the infrastructure necessary to support a large facility.

Commission members generally supported proceeding. Discussion emphasized the importance of distinguishing large industrial-scale data centers from smaller server facilities already operated by businesses and government agencies. Mr. Claypool cautioned that an overly broad definition could inadvertently regulate ordinary businesses maintaining servers on their premises.

Members agreed that the regulatory focus should be on the impacts zoning is intended to address and protect against, rather than attempting to prevent the technology itself. Infrastructure availability, particularly electrical capacity, was also identified as an important practical consideration affecting where large data centers could locate.

The Commission directed Ms. Crombie to begin researching data centers and develop information for future Commission consideration, including appropriate definitions and potential regulatory approaches, in consultation with the Prosecutor’s Office.

4. County Commissioners Association of Ohio Survey

Ms. Crombie reported that the County Planning Directors Association, operating under the County Commissioners Association of Ohio (CCAO), had invited suggestions for issues to be considered for CCAO’s 2027–2028 legislative platform. The survey asked respondents to identify an issue that should be included in the platform and recommend a position for the Association to take.

Because the submission deadline was imminent, Commission members wishing to propose issues were asked to provide them to Ms. Crombie by the end of the day.

Mr. Claypool provided input to the survey saying “Government does not need to be investing and putting in broadband in townships or counties. It's not the government's business to interfere or get involved, that's called socialism, to get involved with promoting this business thing. Particularly when you've got low cost, easy to use technology (like Starlink)”.

The Commission discussed whether proposed responses required formal Commission agreement. Mr. Gorris suggested that Ms. Crombie collect members’ comments and circulate the proposed submissions to the Commission before forwarding them to CCAO.

5. Ohio Planning Directors Association

Ms. Crombie provided an update concerning House Bill 361, legislation proposing changes to Chapter 519 of the Ohio Revised Code governing township zoning. Ms. Crombie noted that an earlier version of the bill would have required communities with populations of 5,000 or more to adopt zoning. That provision has been removed from the current version.

H.B. 361 remained in the House committee. Ms. Crombie noted that the legislation would have to complete several additional steps before the end of the current General Assembly to become law and provided members with a synopsis of the legislation in their meeting packets.

6. Ohio Farm Bureau Article on Ohio Grown Produce

Ms. Crombie discussed an Ohio Farm Bureau article concerning locally grown produce and the importance of local agricultural production. The discussion led to consideration of statewide resources that could be incorporated into the updated Farmland Preservation Plan rather than duplicating existing efforts at the county level.

Ms. Crombie demonstrated resources including websites and content available through the Ohio Produce Growers & Marketers Association (OPGMA) and Ohio Proud. The OPGMA membership directory provides information about participating agricultural businesses, while Ohio Proud allows users to locate farm markets, farmers markets, pick-your-own operations, roadside markets, Christmas tree farms and other Ohio agricultural businesses.

Commission members observed that relatively few Geauga County farms appeared in some of the statewide listings. Discussion addressed whether this reflected limited awareness among local producers or membership and eligibility requirements for particular directories.

Ms. Crombie suggested that the Farmland Preservation Plan could encourage greater participation by Geauga County agricultural businesses in existing statewide programs, promote public awareness of those resources, or potentially supplement them with a more comprehensive local resource. 

Web resources:
Ohio Produce Growers & Marketers Association – Membership Directory
Ohio Proud

7. Ohio Agriculture Venture Guide

Ms. Crombie presented the Ohio Ag-Venture Guide, developed as part of Ohio’s America 250 celebration. The guide promotes agricultural and agritourism destinations throughout Ohio and was described as another potential resource for the Farmland Preservation Plan.

Ms. Crombie reviewed the Northeast Ohio portion of the guide and noted that it includes some Geauga County agricultural destinations, although local representation remains limited. The guide was discussed in conjunction with the other statewide agricultural resources as an example of existing programs that could be promoted locally rather than duplicated.

The Ohio Farm Bureau describes the 2026 Ohio Ag-Venture Guide as an America 250-Ohio initiative designed as a self-guided tour of agritourism sites throughout the state during September and October 2026. 

Web resource:
Ohio Ag-Venture Guide – Ohio Farm Bureau/America 250-Ohio information

8. Commercial Construction

Ms. Crombie reported several commercial or institutional construction projects underway in the county. Construction has begun on a new approximately 33,000-square-foot library in the City of Chardon on the south side of Park Avenue. The Geauga Park District is constructing an approximately 3,100-square-foot maintenance building in Munson Township. Ms. Crombie also reported development of a commercial storage facility in Huntsburg Township.

9. Work Summary

Ms. Crombie reported a busy month, with approximately 33 matters handled among various planning activities, including lot splits, minor subdivisions, easements and informal zoning reviews.

Staff also continued assisting Chester Township with its land-use plan update. Chester Township is preparing the plan itself but requested Planning Commission assistance with mapping and data. Ms. Kobus-Havel has devoted approximately 20 hours to the project over the past several months. Some additional work remains, with staff anticipating completion of its assistance within approximately the next month.

10. Soil and Water

Ms. Crombie reported that the Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District reused materials developed by Planning Commission staff for the Farmland Preservation Plan public forum at the Geauga County Fair. Ms. Crombie noted that this provided an additional public use for the educational materials originally prepared for the forum.

11. Legislative Update

Ms. Crombie reported on recently introduced House Bill 995, which would prohibit a state agency from providing free charging at an electric-vehicle charging station. Ms. Crombie noted that the legislation had only recently been introduced and its prospects for passage before the end of the General Assembly were uncertain.

Following the Director’s Report, Mr. Claypool also drew attention to the number of bills currently pending at the state level involving data centers and property taxation. Mr. Claypool encouraged other Commission members to review the planning and zoning legislation, noting the significant amount of legislative activity in these areas.

Correspondence

There was no correspondence.

Old Business

A. Farmland Preservation Plan Update

Ms. Crombie reported continued work on the summary of the July 15 public forum, research into agricultural resources for inclusion in the plan, development of individual chapter topics, and creation of the plan’s overall format and design.

Ms. Crombie displayed the developing plan, which currently contains approximately 33 draft pages. The proposed title is Geauga County Farm Plan: Farmland, Agriculture & Rural Master Plan, with the tagline “A Plan for Preservation.” Photographs currently being used as placeholders are expected to be replaced with local photographs obtained from task-force members.

The draft will include acknowledgments and the history of the County’s farmland-preservation planning efforts, beginning with adoption of the original plan in 1999 and subsequent amendments. The introductory material will discuss the importance of agriculture, farmland loss at national, state and local levels, Geauga County’s climate and the purpose of the plan.

A county-profile chapter is expected to contain zoning, land-use and generalized lot-size maps, population information, agricultural census data and other information presented during the public forum.

Ms. Crombie described a substantial educational component addressing agriculture in Geauga County. It would provide information about local farmers, the history of agriculture and preservation efforts, and agricultural industries. Individual crops and livestock found in the county could be highlighted with concise information concerning growing conditions, soils, moisture, pH, pollination, care and common pests. The intent is to provide readers unfamiliar with agriculture a practical understanding of what is produced in Geauga County.

Other proposed sections would identify agricultural-support organizations and businesses, including the County Fair, Farm Bureau, Soil and Water Conservation District, OSU Extension, equipment and machinery dealers and related retailers. Agricultural education would include programs such as Berkshire’s ACE Academy, the county’s FFA programs and Auburn Career Center.

Ms. Crombie also intends to address the economics of agriculture by explaining, at a general level, where locally produced commodities are marketed—locally, nationally or globally. The final substantive chapter would address agricultural-preservation tools, recommendations and implementation strategies.

Mr. Claypool asked whether the Farm Bureau addresses genetically engineered crops.  Mr. Rogish responded that Farm Bureau policy is developed in part at the local level and said current policy discussions have included weed-control practices and reducing chemical use and that GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) policy was not an active topic. 

Ms. Crombie also reported that the first quarterly project report to the Ohio Department of Agriculture is due October 31 and will cover work performed from July 1 through September 30. The report will address expenditures, project activities, outreach, GIS work and project challenges. The Commission requested that a draft be presented at its October meeting for review and direction before submission to the state.

Ms. Crombie expects to provide substantially more draft material before the October meeting and plans to reconvene the Farmland Preservation Plan Task Force so its members can participate in reviewing and developing the plan.

New Business

A. Year-End Holiday Schedule

Ms. Crombie reported that the Board of County Commissioners voted on August 18 to grant employees under its hiring authority three additional days off because of the way the 2026 holidays fall: Friday, November 27; Thursday, December 24; and Thursday, December 31.

Because Planning Commission employees are not under the Commissioners’ hiring authority, separate Commission action was required. Ms. Crombie recommended adopting the same schedule, noting that the advance decision will permit staff to notify the public and post office closures well before the holidays.

A motion was made and seconded to grant Planning Commission staff the same three days off. Following brief discussion, the motion passed without opposition.

B. Personnel Policy and Procedure Manual — Potential Updates, Holidays/Closures

Ms. Crombie presented possible revisions intended to reduce the need for repeated Commission action whenever the County Commissioners grant additional holiday leave or close offices. Ms. Crombie also noted that Juneteenth, which had previously been approved as a holiday, should be formally added to the manual.

Proposed language would provide that the Planning Commission generally follow the County Commissioners’ actions regarding additional days off associated with established holidays without requiring separate formal Commission action on each occasion. Members discussed the practical importance of maintaining a schedule consistent with other offices in the Ravenwood building, including building security and public access.

Members also questioned how an unexpected closure would affect statutory or administrative submission deadlines. Ms. Crombie said reasonable accommodations would be made when a closure interfered with a filing deadline and that foreseeable conflicts generally could be addressed when the annual submission schedule is prepared.

Ms. Crombie proposed similar language for emergency closures, delayed openings and early closures. The Prosecutor’s Office had reviewed the concept. Ms. Crombie reported that Ms. Wieland, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, suggested the Commission might still wish to ratify such actions after the fact even if its policy automatically followed the County Commissioners. Several Commission members questioned the need for formal after-the-fact ratification once the policy expressly authorized staff to follow the County Commissioners, suggesting instead that such closures could simply be reported to the Commission.

Working from Home. Ms. Crombie also raised the possibility of adding a remote-work provision to the personnel manual. The initial concept was prompted primarily by unexpected circumstances—such as illness of a family member, weather-related delays or school closures—in which an employee cannot come to the office but remains capable of performing some work remotely. Ms. Crombie emphasized that the proposal was not initially intended to establish a routine weekly work-from-home schedule.

Discussion addressed documenting hours and work performed, use of County-issued equipment, remote access through Microsoft 365 and multifactor authentication, cybersecurity, safeguarding County laptops, and potential public-records implications when personal computers are used for public business.

Ms. Brakey expressed support for exploring broader flexibility. Mr. Claypool agreed with Ms. Brakey’s support further noting that professional employees can be held accountable for completing their work without unnecessary micromanagement and that remote work may, in some circumstances, improve productivity, particularly for projects requiring uninterrupted concentration. At the same time, Mr. Gorris noted that the Planning Commission is a public office and that adequate staffing must remain available to provide public access during normal business hours.

Members also discussed whether employees should routinely take County laptops home, the potential need for additional equipment, security if equipment is lost or stolen, and the desirability of keeping public work separate from personal devices.

No action was taken on the personnel-policy amendments. The Commission reached general agreement that Ms. Crombie should research the issues further, examine policies and tracking practices used by other County departments, and return at a future meeting with proposed language addressing holidays and closures as well as remote-work arrangements.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 8:38 am following unanimous approval of a motion to adjourn.

Next meeting: October 15, 2026.

More Information about the Geauga Planning Commission is available online. 

Observer: David Lewis

Editor: Gail Roussey

Reviewer: Marla Zwinggi

Submitted: September 10, 2026

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