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At Marion Watch, we are not against technology, nor are we opposed to the advancements of artificial intelligence.
In fact, with IT experts on the team and in the network, we actively advocate for and utilize decentralized AI models and localized, on-premise solutions—such as Apache Spark and localized iterations of OpenAI—to process data efficiently without the massive, grid-draining footprints of centralized hyperscale facilities. Our concern is not the technology itself, but the immense, unchecked strain that massive, centralized data centers place on local resources and the environment.
It is vital to understand that data centers in the United States operate the way they do—draining public power grids and consuming millions of gallons of municipal water—not because alternative, self-sustaining technologies are unavailable. They operate this way simply because it is the cheapest option for data center owners and their stockholders. By plugging into the existing public grid, these multi-billion-dollar tech corporations socialize the financial burden, leaving everyday citizens and local businesses to foot the bill for expensive high-voltage grid upgrades, new transmission lines, and surging baseline energy costs.
While it is the cheapest route for the developers, it is certainly not cheaper for the citizens who suffer the consequences of skyrocketing utility bills. Hyperscale operators are backed by billions of dollars in capital. If they intend to build in Marion, they are more than capable of constructing and funding their own dedicated, on-site power stations—often referred to as “behind-the-meter” generation or microgrids.
However, even self-generation options must be strictly regulated. When massive data centers build their own off-grid natural gas plants, they consume so much fuel that they actively compete with everyday consumers on the open commodities market, which spikes natural gas prices and raises heating and electricity bills for local homes. Furthermore, due to years-long supply chain backorders on efficient turbines, tech firms often rely on highly inefficient, heavily polluting equipment that can violate clean air standards.
Nor can we be fooled by hollow promises of ‘closed-loop’ water systems: they simply trade a water shortage for a thermal and toxic crisis, relying on power-hungry industrial chillers that spike grid demand while pumping 24/7 deafening noise pollution, localized ‘heat islands,’ and the constant threat of PFAS chemical leaks into our neighborhoods.
Instead of sacrificing our local infrastructure to maximize tech company profit margins, Marion must demand sustainable, localized microgrid solutions, true environmental accountability, and stringent safeguards.
Legislation, Codes, and Regulations Committee: Data Center Expansion
Eric Phillips, Economic Development Director for Union County, was reportedly invited by Mayor Collins to present the potential benefits of data centers to dissuade the council from passing a temporary moratorium. Phillips advocated for conditional zoning and negotiated Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreements, citing massive capital investments—such as AWS’s $4.1 billion investment in Union County.
However, his pitch about “high-paying facility jobs” collapses under basic economic scrutiny: hyperscale data centers run intentionally lean by design, permanently employing a meager 50 to 100 workers, sometimes less, meaning they generate virtually zero local income tax to offset the infrastructure strain they cause. To address community pushback, Phillips suggested implementing daily water usage caps and requiring closed-loop cooling systems. Public comment highlighted severe environmental and infrastructural costs, with residents noting that data centers drive up residential electric bills and cause property devaluation for neighboring homes.
Fact-Checking the Presentation: Claim vs. Verdict
- CLAIM: Almond farmers consume four to seven times more water than all North American data centers combined.
- VERDICT: MISLEADING / MISSING CONTEXT. While the raw gallon usage of agriculture is high, this comparison ignores the hydrological cycle. Farms are inherently essential for human survival, and agricultural water is naturally returned to the earth. In contrast, data centers rely on open-loop evaporative cooling systems where up to 85% of the fresh water withdrawn is instantly evaporated as steam and permanently lost from the local watershed. Furthermore, these evaporative systems require the water to be flushed out after a maximum of 7 cycles. The remaining wastewater (blowdown) that data centers discharge back into municipal sewers contains highly concentrated salts, chemicals, and mineral deposits that can corrode infrastructure and negatively impact aquatic life.
- CLAIM: Data centers are not entirely to blame for grid strain; the United States has taken 600 power plants off the grid and is currently “not building electric power plants”.
- VERDICT: FALSE. While aging coal plants have been retired, the U.S. builds tens of gigawatts of new generation capacity every year, primarily natural gas, solar, and wind. Data centers’ massive, continuous 24/7 energy draws are actively forcing utility companies to burn more fossil fuels to meet the artificial demand.
- CLAIM: Ohio law prohibits the abatement of land, meaning the underlying land is always taxed at 100%, and the maximum a city can abate is 75% for 15 years.
- VERDICT: PARTIALLY TRUE / MATERIALLY MISLEADING. It is true that the underlying land value cannot be abated. However, the claim that a city is capped at a 75% abatement limit is highly misleading. Cities can and frequently do grant 100% tax abatements on the massive physical structures (as Phillips openly admitted AWS received in his jurisdiction), provided they secure the local school district’s approval.
- CLAIM: Data centers do not add students to the school district, and therefore do not strain local public schools.
- VERDICT: GENERALLY TRUE / MISSING CONSTRUCTION CONTEXT. Hyperscale data centers are heavily automated and typically only require 50 to 100 permanent on-site employees. Because the permanent workforce is so small, they do not cause sudden population booms that overflow local school classrooms. However, during the 18 to 30-month construction phase, an influx of hundreds of out-of-town contractors can temporarily strain local emergency services, traffic infrastructure, and short-term housing.
- CLAIM: The rapid expansion of data centers is a matter of national security due to an “AI race” with China.
- VERDICT: SUBJECTIVE / LOBBYING TALKING POINT. Phillips framed local data center approval as a national defense imperative, warning that China will beat the U.S. in the AI race. While federal officials do view AI development as a geopolitical priority, using international cold-war rhetoric to justify local municipal zoning approvals for private, for-profit corporate retail operations is a standard industry lobbying tactic, not a municipal zoning standard.
Finance Committee
Police Cruiser Purchase & Historical Illegal Spending The committee authorized $72,000 from the capital equipment fund to purchase a new, fully equipped police SUV cruiser at state bid pricing. However, the public remains highly leery of major expenditures for the safety forces due to a long, documented history of catastrophic overspending.
According to Auditor of State (AOS) audits and Marion Watch’s Silent Sabotage coverage, police and fire overspent their legal limits by over a million dollars in the most recent audit. A forensic review of the financial records from 2014 forward reveals a staggering pattern of illegal spending and fiscal mismanagement by the safety departments:
- 2021 Budget Blowouts & Illegal Negative Balances: In 2021, the Fire Fund illegally exceeded its legal appropriations by $625,738, while the Police Fund exceeded its appropriations by $567,688. Because spending continued completely unchecked, both departments ended the year with illegal negative cash balances: -$138,266 in the Police Special Revenue Fund and -$48,213 in the Fire Special Revenue Fund.
- 2021 Hidden Bailouts: To plug these massive operational holes, the General Fund was forced to transfer $3,500,000 to the Police Fund and $1,800,000 to the Fire Fund. Even after these bailouts, the departments still overspent their limits.
- 2020 Capital Outlay Violations: The Police Department’s Capital Outlay illegally exceeded appropriations by $138,595, and the Fire Department’s Capital Outlay exceeded legal limits by $238,164.
- 2018 & 2019 Structural Bleeding: In 2018, the Police, Dispatch, and Fire Income Tax Fund generated $7.98 million in revenue but executed $13.87 million in expenditures, forcing a $5.95 million bailout from the General Fund. This was repeated in 2019, when the fund generated $8.16 million against $13.92 million in expenditures, forcing yet another $5.93 million bailout. The Police Department was also cited for exceeding legal appropriations in 2019.
- 2015 Federal Grant Failures: The Fire Department received a formal Material Weakness citation from the Auditor of State for failing to file three mandatory quarterly Hiring Performance Reports for the federal SAFER grant by their deadlines, risking the withholding of federal funds.
State Audits & Administration
The administration reported that the 2022 draft audit is currently under state review, and the 2023 audit has been completed by the independent auditor. Reconciliations for 2024 and 2025 are actively being processed. The committee also advanced the appointment of Carrie Quas to the Board of Tax Review to fulfill the remainder of a vacated term and the entirety of the following term.
Grants, Donations, & Arbitrations
The committee approved a resolution establishing a State Homeland Security fund for the fire department’s FY23 grant funds. They also approved a Bureau of Workers’ Compensation grant application for an $11,000 turnout gear dryer, which requires a $2,000 local match. The committee accepted private donations from Kevin Huffman and Nucor Steel for paramedic training and rope rescue equipment. Finally, funds were appropriated to satisfy a recent labor arbitration award stemming from disputed union contract verbiage concerning Health Savings Accounts.
ALPR (Flock Camera) Oversight Amendment
Councilman Shawn Barr introduced an amendment to Ordinance 2023-033 aimed at increasing oversight of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs). The amendment seeks to explicitly establish that ALPR misuse carries the same penalty as a LEADS violation—a fifth-degree felony resulting in employment termination. The legislation also creates a three-person ALPR Audit Board composed of an Administrative Police Major, a city council member, and a mayor-appointed resident.
The proposal faced harsh criticism during public comment. Residents argued the audit board is structurally weak and decorative, lacking essential regulatory frameworks such as conflict of interest rules, established audit procedures, guaranteed access to raw vendor logs, and defined consequences for misconduct findings. They pointed out that an internal police audit mechanism still relies too heavily on trusting law enforcement to hold themselves accountable. The amendment was ultimately held in committee.
Marion Watch Closing Statement
We will continue to document, verify, and publish the reality of Marion’s municipal operations. The days of accepting polished presentations, rubber-stamped audits, and corporate lobbying talking points as undeniable facts are over.
Whether it is a multi-billion-dollar tech corporation attempting to socialize their massive infrastructure costs onto our local power grid, or city departments requesting routine capital purchases while harboring a decade-long history of catastrophic ledger blowouts, Marion Watch will provide the receipts.
The digital doors to the city’s financial core were left wide open for 15 years, and the consequences of that ‘Silent Sabotage‘ are still bleeding into our city’s future. We continue to demand a non-negotiable, independent forensic IT audit of all historical software systems to expose exactly who authorized these systemic overrides and what else remains buried.
We will escalate if the administration fails to do so. We have given them everything needed to insist on federal and state law enforcement and oversight agencies are brought in.
We want the truth, and the citizens of Marion deserve the truth!