Piqua's City Commission to Discuss Data Center Legislation on Monday
Vol. III, No. 155 - Piqua's City Commission Needs to Demonstrate Why They Can Be Trusted With Such a Big Decision
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Throughout November, this publication is giving our readers an opportunity where our readers can support local food pantries. Every dollar received from our “Buy Me a Coffee” Page will be given to New Path Food Pantries.
We started November with a modest goal to raise $750. After the first day of our campaign, our community raised $1,450. Our new goal for November is to raise $2,500. You can be a part of this effort by making a donation here:
Thanks to our donors who have generously given to this project: Pastor Bobbie, Maura, Jenny, Susan, Karen, Bev, Casey, Sherry, Iris, Carolyn, Stephanie, Karin, Teri, John and Kim, Jenni, Ruth, Natalie, Sandy, Stewart, Teri, Barb, Christina, Leib, Laura, Russ and Kay and three Anonymous donors. Of note, one of our donors made a very generous donation all the way from Austria!
On Monday evening—one day before voters head to the polls to choose a new city commissioner—Piqua’s City Commission will make a choice that will shape the community for generations. Four significant pieces of legislation are on the table, all tied to bringing a major data center to town.
As it stands, there’s every chance the Commission may vote on all four measures (one ordinance and three resolutions) Monday in one fell swoop—nearly shutting citizens out of a more meaningful discussion. By the time most of the community finds out what’s been decided, it could be a done deal with no looking back.
There will even be an executive session (closed to the public), where your leaders will hash out details you may never hear, even though the consequences of their decision will ripple through the city’s water, power, and other city services, not to mention the larger local environment for decades. These are decisions that are discussed and made behind closed doors at a time where other Ohio communities are asking detailed questions and making stands against these data centers.
This is not just another business project. The data center would use massive amounts of water and electricity, impacting city utilities, street infrastructure, and potentially raising big questions about environmental safety. While the deal could bring new jobs, the track record of data centers in similar Ohio towns suggests the greatest benefits go to the developers, with the real costs and the long-term risks landing in residents’ laps.
Given some of Piqua’s recent struggles from a rebranding exercise that was bludgeoned right out of the gate, to the commission’s failure to timely address the battery burning at the city’s former water treatment facility to the commission’s jaw dropping reversal on trash disposal, the commission has zero credibility when it comes to making important decisions.
Let’s be blunt: many of the same officials who sidestepped residents’ concerns then, are the ones that will be making the final decisions for this data center now. Trust in city government is nearly at an all time low and the City Commission has largely responded, not through contrition and desires to be more transparent. No, the City Commission in their infinite wisdom has created more barriers for public participation at commission meetings and is largely culpable for creating a hostile dynamic at the Municipal Government Complex.
Frankly, how can the commission expect trust from the community if it keeps cutting the public out of the process? That pattern makes it even more important for city leaders to be careful, thorough, and fully transparent before approving something so permanent.
Here are questions every resident should be asking:
Will the city’s water supply and treatment systems really be able to handle the giant increase in demand? We know that the data center will regularly consume 2 million gallons of city water each day.
How will it be powered? It looks like AES will be powering the facility from the public documents. Can other Piqua businesses use AES for power if those businesses can get it cheaper?
How much will this project cost and how will it be financed? If it’s through the Tax Increment Financing mechanism, how long will that last and what tradeoffs are being made?
Are there enforceable protections to make sure our environment—soil, air, and water—is not harmed?
How many permanent jobs will this bring to Piqua, and what kind of jobs will they be? How much income tax will be generated from this facility?
What is the real public benefit, and how long will it take to see it? What other businesses are expected to come to the city? Has this happened elsewhere?
Given the commission’s record on public engagement, what process will the commission go through to ensure a monumental decision will take in public comment?
Who will be held responsible if promised benefits don’t materialize or unintended problems arise?
City government’s most important duty is not to chase every shiny opportunity—it’s to prevent bad things from happening. Leaders are being trusted to keep Piqua’s environment, utilities, and finances in good shape for everyone and not kow-two to out of town developers who probably couldn’t find Piqua on a map two or three years ago.
Residents deserve honesty, time, and a real opportunity to ask questions and get answers. City leaders owe it to the community to pump the brakes, open up the process, and explain—plainly and publicly—how this project will protect and strengthen Piqua. No major project should go forward until the city can show—beyond slogans and sales pitches—that your water, your power, your dollars, and your future are safe.
Whether concerns are warranted or not, data centers have earned a reputation that make them undesirable in communities. If the City Commission and other city leaders believe that this type of economic development project is a positive for the community, those pushing this project have the awesome of responsibility of selling this project to the public.
These leaders will need to answer questions, show how concerns can be mitigated and what the true benefits of the community will be. Simply saying “yes” when the roll call is made on the votes for these four pieces of legislation simply will not suffice. Anything less than a full throated discussion would be poor governance. It would be an opportunity lost, and more trust will be squandered. It will be seen as a rushed backroom decision that will be defining Piqua’s future.
Residents: show up, ask tough questions, and demand your right to transparency. There’s no more important time to make your voice heard.
Introducing the November Community Survey!
Back when this project was kicked off over two years ago, this newsletter was imagined as a helpful tool to not only help have our residents understand their community, but also to receive feedback and get ideas on how residents perceived where our hometowns was headed.
In order to achieve that goal, the decision was made to release a small survey that would ask residents their thoughts and feelings every two months. Every month seemed excessive, yet, once a quarter didn’t seem quite frequent enough. The idea was to help create a picture of the sentiment in the community and measure that sentiment over time.
Last month, the response to this survey was simply amazing! In September, 167 responses were received from all over the county to this survey; 87 came from Troy and 55 came from Piqua. Let’s work together to get November’s response even higher!
To do that, I’m reaching out to you, our amazing and dependable readers, and asking you to take a mere three minutes to fill out this survey. Let us know what you think about the place you call home.
In a future edition of the Civic Capacity newsletter in December, this publication will take the time to provide thoughtful and careful analysis of the answers this publication received and, more importantly, review the trends that the data is showing.
These surveys are not just an opportunity for your thoughts and feelings to be heard—although it definitely is that. It’s also a chance to gain a better understanding of how your community is perceived by your friends and neighbors, and for you to have a say in that process.
Also, it doesn’t matter what your hometown is; we will take responses from all communities! However, we will only publish results if we have enough responses from a community to warrant publishing the results.
You can access the survey here:
Thanks for your time and your participation! It is greatly appreciated!
Endorsement Pieces Welcome!
Is there a candidate or issue you are excited to support this election season? Let us know! We would be happy to publish your supportive ideas for your candidate or tax issue on this November’s ballot!
Unlike traditional media sources, you aren’t limited to word counts, nor will your ideas be stuck behind a paywall. We believe in the free exchange of ideas and welcome your contributions. Send your ideas to: pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com.
A New Handbook to grow Civic Capacity!
Recently, we created a new digital handbook, “The Citizen’s Guide to Public Records”. This handbook is designed to help residents have a better understanding of public meetings and meeting records. It’s filled with templates, ideas and other information that will open a new world of public affairs.
Also, if you have ideas for future handbooks, please let us know at pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com.
Want to Learn More About Troy’s Businesses?
Our publication has recently released our September 2025 Economic Abstract, the most comprehensive and up-to-date report on the businesses and industries in the City of Troy. For those that want to understand our community’s business and industries, this is a must-have report.
Thank you to our New Media Partners!
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Our publication would also like to recognize the good work being done at www.piquanewsnow.com. Piqua News Now is a new web-based news and information site for the Miami County area, with a specific focus on Piqua!
In addition, the good folks at Piqua News Now have started a new, 24-hour streaming YouTube channel. This channel is awesome with continuous weather updates and more importanly, it provides a 24-hour audio feed from county wide dispatch. Check it out here!
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