Below are the Draft Data Center Regulations considered August 18, 2026 at the planning and Zoning Special Meeting, where there was no public comment. This was a work session of sorts. We have been told at the August 18 morning commission meeting there will be no more public hearings for these regulations.
If there are further concerns, I suggest people visit the commissioners on the record, Tuesday morning, September 1 @ 9am, and speak during public comment for general items. Also, you can speak during general Public Comment at the planning and zoning hearing, 7pm Tuesday, September 1.

Although the public hearing process was closed (8/4), county staff submitted documents late to the record on 8/18. One of these documents was from attorney Ray Connell. As you may remember from a previous post, Ray Connell was retained by Beltline Energy and Butler Rural Electric Cooperative earlier in the data center scouting process with the city of El Dorado.

Here is an excerpt from Ray Connell’s submission to the City of El Dorado, KS in April 2026.

Below is attorney Ray Connell’s requests for changes to the data center regulations, which were submitted to the County record on August 18, during the special meeting with planning/zoning board.

Below you will find the Agenda for the August 18, 2026 County Planning and Zoning Board Special Meeting, where they motioned and approved allowing late submissions to the public comment from 2 weeks before.
(Ray Connell’s letter cannot be found here, it is the result of an open records request.)

And here is the late submission document for files 29-34, which includes PEC’s requests for changes to the data center regulations draft.

Finally, below is an email from an Open Records Requests that shows PEC working with Beltline, on a water solution for the project. This email is written from Ryan Sanders, CEO of Beltline Energy, sent to Will Johnson, county administrator.