With public outcry mounting over two planned rock quarries, and now a planned cryptocurrency data center near Smithville, the county commission is once again looking at the County Powers Act as a solution. Residents say the act is needed to prevent outside companies from coming into the county and disrupting local homeowners and land owners with water, dust and noise issues.

During a meeting last Thursday night of the county’s Health, Education and Public Welfare Committee, the committee voted 4-2 vote to recommended passage of the County Powers Act, and a resolution through the act to restrict rock quarries, crushers, and gravel pits, cryptocurrency mines (data centers/computer server farms), landfills, adult entertainment and methadone/suboxone clinics to outside 5,000 feet of a residence, school, licensed daycare facility, park, recreation center, church, retail, commercial, professional or industrial establishment.

The issue first arose after blasting occurred at a new quarry near Snow Hill, that resulted in a blast wave and rocks falling onto Highway 70. Another quarry is proposed between Liberty and Alexandria, near several homes and threatening local wells.

Another concern is a proposed data processing center planned just outside the Smithville city limits, on South College Street. Previous centers have drawn complaints from neighbors concerning excessive noise from the cooling units used to keep the computer banks cool. Some relate the noise to that of a jet engine, which would be situated near several area homes.

During the meeting, Committee Chairman Larry Green said the resolutions proposed are modeled after the Grundy County regulations after they faced the same issues.

“The first resolution (County Powers Act) just gives us the authority to write resolutions, and it has to pass with 10 votes before we go any further. The second one is a resolution for quarries, rock crushers, gravel pits, crypto currency mining (data centers), landfills, adult entertainment, and methadone/suboxone clinics. There may be other things we want to add but we would have to write a separate resolution for anything else we would want to add,” said Green.

Green said the resolutions would not affect any business already established, and only new businesses. “My goal in this was not to force anything out already operating here, but to keep something else from coming in, especially landfills. We could be a prime target if they close the landfill at Murfreesboro,” said Green.

Some commissioners said they worried the Powers Act would open a Pandora’s Box, and lead to regulations on yards and trash by future commissioners, but others pointed out that a future commission could simply vote on the powers act and that type of resolution anyway. Residents say the act is needed to help protect DeKalb County from being taken advantage of with the area’s lack of regulations and exploiting land rights of neighbors.

The Powers Act does nothing but give the county government the authority to enact resolutions and does not make any specific regulations. Each resolution would have to be voted on by the County Commission and pass with at least 10 votes.

The County Commission is expected to take up the issue at their next meeting on October 28, at the Auditorium of the County Complex. Meeting time is 6:30 p.m.