Blackford County: Exhibit G Change Draws Public Challenge; Resident Says Data Center Leases Being Signed

From the Blackford County Commissioner meeting on August 17, 2026

Warren Brown, Executive Director of Blackford County Economic Development Corporation's (BCEDC), informed commissioners that Exhibit G in the Prairie Creek Wind development agreement had been corrected, changing language from "ordinance provisions" to "development standards." Brown said attorneys advised the change was not substantial and did not require commissioner approval.

During public comment, County Council candidate, Deb Grider, directly challenged the correction. She argued that renaming a "zoning restriction" to a "provision guideline or covenant" does not bypass formal statutory adoption procedures, and that the change should have gone through the Blackford County Area Planning Commission because it modifies an already-approved document. The Ledger has written about Exhibit G, and you can find that article here.

Deb also pointed out a contradiction: Commissioner Borgenheimer stated the county is "working on ordinances for data centers and battery storage" and would draft them for APC review, stating, "We don't have the authority to do that [draft/edit ordinances]," yet, Deb claims, the Exhibit G change bypassed that same process.

Deb then stated for the record that land leases are being signed for a data center in Blackford County, that battery storage is coming, and that another solar project is in the works. She questioned why commissioners refuse to implement a moratorium, which she said "only pauses stuff, it doesn't stop it."

When asked about the status of an ordinance the APC committee had previously recommended, Commissioner Borgenheimer said he was "not sure what the status of that is."

Borgenheimer responded that attorneys guided the Exhibit G correction and that commissioners do not have authority to formulate ordinances themselves — they would draft and send any proposals to the APC.

Source: YouTube transcript — Blackford County Commissioner Meeting - August 17, 2026

Some information may be inaccurate due to video audio quality.