Planning and Zoning Could Head to April Ballot as Millcreek Debate Reaches a Boiling Point
Editor’s note: Lincoln CountyWatch experienced intermittent camera problems during Tuesday’s meeting, resulting in brief visual disruptions in portions of the full video. A reporter remained present throughout the meeting, and this recap is based on direct attendance, the available recording and the meeting transcript.
LINCOLN COUNTY, Mo. — Lincoln County commissioners told residents Tuesday that planning and zoning will be placed on the April ballot, creating a potential path forward as opposition to the proposed Millcreek battery-storage facility continues to intensify.
Presiding Commissioner Joe Kaimann and Associate Commissioners Mike Mueller and Matt Bass were all present for the Oct. 20 meeting.
Planning and zoning first surfaced when resident Ken White asked whether commissioners would support placing the issue before voters in the spring.
“I’m fine with that,” Kaimann said.
No commissioner voiced opposition during the exchange.
The issue returned later when Mary Geeding sought a more definite answer about placing a limited planning-and-zoning proposal for industrial and commercial development on the April 2027 ballot. Commissioners responded affirmatively and said the proposal would go before voters in April.
No formal vote to place the measure on the ballot was taken during Tuesday’s meeting. The commission will still need to complete the legal and administrative steps required to submit it, and the final ballot language has not been presented publicly.
The commitment nevertheless marked the meeting’s most consequential development. Residents have repeatedly pointed to Lincoln County’s lack of planning and zoning while questioning what authority local officials have over Millcreek and other large industrial projects.
When commissioners were later asked how a planning-and-zoning commission would be assembled if voters approve the proposal, Kaimann said representation would be drawn from the county’s townships and that the commission could request suggestions from the public.
“It’s not just our county,” Kaimann said. “It’s everyone’s county.”
The possible April vote did not end calls for immediate action.
White asked commissioners to enact a six-month moratorium on data centers while county officials and state lawmakers consider regulations for the rapidly expanding industry. Commissioners said no moratorium is currently being prepared.
White argued that a temporary pause would not permanently close Lincoln County to development. Instead, he said, it would give the county time to study potential projects and establish protections before another proposal moves forward.
Nikki Trout, representing Aligned Mamas, later expanded that argument during a lengthy exchange with commissioners.
“We’re not saying no forever,” Trout said. “We’re saying pause.”
Trout said residents want safeguards addressing water use, noise, lighting, land use and other potential effects before additional data centers or similar projects enter Lincoln County.
She also rejected the suggestion that residents opposing Millcreek are unwilling to consider the county’s financial needs.
“We want to be at the same table as you guys,” Trout said. “We want you guys to be honest about what you guys need, and you let us work on that part.”
Bass acknowledged that Lincoln County needs additional revenue but said money is not his only consideration.
“It’s not all about money with me,” Bass said. “It really is not. People think it is.”
Bass noted that several previous county tax proposals had been rejected by voters, including repeated requests related to law-enforcement funding. Some residents responded that the Millcreek controversy had changed public attitudes and offered to help explain the county’s financial needs.
Trout said residents would continue organizing and bringing their concerns before county officials.
“We’re not going away,” Trout said. “We’re actually going to have to go more. We’re going to have to go bigger.”
Emergency planning for the Millcreek facility remained another major point of concern.
Kaimann said an emergency-response agreement has been drafted with input from Ameren, local first responders, emergency-management officials and attorneys. The county has not signed it.
Kaimann explained that the commission did not want its signature on the agreement to be interpreted as county approval while the project remained before the Missouri Public Service Commission.
“The reason we haven’t signed it yet is we did not want to influence the Public Service Commission,” Kaimann said.
The proposed agreement addresses emergency scenarios and the responsibilities of the parties involved. Residents asked whether it includes air monitoring, firefighter access, specialized equipment, training, evacuation procedures and notification plans for schools, nursing homes and other facilities.
Geeding, speaking as an educator and school board member, compared the need for battery-emergency preparation to active-shooter training provided to school employees.
“That training exists because someone planned ahead,” Geeding said.
She asked who would decide whether schools and other facilities should evacuate or shelter in place during a battery emergency—and how those decisions would be communicated.
Kaimann said the emergency agreement has not been signed but described it as a plan developed through discussions involving Ameren, attorneys and emergency officials. He said he would consult the county’s attorney about whether the draft could be released for public review before it is finalized.
“From the start, this has been about the kids,” Geeding said.
Ameren representatives were present during the discussion and said construction on the Millcreek project is expected to begin early next year.
[FULL VIDEO — Lincoln County Commission Meeting, October 20, 2026]
Residents also continued pressing commissioners to schedule an evening meeting devoted to Millcreek.
Matt Beger said daytime commission meetings prevent many working residents and farmers from participating. He noted that Ameren representatives had attended consecutive Tuesday morning meetings and asked whether they would also attend an evening discussion.
The representatives said they were open to further discussion.
Commissioners explained that an evening meeting requires coordinating the schedules of all three commissioners and the employees needed to conduct and document the meeting.
Beger argued that residents were not necessarily asking commissioners to make an immediate decision during that meeting. He said they wanted an opportunity for people unavailable during regular working hours to be heard directly.
“It is for you to listen more than it is for you to talk,” Beger said.
Commissioners agreed to examine possible dates. Nov. 17 and Dec. 1 were suggested, but no date was formally selected Tuesday.
The exchanges occasionally became tense, but commissioners continued listening and responding as the Millcreek discussion extended well beyond the brief public-comment period.
That distinction matters. Commissioners did not grant every request, and residents remained openly dissatisfied with the county’s response. However, Kaimann, Mueller and Bass allowed the conversation to continue as residents questioned their decisions, challenged their explanations and asked for additional action.
Tuesday’s discussion also raised questions about a Public Service Commission notice sent before a June 12 deadline for intervention in the Millcreek case.
Residents said their requests for late intervention were denied because the deadline had passed. Geeding asked when Lincoln County received the notice, where it was forwarded and whether it had been posted publicly.
Commissioners could not provide the exact date during the meeting.
Geeding asked the county to establish a policy requiring future state notices involving Lincoln County projects to be posted publicly within 48 hours of receipt or placed on an upcoming meeting agenda. Kaimann said he would do his best to ensure that happens.
The commission’s remaining business included reports from the Highway Department, county project management and Lincoln County Economic Development.
Highway Department Director Robert Henebry said crews were completing approximately 60 miles of centerline striping and 37 miles of additional edge-line work. Crews were also replacing culverts, patching roads and preparing equipment and salt supplies for winter.
The commission approved purchasing a Ford F-350 for approximately $66,133 through a state contract. The truck will replace one previously totaled.
Henebry also reported unusually heavy traffic on Fred Norton Road during recent detour conditions. The road typically carries approximately 350 to 400 vehicles per day, but the department recorded roughly 27,000 vehicles during one week.
County project-management updates included plumbing repairs at the jail, efforts to obtain another bid for a boiler replacement and work at the courthouse and other county facilities.
Economic-development representatives reported positive feedback from the county’s recent job fair and said another event is being planned for spring. That event is expected to include late-afternoon or early-evening hours for residents who are already working.
Commissioners also recognized October as Manufacturing Month in Lincoln County. The proclamation highlighted local manufacturers’ contributions to employment, workforce development, supply chains and the county’s economy.
The meeting ended without a Millcreek moratorium, a signed emergency agreement or a confirmed date for an evening meeting.
It did, however, produce a clear commitment that planning and zoning will be submitted to Lincoln County voters in April—potentially giving residents the opportunity to decide how future industrial and commercial development should be handled.
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