In My Opinion - by Bob Ruth
August 1, 2026 — Bob Ruth
Grove City’s 16-member task force on data centers hit a major bump in the road during its first meeting: Its proceedings will not be video- or audio-taped.
The only record of meetings will be written minutes transcribed from notes jotted down by City Council Clerk Tami Kelly, the task force learned Wednesday (July 29). Kelly’s task force minutes are expected to be similar to those she produces from Council meetings. Such minutes are mere summaries of what is said during meetings. They represent only a small fraction of the actual discussions.
The lack of tape recordings comes as a blow to open-government advocates.
Video recordings are one of the most effective ways of ensuring officials are held accountable for their remarks. Without tape recordings, an official can blithely lie, exaggerate, utter questionable or outrageous statements, etc. and later deny saying them. In such cases, the public has no fool-proof way of determining the truth.
Case in point: At least one member of the audience believes remarks by two appointees of Mayor Ike Stage at Wednesday’s meeting were misleading. But the lack of recordings dramatically weakens her case against the two officials. There is no proof that they said what they said.
Also, video recordings help ensure written minutes accurately portray comments made at meetings. In addition, they allow anyone – including members themselves – who cannot attend a meeting to review the proceedings word-by-word. Even people who attend meetings can review recordings so they can more fully understand what was said. For some news media outlets, tape recordings are essential in compiling their news reports.
The task force was created by Council on June 1 as part of a one-year moratorium on data centers. The group is to study the many health, environmental, economic, technical and other issues surrounding data centers. The task force then is supposed to make recommendations on zoning legislation that might allow the construction of data centers. Existing zoning regulations do not permit such projects.
A hotly debated 310-acre data center proposed for Grove City led the Council to impose the temporary moratorium and create the task force.
The task force reportedly was told Wednesday that Council chambers, which are wired for video and audio, cannot be used for meetings because there is not enough room to seat all task force members together.
There are only 11 seats at the front of the chambers, one for each of the seven Council members, Clerk Kelly, Mayor Stage, Law Director Stephen J. Smith and City Administrator Charles Boso. Most of the seats are on a raised platform and each official is provided a microphone.
So, instead of meeting in Council chambers, the task force convened in a City Hall basement room where all its members could sit together. Unfortunately, the basement room is not wired for video, the task force was told.
In My Opinion is skeptical of these excuses – very skeptical.
Earlier this year, Stage’s administration signed a no-bid $72,000 contract with a Columbus public firm to persuade the public of the benefits of economic developments. The pr firm wrote that one of its main goals is to rebuild public trust in City Hall. Such trust had eroded in recent years, the pr firm noted.
In My Opinion has some news for Mayor Stage and the rest of City Hall. One of the best ways to rebuild the public’s trust is to tape record task force meetings. Failure to do so will continue to erode the public’s trust – not rebuild it.
In My Opinion is not an expert on communications systems. But this commentary does know one thing about such systems: Today’s communications technology is awesome. It is difficult to believe that a city with an annual operating budget of $60.7 million and a full-time Community Relations staff led by a veteran public relations expert, Pat Kindig, cannot find a way to tape record meetings, even for such a large task force.
If this proves too challenging for the supposed experts at City Hall, how about hiring a stenographer to compile word-for-word transcripts of meetings? Courts hire them. Why can’t City Hall?
The massive data center being proposed for Grove City is one of the most controversial issues ever considered by City Hall. The public deserves a detailed accounting of all official discussions on this issue.
Full Disclosure: In My Opinion foolishly did not attend the first task force meeting. Traditionally, such organizational sessions are boring affairs where a chairperson and vice chairperson are elected. Usually, little else is discussed. They normally last for 15 or so minutes. Sometimes they stretch to 30 minutes.
Wednesday’s meeting was different. It reportedly lasted 90 minutes and a variety of major issues were discussed. In My Opinion won’t make the same mistake twice. The author plans to attend the task force’s next meeting at 6 p.m. on Aug. 19.
And if any City Hall officials again attempt to mislead the task force, In My Opinion will publicly call them out – even if there are no tape recordings.
