Citizens showed up in droves to oppose an already-approved data center at a Maysville City Council meeting Monday night.

The atmosphere was tense, with nearly 100 citizens in attendance and direct questions at the mayor and council regarding the project.

Photo taken by William Daughtry

Repeatedly throughout the meeting, Presley or Ward 2 Councilmember Amanda Farley would be responding to citizens as the three-minute timer ran out and the police officer would say "time."

"You have sat there tonight and looked at that chief right there with that clock when everybody was up here putting you on the fire, and all you did was look at him to make sure the time was running out and didn't address the people standing in front of you," one citizen told Mayor Richard Presley. "That's not the way it's done."

Photo taken by William Daughtry

Presley got put under fire for the data center, land holdings in Jackson County, and a reported audit being conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

The mayor also told citizens an informational town hall with the Germany-based company heading the project, Northern Data Group. That meeting is tentatively scheduled for late July.

It is also important to note Northern Data has been in hot water over in Europe for tax incentive fraud.

"We're looking into all alternatives for it," Presley told Access North Georgia after the meeting. "I am listening to each individual ... we're waiting for some more reports."

Presley told one citizen at the meeting when the data center got approved there was not as much opposition to it and noted the tax incentives they would receive for it.

"When it was introduced to us several years ago, there was no anti data center..." Presley said.

"Because no one knew, right?" the citizen responded.

"It was a good way of financing the town," Presley continued before the officer yelled "time."

Photo taken by William Daughtry

Farley and Ward 4 Councilor Brodriche Jackson were the most skeptical of the data center. It was originally approved back in 2018 for two smaller data centers, but a major expansion was passed in January of 2025.

"When the expansion came up in 2025 of course, I voted 'no,'" Jackson told Access North Georgia after the meeting. "I may be a Ward 4 councilmember, but these are my people, and I love my people, and I want to make sure their water is clean to drink. I raised ... five children here ... I need them healthy, I need them healthy, and I need this water to be clean, because I want to be around a while."

Jackson also told residents during the meeting that he and Farley were in favor of a moratorium when they were elected, but it would have to be agreed on by the entire council.

Ward 3 Councilor Richard Parr was seemingly in favor of the project, telling one citizen if it was a perfect project and the citizens still did not want it, he would still fight for the project to be built.

"Mister Parr, your job representing this government is to represent your constituents, not what you think is or isn't good. That kind of consolidation of power is tyranny," the resident said.

Parr eventually said if it "proves not to be a good motion" he would vote against it.

Photo taken by William Daughtry

Residents voiced concerns over a lack of transparency.

"When I heard about the data center, I was heartbroken, because when I tried to find more information, there was no transparency whatsoever, no permits," one resident told the council.

Photo taken by William Daughtry

Carissa Dawn Martin, a concerned citizen who has been posting information about the project and attended the May 18 and May 28 informational hearings, also spoke to Presley about the project being roughly a half-mile from Maysville Elementary School.

"Mister Parr, Mister Presley, why did you approve data centers that close to our school?" Martin asked. "Have y'all done any studies on anything related to the data centers? Because we have not gotten anything."

Photo taken by William Daughtry

Most residents who spoke called for Presley to step down.

"We're not going to quit coming after you. You might as well step down. It's going to wear you out until you do. You are not doing your job," another resident told Presley.

A 25-year-old resident advocated for shifting the focus to a solution-based tackling of the issue.

"We got to figure out a way to turn this around now. Whether it was, 'we picked at the time,' I mean, obviously that doesn't matter now," the resident said. "We got to figure something out."

Photo taken by William Daughtry

No definitive date was agreed on for the town hall, although late July was tentatively agreed on. The next Maysville Council meeting is July 6 at 6 p.m.