Since even before announcing my candidacy for Frederick County Council – District 1 in September, I’ve spent months listening to residents across our community. I will never be a one-issue candidate, because District 1 is not a one-issue community.
At a recent listening session I hosted, neighbors talked about:
- A new Brunswick High School
- Better access to mental health services
- Lower property taxes and relief for homeowners
- Paying teachers more & expanding programs offered to students
- Infrastructure that keeps up with growth
- Keeping Frederick collaborative and not divided like Washington
These are the issues families are focused on every day.
That said, I would be remiss if I didn’t address data centers, because it is an important issue in our district right now.
When the current County Council took office, data centers were already permitted on roughly 5,000 acres of industrial zoned land. In 2023, a data center moratorium in Frederick County was enacted and Bill 22-05 established initial regulations. After County Executive Jessica Fitzwater held a year-long Data Center Workgroup, the Council strengthened those rules through Bill 25-05, adding strict zoning limits, major setbacks (the largest of any permitted use), environmental protections, noise and air quality standards, and confining development to appropriate industrial areas.
Bill 25-09 then required an overlay zone, and after months of public input, the final map reduced eligible land to roughly 2,600 acres which is about half of what was previously available.
Water use is capped and regulated under our Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance, with limits on potable water and plans for reclaimed water use. Facilities cannot be approved without confirmed electrical capacity.
To date, Quantum Frederick has generated about $55 million for the county through property taxes and taxes on land sales and purchases, with about $12.5 million invested in agricultural preservation, protecting roughly 1,500 acres of farmland. At full buildout, the campus is projected to yield $215 million annually in real estate tax revenue. According to a recent report shared in the Frederick News-Post, “The project anticipates it will yield 5,600 full-time equivalent multiplier jobs in the county from 2036 onward. That does not include the 4,200 direct full-time equivalent jobs.”
That matters, especially because residents need relief in their bank accounts, and this is a significant way for the county to have the ability to control property taxes. With roughly 70% of our tax base currently residential, expanding our commercial base responsibly is one way to ease the burden on homeowners while still funding schools, public safety, and infrastructure.
I learned that one-third of our families are ALICE households, and more than 20% of our residents are seniors, many on fixed incomes. Our growing school system requires sustained investment. If we fail to identify responsible, sustainable revenue sources, it is working families, children, seniors, and homeowners who will feel it most.
You may agree or disagree — that’s democracy.
But Frederick deserves debate grounded in facts, not fear.
And finally, civility matters. I am saddened by the personal attacks directed at members of the County Council to those running in this race. Disagreement is healthy. Disrespect is not. Frederick is not Washington, D.C., and we should not allow our local politics to become this way.
I will continue to listen.
I will continue to lead thoughtfully.
And I will continue focusing on the full range of issues that matter to District 1 — not just one headline.
Jenn Alcorn
Candidate, Frederick County Council – District 1