Effingham County Commissioners confront the public for the first time. One apologizes

The Effingham County Board of Commissioners conducted its inaugural public meeting on August 29, 2026, to address the proposed OpenAI data center. This meeting occurred almost a year after the initial conversations about the project commenced last October. The session was marked by a tense atmosphere, with commissioners described as confronting members of the public present. During the meeting, one commissioner reportedly issued an apology.