Eminent domain and property rights
Candidates for the Boone, Kenton and Campbell county commissions debated eminent domain — government taking private property for a public service — amid a Boone County sewer line dispute and concern that current law creates a loophole allowing takings connected to data center projects. Property rights are now a top-of-mind issue across the region.
When should government be allowed to take private property through eminent domain?
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Sources
https://www.wvxu.org/local-news/2026-09-23/data-centers-property-rights-transparency-nky-county-commissioner-candidates-debate-top-issues
Candidates also discussed current discourse over eminent domain and possible threats to property rights... In the case of data centers, that law provides a loophole.
Positions on this issue · liberal → conservative
- Make eminent domain easier to use so public projects and regional development aren't blocked by individual holdouts.
- Keep broad eminent domain authority for public works and economic development, with standard compensation.
- Preserve eminent domain but raise compensation and tighten the legal definition of public use.
- Limit eminent domain to traditional public works like roads and sewers, barring takings tied to private data centers.
- Effectively abolish eminent domain; government should buy property voluntarily on the open market.