The Edgar County Board on Sept. 1 decided not to alter a minor language item in its draft solar ordinance dated June 11, 2025, and directed staff to schedule a study session to address outstanding battery energy storage issues.

County attorney and staff previously provided clarification on the solar ordinance language, and the board agreed informally to leave the current verbiage unchanged. Separately, board members raised concerns about provisions in the draft battery storage section that assign potential decommissioning responsibility to the landowner if set-aside funds are insufficient. Board members said that Edgar County’s IFB (invitation for bids) policy expects the project lessee — not the landowner — to assume decommissioning responsibility.

At the meeting, a board member described the county’s concern with the state’s Ag Mitigation timetable for decommissioning funds, noting that the state formula could require only 10% in the first year and reach 100% by the 11th year; the board member said that schedule was “not acceptable” and that the county should consider a stiffer schedule if permissible. The board did not adopt ordinance language changes at the meeting but asked county staff to arrange a half-hour study session with the county attorney (referred to as Andy in the meeting record) to iron out decommissioning setbacks, bond/financial-assurance language, and other differences before a public hearing.

Board members emphasized that a short preparatory session — similar to a half-hour discussion previously held — would help resolve issues ahead of the formal public hearing. The county attorney suggested the public hearing may draw multiple speakers and that the board might schedule separate ordinance hearings to accommodate extended public comment.

No formal vote to amend the ordinance language was recorded; the transcript shows an informal consensus to keep the verbiage as drafted pending further review in the study session. The board will set a public-hearing date and coordinate logistics (including outreach and required mailings) once the attorney and applicants provide finalized materials.