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Council discusses voluntary annexation to expand Keystone community solar project
Summary
City staff and project contacts told the Sept. 9 committee the Keystone community solar developer is seeking voluntary annexation of farmland so the city can include the expansion in its jurisdiction and collect applicable tax dollars; staff tentatively set paperwork and required notices to support an Oct. 6 vote if parcels are finalized.
At the Sept. 9 committee of the whole meeting, city staff and project contacts outlined a proposed voluntary annexation of farmland to expand the Keystone community solar project. The council directed staff to prepare paperwork and send required notices so the annexation could be considered at the Oct. 6 voting meeting if the parcels are finalized.
City staff said Keystone plans to lease, not buy, adjacent farmland for a solar expansion that would add to the community solar farm already under construction. A staff member explained that because the project is intended to serve City of Lincoln constituents, the land must be inside the city limits. The property owner has indicated willingness to seek annexation.
Staff noted statutory notice requirements for voluntary annexations: certified letters must be sent to the fire protection district, township and library district 10 days before the meeting at which annexation would be considered. The earliest practical council date to hear the annexation, given those notice timelines, would be Oct. 6, staff said.
City and project contacts discussed several site details. One parcel contains a gas line that must be considered when selecting specific acreage for annexation. A council member said GIS mapping shows one parcel at roughly 68 gross acres but that project representatives have mentioned an additional 20 acres for panels; staff said they would confirm which parcels Keystone intends to lease and which parcels would be petitioned for annexation.
Councilmember contact for Keystone expansion said Kent Cross and his farm have been contacted and are agreeable to leasing. The contact also said the expansion would allow the city to receive applicable tax dollars while the landowner receives lease payments.
Councilmembers did not vote on annexation at the committee meeting but asked staff to prepare the petition, send the required notices and return with finalized parcel descriptions so the council can consider a vote at the Oct. 6 meeting, if timelines allow.
