Will County panel reviews broad stormwater ordinance edits, flags solar-farm exemption and NFIP references

Will County officials spent the meeting’s main block reviewing proposed revisions to Chapter 55, the county’s stormwater management ordinance, and agreed to continue the item to the next month after questions about solar‑farm exemptions, federal references and terminology.

The committee’s staff presenter, Mark (staff member), walked the board through redlined changes to definitions and citations, saying the draft “adopts by reference what the federal government does” with respect to the National Flood Insurance Program and Code of Federal Regulations, title 44. That led members to ask whether future federal changes would automatically apply at the county level.

“Complying with the rules of the National Flood Insurance Program codified in the Code of Federal Regulations, title 44 — so automatically, we are adopting by reference what the federal government does,” Mark said. Committee chair Phil Pelkey confirmed the practical effect: the county would follow the CFR provisions until those federal rules were repealed or changed.

Why it matters: the change means county standards for flood mapping and minimum floodplain protections will track the federal rules unless the ordinance is further amended. Several members flagged that federal programs such as the NFIP periodically face short-term extensions in Congress and that those changes can affect local permitting.

Discussion highlights and technical points

- Solar‑farm exemption and the 25,000‑square‑foot threshold: Members raised repeated questions about language that treats certain solar arrays as…