Several Will County board members used the state-update discussion to press for clearer authority and protections related to utility-scale solar projects, focusing on three recurring concerns: when developers buy farmland, how the land is maintained while permits proceed, and tax treatment of converted agricultural parcels.

Julie Berkowitz, a committee member, described cases where solar firms purchase A-1 (agricultural) land long before construction and the property sits idle and overgrown while permits and approvals proceed. "So they may purchase the property long before they have everything approved at the county to build the solar facility. So what happens is they do nothing with the land and it stays and it just grows into nothing but a pile of weeds," Berkowitz said. She suggested requiring developers who purchase agricultural parcels to maintain cover crops or similar measures until construction begins.

Legal limits on county regulation: Matt from Max Strategies cautioned that the Illinois General Assembly has limited counties' authority to block solar expansion and said the key question is whether that restriction applies at the moment a solar company buys land or only once the land is operating as a solar facility. "Does your ability to regulate get restricted only after the facility is up and operational as a solar facility? I guess that would be a ... question we can try and pursue," he said.

Tax and zoning concerns: Members argued that when solar developers buy farmland, the parcels often keep agricultural tax treatment even though their use will change, which shifts property-tax burdens to other taxpayers. Member Berkowitz said the county should explore whether legislators will allow a different tax or zoning classification for land converted to large-scale solar.

Next steps: Committee members asked staff and Max Strategies to research the scope of county authority under state law (including any statutory restrictions on pre-construction regulation), the tax implications of converting A-1 parcels to solar ownership, and possible maintenance requirements developers could be asked to follow while permits are pending. No formal action was taken at the meeting.