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County committee delays final vote on wind and solar ordinance, asks staff to monitor Coles County hearings
Summary
A county committee reviewed a draft wind-and-solar ordinance and agreed to monitor Coles County's ongoing hearings before finalizing fees, hearing procedures and committee assignments; staff were asked to report back to the board.
A committee of the Effingham County Board reviewed a draft ordinance regulating wind and solar projects and agreed to place the ordinance on the full board agenda while staff monitor a neighboring county's hearings and report back.
The committee said the most important issue is whether legal challenges to Coles County's ordinance — and the hearing officer decisions and any subsequent litigation — will reveal problems the county should anticipate and address before adopting its own rules. Committee members discussed application and permit fees, hearing procedures, and which board body should hear applications.
Committee member Chris said the county should "monitor what's going on" in Coles County to learn whether that county's ordinance withstands legal challenges and whether fees are adequate. A county staff person identified as Kelly told the committee that Coles County began with a wind application fee of $150,000 and that, after multiple hearings, staff there…
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