Committee recommends text amendments for solar, wind and battery-storage ordinances; votes to send drafts to county board

The Iroquois County Tax Planning & Zoning Committee heard a detailed presentation from attorney Andy Pite (retained by the county state's attorney) on draft ordinances for commercial solar energy facilities, utility-scale wind farms and standalone battery-storage facilities. After questions, the committee voted in separate roll calls to recommend the county board apply for text amendments for each draft ordinance, a required step before zoning-board public hearings.

Pite outlined the text-amendment and conditional-use-permit process: the committee recommends a text amendment, the county board resolves to apply, the zoning administrator accepts applications, the zoning board of appeals holds a published public hearing, the zoning board makes a recommendation and the county board considers adoption. He emphasized that a recent Illinois state statute…