Public commenters debate PACE financing and Bailey Nature Preserve matching funds at Barry County meeting

At the Barry County Board of Commissioners meeting on March 25, 2025, public commenters urged caution about a proposed PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) financing program and objected to possible county matching funds for the Bailey Nature Preserve and a passport grant.

The discussion mattered because PACE financing is tied to property taxes and could remain with a property when sold, and the county would be required to provide matching funds if two grants are awarded. Gary White, who said he served as a village president, urged the county not to use taxpayer money to support a recently donated property. “The Bailey Nature Preserve can and should be fully funded by the estate, not the taxpayers,” White said, adding that last-minute agenda placement and reactive planning risked cost to taxpayers.

Loan originator Shelly (who identified herself as a loan originator with about 15 years of experience) told commissioners she has concerns about the PACE program’s structure and said it can resemble higher-risk lending. “It seems like it’s kind of a hard money loan… 100% financing, no skin in the game is really scary to me,” Shelly said, and noted that a PACE lien is attached to property and can transfer to a buyer rather than being paid off at sale. She also flagged two grant-match amounts discussed on the agenda: if the county accepts a grant tied to the Bailey Nature Preserve, the county would need to provide $177,000 in matching funds; a separate passport grant would require $151,500 in county matching funds.

Developer Greg Taylor of Copper Rock Construction and Development spoke in favor of PACE financing for a private project he is developing in Hastings. Taylor said his Riverview Lofts project — “135 apartment units plus about 10,000 square feet of commercial space, which will house the county food hub” — plans to use PACE to meet lender debt-coverage and equity requirements. “Our traditional lenders are embracing it and it is something that we’re voluntarily pursuing on this project,” Taylor said, adding that PACE would help finalize construction financing and speed the project.

The board moved on to other business after public comment; the written agenda was approved later in the meeting. The items raised during public comment did not produce a recorded vote during the public-comment period. Any formal actions on PACE program rules or the Bailey Nature Preserve matching funds would appear later on the agenda and were not resolved in the recorded comments.

The public comment period at the March 25 meeting included a range of views on whether county funds should underwrite new or newly acquired recreational properties and whether PACE financing is an appropriate tool for local development projects.