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Commissioners report talks with solar developers, brownfield sites under review
Summary
Delaware County commissioners said they have had recent discussions with multiple solar developers and are exploring use of brownfield properties in and near city limits; staff are working with the assessor’s office on tax-treatment questions.
Delaware County commissioners said on Aug. 4 they have been in talks with multiple renewable-energy developers about projects that could use brownfield properties in and near Muncie, and that county staff are working to clarify tax implications for land under and adjacent to proposed solar panels. The discussion came as the board took up a previously tabled solar moratorium item.
The commissioners described contacts with firms identified in public remarks as Hawthorne (the Albany project, near the drag strip), Geronimo Energy (formerly National Grid Renewables, referenced as the Rorton project) and Holocene Clean Energy. Commissioners said Holocene has shown particular interest in three brownfield parcels: the former Delco Battery site (county-controlled), the former BorgWarner site on State Road 32, and a property now in the Racer Trust that was previously a Chevrolet/Muncie site on Eighth Street.
Why it matters: reuse of brownfields for large solar arrays can bring investment into long-vacant industrial properties but raises county questions about property-tax treatment of land that is partly covered by panels and partly not. The board said clarifying tax assessments and revenue impacts is necessary before advancing policy changes or approvals.
Most important facts: commissioners said they have involved the assessor’s office to determine how properties would be taxed "on the land under panel and then on the land not under panel." The board said it had heard a presentation last week from Randolph County representatives about tax impacts and revenue effects of renewable projects, and that Holocene’s interest is “encouraging.” No vote or ordinance amending local policy was adopted at the meeting; the matter was discussed as the board considered removing a solar moratorium item from the table.
Discussion and next steps: commissioners asked staff to continue conversations with developers and with the assessor’s office to quantify tax scenarios. The board did not adopt any new rules at the Aug. 4 meeting; commissioners said further review and data will be required before any approvals or regulatory changes.
Context and constraints: speakers emphasized that tax-treatment questions and revenue estimates are key to determining whether proposals are viable for the county. Commissioner-level remarks referenced prior outreach by the League of Women Voters and noted ongoing interest from multiple developers but did not specify proposed project footprints, lease terms, or tax valuations.
Ending note: county staff — including the assessor’s office — will continue to work with developers to clarify tax and revenue questions; no formal approvals were recorded on Aug. 4.
