Effingham County tables solar ordinance and sends wind rules back to committee amid safety and fee concerns

Effingham County Board members delayed action on a proposed solar-energy ordinance and referred a wind-energy ordinance back to the legislative committee after extended discussion about safety provisions, decommissioning guarantees and application fees.

Board members voted to table the solar ordinance until the next full board meeting; the move followed a series of concerns raised by board member Norbert Sawedle and others. Sawedle urged the board to consider battery-specific rules, an on-site major disconnect for first responders, a higher perimeter fence and a prohibition on soil sterilants that could hamper future land reuse. He also urged the county to require full decommissioning funds up front rather than allowing them to accrue over a decade.

Sawedle told the board he believed a 6-foot fence “is probably a little bit short and I would prefer to see an 8 foot fence” and asked that the ordinance include a clause allowing a site to be declared abandoned after a prolonged production outage. He also noted that other counties have set higher per-megawatt application fees: “I think that $500 per megawatt is just too low. I noticed that Hamilton County has a $5,000 per megawatt.”

County staff and a board member who reviewed other counties’ policies said Effingham’s draft already set the building permit fee at $1,500 per megawatt (kept by the county) and set the application fee at $500 per megawatt; they also said the draft does not impose a fixed maximum on building-permit fees and that the county planned to hold applicants responsible for costs that exceed deposits. One official said the draft’s application fees are “reimbursable” to cover county expenses, while building permit fees remain with the county.

After that discussion, the board voted to refer the separate wind-energy ordinance back to the legislative committee so members and staff can address Sawedle’s concerns and any additional safeguards. The board also created a special wind-and-solar committee earlier in the meeting to hear applications and compliance matters; that committee—composed of members Mike Buzzard (chair-designate), Sandy Rich and Tim Ellis—was approved by the board and will convene when applications are received.

Board members said they preferred to refine the ordinances now rather than adopt rules that could require significant amendments later. The solar ordinance will return to the board agenda at the next meeting so members can consider language about battery-related risks, decommissioning timelines and fee structure.