Ordinance committee reports progress on battery and solar zoning; members note unclear state legislation

The ordinance committee gave an update to the Marshall County Planning Commission on April 20, reporting progress on draft regulations for battery energy storage and expressing intent to next address solar rules.

Committee member Deb said the group met recently and "got made a lot of progress," noting the committee delayed setting a next meeting date until the new plan director could participate. She described battery energy storage as the committee's current focus and said portions of the battery rules can be adapted to solar regulation because the topics overlap in several places.

Commissioners discussed uncertainty stemming from recent state-level action. One commissioner summarized reporting from "downstate" that a bill referenced by participants (referred to in the meeting with the numbers "425" in the transcript) may preserve some local zoning authority for solar and batteries but could limit it in other ways. The commission said the precise effect will depend on final legislative language and further analysis.

Committee members identified drainage, stormwater, and site-specific review as areas that need clearer local standards in the draft ordinances. The committee plans to consult county staff for technical input on drainage and water-runoff language and to reconvene once the new plan director is on board.

Members emphasized the legislature may revisit limits on local zoning in future sessions; the committee intends to proceed on a parallel track of preparing local language while monitoring state developments. No formal action or ordinance vote occurred at the April 20 meeting.