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Council debates ground-mounted solar rules, refers ordinance and committee plan to next agenda
Summary
Lincoln aldermen spent over an hour debating a proposed ordinance that would require plans and approvals for ground-mounted solar arrays. Council agreed to place a revised ordinance on the regular agenda and to form a committee to develop technical standards and recommendations for both residential and commercial ground-mounted systems.
A prolonged debate over ground-mounted solar regulations ended with the council agreeing to place a revised ordinance on the regular agenda and to form a committee to draft technical standards for residential and commercial installations.
The discussion matters because city officials and residents are weighing how to allow renewable energy while limiting visual impacts, safety concerns and ad hoc installations near homes. Council members disagreed on whether every ground-mounted application should come before the full council or be reviewed administratively or by an advisory committee.
Alderman Bateman said he opposed routing every application to the council, arguing staff should have authority. “No. I I don't agree with it at all. Why I feel like it's gonna be why we have to be in control of all of this. We pay Wes. This is his job is to do these kinds of things,” he said, referring to a staff reviewer named Wes. Alderman Sanders pushed the opposite approach: “Put rules in place...we don't need them to come to the city council for approval. That's Wes' job,” Sanders said, urging precise standards in the code rather than vague language.
Council members and staff described competing goals: give staff authority to approve routine or small arrays while retaining council review for large or novel projects that could affect nearby residences. Several members cited the bank property on Fourth Street as an example of commercial panels visible from neighboring homes; councilors said the proposed draft sets a 12-foot maximum height for panels in commercial zones and 6 feet in residential zones, with the fence height tied to the tallest point of the array.
Councilors repeatedly asked for clarity on height limits and fence rules. “Yeah. It says 12 feet in the code,” one council member observed during debate. Others suggested a committee of council members, staff and a citizen representative should develop consistent, unambiguous standards — for example, a single maximum height figure — so applicants cannot exploit ambiguous wording.
Mayor and other council members asked staff to revise Mr. Woodhall's draft language to reference a committee process. City staff said the committee would review both commercial and residential ground-mounted solar and forward a recommendation to the council. The council voted to place the ordinance on the regular agenda for next week, contingent on edits that explicitly create the advisory review committee and clarify height and fencing standards.
The action preserves council oversight while creating an advisory review process intended to establish predictable technical rules for future applications. The council did not adopt final numeric standards during the meeting; members asked the committee and staff to firm up recommendations and report back so the ordinance can be finalized.
The ordinance and the committee plan will return to the council on the regular agenda for formal consideration.
