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Commissioners adopt UDO amendment and higher commercial solar fees; fee schedule corrected
Summary
Pulaski County Commissioners approved an amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance and adopted higher commercial solar fees that include a $15,000 base application fee plus $1,000 per megawatt, a 10% surcharge and a one‑time $10,000 agreement development fee to the general fund.
Pulaski County Commissioners voted to adopt language changes to the Unified Development Ordinance and to raise commercial solar fees after attorneys and planning staff recommended the adjustments as comparable to surrounding counties.
County Attorney Jacob reviewed the proposed fee structure. He said the recommended package keeps a $15,000 base application fee but adds $1,000 per megawatt per project unit, a 10% surcharge on total service costs, and a one‑time $10,000 agreement development fee payable to the Pulaski County General Fund to offset administrative expenses. Jacob told the board his review found the proposed fees comparable to neighboring counties such as Jasper and White counties.
Commissioners asked about where staff who process applications are paid from; Jacob said the county can transfer funds from the general fund to department accounts by motion in a public meeting and that the county’s State Board of Accounts would expect clear documentation for such transfers. The proposed fee language would allow the county to recover administrative costs while leaving staffing and payment paths subject to normal fund management rules.
The board approved the commercial solar fee adjustments as presented at the Planning Commission meeting (recorded as Resolution 2025‑8 on the agenda) by unanimous voice vote. Commissioners then reviewed a related fee‑schedule numbering discrepancy and approved a corrected fee schedule (recorded as Resolution 2025‑5 in the minutes). Separately, the board approved an amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance as Pulaski County Ordinance 2025‑3 following counsel review; that measure also passed on a unanimous voice vote.
The changes move the county’s UDO and fee schedule forward; as adopted, the fee language and UDO amendments will be published with their ordinance/resolution numbers and administered by the building and planning staff. Commissioners and counsel emphasized that state statutory duties (for example, any findings the Board of Zoning Appeals must make by statute) are not superseded by the UDO changes, and that the building inspector will be a day‑to‑day point of contact while statutory processes remain intact.
No additional public hearing on the adopted language was required at the meeting; counsel said statutory notice requirements have been observed for the steps taken to date.
