Iroquois County Board adopts commercial wind-energy siting ordinance, approves hearing-officer retainer

Iroquois County Board members on Jan. 14 approved a commercial wind-energy facility siting ordinance and authorized a retainer agreement to hire a hearing officer for related public hearings; the county said applicants will pay the hearing costs.

The action came after committee review of both wind and renewable-energy provisions and distribution of a solar ordinance checklist. Committee member Kathleen Ferguson moved the recommendation to adopt the wind-energy siting ordinance; the motion was seconded by McGinnis and passed by roll call.

The ordinance establishes local review procedures for commercial-scale wind projects and allows the county to hire a hearing facilitator to conduct required public hearings. Committee materials included a draft “solar ordinance checklist,” copies of a decommissioning plan for review, and suggested edits to rename a solar-related fund to “renewable energy fund.” The board also approved a retainer agreement for a hearing officer; funding for those hearing services was explicitly noted to be paid by the applicant rather than the county.

Board members and planning staff said revisions will continue as future applications are received and that the ordinance creates a framework for the county’s review and the public-hearing timeline. The county planning staff circulated a checklist and recommended public-notice procedures to accompany the ordinance.

Next steps include publishing the adopted ordinance and scheduling any required public hearings on specific project applications; the hearing-officer retainer establishes the county’s ability to hire an independent facilitator when required by a development application.