Kane County staff seek longer review and municipal-plan protections in state solar/wind rule changes

Jody Wallnick, director of Environmental and Water Resources, told the committee Jan. 22 that the county had received final comments from the Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACO) on proposed changes to the state wind and solar statute and that staff proposed language to address local concerns.

Staff said ISACO and county discussions focus partly on the AIMA — described in the meeting as the farm-preservation plan submitted with each solar facility — and that many counties believe a 60-day review period is insufficient to examine the AIMA fully. Kane County proposed lengthening that review window to allow more thorough county evaluation.

Wallnick said the county also worked with Mark Van Kerkhoff’s office to craft language that would let counties consider a municipality’s adopted comprehensive plan and recent infrastructure investments (roads, sewer, water, storm sewer) as grounds for denying a solar permit where those investments show the property is intended for commercial or residential development. Staff said they had shared the suggested language with local board members and would forward it to ISACO and the committee as those statewide revisions are formalized.

Committee members asked for the proposed language to be distributed; Wallnick said she would email the materials to the committee. No formal county-level ordinance or resolution was reported during the Jan. 22 meeting; staff described this as input to the state filing process and said ISACO would be the body filing amendments.