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Resident urges county to pursue solar and electric vehicle charging for jail property
Summary
A county resident suggested Franklin County apply for a state solar grant to power the county jail and proposed related ideas such as grazing sheep under solar arrays and adding EV charging stations; county staff clarified the county owns the jail property at 1804 Opportunity Avenue.
A member of the public urged Franklin County commissioners to pursue a state solar grant to install solar panels at the county jail, citing high monthly electricity costs and potential savings.
Valerie Jordan told commissioners that the July electric bill for the county jail was $22,335.60 and said electricity is a recurring monthly cost because the jail operates continuously. "This bill is consistent each month because electricity has to run at the jail 24 7, 360 65 days of the year," Jordan said. She urged the county to pursue a state grant to install solar at the jail, arguing the savings could be redirected to public services and employee pay.
Jordan also suggested combining solar with agricultural use, saying county jail property could be used for sheep grazing beneath solar panels and that the county could arrange a memorandum of agreement with a local farmer. She proposed adding electric vehicle charging stations at the high school and county administrative building as another energy-related measure.
A county staff member, identified in the meeting as Carrie, responded to Jordan's question about land ownership, stating that the county owns the land at 1804 Opportunity Avenue. The exchange clarified that county ownership would remove a potential external-approval barrier Jordan initially suspected existed.
Ending: Jordan said she planned to present the idea to the prison board at its next meeting on Sept. 9; county staff did not indicate whether a formal study or grant application would be pursued during the commissioners' meeting.
