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Residents press commissioners for wider wind-turbine setbacks and question developer negotiations
Summary
Blackford County commissioners heard extended public comment urging larger setbacks, citing health and property-value concerns, and faced questions about whether commissioners authorized developers to negotiate agreements before a revised ordinance is adopted.
Blackford County commissioners heard more than an hour of public comment urging stricter rules on industrial wind turbines, with residents telling the board that current setbacks and draft ordinance language put health, safety and property values at risk.
The speakers urged the board to adopt setbacks that would keep turbines farther from homes, called for a pause on phase‑2 negotiations with developers until the county can evaluate phase‑1 impacts, and demanded public records related to developer agreements be made available.
Why it matters: Residents said the county is deciding where very large turbines will be sited in places where people intend to retire and live long-term. Speakers cited health symptoms they attribute to turbines, potential declines in property values and safety concerns such as ice throw.
Paula Shorten, a resident, told commissioners, “You are putting money ahead of health, safety, and welfare of the people.”…
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