Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Local Solar Ordinance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Queen Anne’s County introduces emergency solar ordinance, amends compensatory contribution to 75% of fair market value
Summary
Queen Anne's County commissioners introduced emergency Ordinance 25-10 on July 22 to translate recent state solar siting changes into local code; the board amended the compensatory preservation contribution to 75% of fair-market value and scheduled a public hearing for Aug. 12, 2025.
The Queen Anne's County Commissioners introduced emergency Ordinance 25-10 on July 22, 2025, a local response to recent state solar siting legislation. The board adopted an amendment aligning the ordinance’s compensatory preservation contribution with the methodology established in state law and clarified its purpose statement; a public hearing was scheduled for Aug. 12, 2025.
County planning staff (identified in the meeting as “Amy”) told the commission that the draft ordinance translates state-level solar siting changes into local code and that the Planning Commission recommended several updates. The staff amendment amended the formula for the compensatory preservation contribution: rather than the draft’s 50% figure, the contribution will be set at 75% of fair-market value “in accordance with §2-511(e) of the Annotated Code of Maryland (Agriculture Article),” and the amendment also removed an extra word in the purpose statement so standards apply to “solar energy generating stations” within the priority preservation area.
A commissioner moved to amend the ordinance as described and the motion was adopted by voice vote. The board then introduced the ordinance as amended for public hearing; because the ordinance was introduced as emergency legislation, adoption will require a supermajority (four of five) at the subsequent vote if the board elects to act after the hearing.
Planning staff and the commission noted the underlying state law is complex and that the local ordinance attempts to implement state requirements while preserving as much local discretion as the law allows. Commissioners remarked that the state bill left a “mixed bag” of authorities and that further legislative cleanup at Annapolis is likely.
The public hearing on Ordinance 25-10 was scheduled for Aug. 12, 2025. The record of the meeting does not show a final adoption vote; only the introduction and amendment occurred on July 22.
