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County board debates supporting Town of Ringgold wind/solar ordinance edits as supervisors split over regulatory scope
Summary
Supervisors discussed a Town of Ringgold ordinance addressing wind and solar systems (Resolution 21‑25). Some supervisors urged support for the town’s health and safety approach while others said state Public Service Commission rules limit local authority; the board did not vote at this meeting.
The Marathon County Board of Supervisors discussed a Town of Ringgold zoning ordinance amendment addressing solar and wind energy systems (Resolution 21‑25), with supervisors split over whether the edits strengthen or weaken local protection for residents.
Supervisor Sandalski said he supports local townships’ authority to adopt health and safety ordinances but opposed the specific edits in the Ringgold draft, arguing the Public Service Commission’s (PSC) regulations the draft cites are outdated for modern turbine heights. “Current turbines being installed are from a range of 600 to 900 feet in height…Imagine having a 700‑foot turbine installed only 1,250 feet from your house,” Sandalski said, adding that he worried the draft weakens protections by changing some PSC provisions from “required” to “recommend.” Sandalski cited state statute 66.0401 when arguing for local health and safety protections.
Supervisor Langenhan (spelled in materials as Langenhan) urged the board to respect the Town of Ringgold’s choice and follow legal counsel’s advice about the limits of local regulation. He said local governments can regulate projects under 100 megawatts with broader latitude, while projects over that threshold must conform strictly to PSC rules (referred to in the meeting as PSC 128). “We had a dialogue with Ringgold; our corporation counsel worked with their attorneys, and they crafted this so that both the town of Ringgold and the county are confident in putting this ordinance in front of this board,” Langenhan said, and urged support when the matter comes up for a board vote.
Vice Chair Dickinson said the county should support the town’s decision but also suggested the county needs a broader conversation about large industrial renewable complexes. “I think we really need to consider as a county what on earth we are doing when it comes to large solar and wind industrial complexes in our county,” Dickinson said, calling for a countywide policy discussion separate from the Ringgold ordinance vote.
Corporation counsel clarified that the board would be voting on the ordinance as a whole (including the edits) rather than on edits separately; the transcript shows no final vote at this meeting and indicates the item was expected to be considered at the next board meeting.
No formal action or final vote on Resolution 21‑25 was recorded in the transcript.
