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Residents press Blackford County commissioners over wind and solar projects
Summary
Several residents used the public-comment period to oppose wind turbines and solar arrays, raise transparency complaints about public records, and ask when a revised wind ordinance will be considered.
Dozens of residents used public comments at a Blackford County commissioners meeting to criticize proposed wind- and solar-energy projects, allege insufficient transparency on public records, and press officials for a timeline on a revised ordinance.
The speakers said large-scale energy projects would harm farmland, reduce property values and be imposed without adequate local input. “Please respond with full disclosure,” Ed Cancel told commissioners, asking whether public money had been or would be used for economic-development projects including wind farms and solar arrays. Several other residents repeated concerns about document access and minutes requests.
The comments came during the meeting’s public-comment period and touched on separate subjects: the county’s public-records response times, pending zoning and ordinance changes, and specific project siting near private homes. One resident who said his property sits about 150 yards from proposed turbine sites asked, “What’s my property value gonna be worth when they get this all done?” Another urged the county to place solar panels over parking lots rather than on farmland.
Commission staff and other meeting participants answered procedural questions about the ordinance schedule. A county official said a revised wind ordinance has been scheduled for a coming meeting and that the board will consider the text at that time; residents asked whether changes such as larger setbacks will be included.
Why it matters: speakers said the projects affect farmland, property owners and county character. Several urged commissioners to provide clearer, faster access to records and to ensure local residents’ concerns are considered before approvals.
Supporters of renewable projects did not speak during the recorded public-comment segment included in the transcript. The meeting record shows repeated calls for improved transparency on public records and for clearer notice when ordinances affecting land use are scheduled for decision.
