Edgar County commissioners set hearings on solar-and-battery ordinance after lengthy tax, decommissioning debate

Edgar County Board of Commissioners members scheduled a study session for the second Monday in November and a vote at the board's second November meeting on a proposed ordinance that would govern wind, solar and battery-energy-storage systems in the county.

The board's discussion focused on three recurring issues: how state requirements limit local authority, how solar-plus-storage projects will be valued and taxed, and whether decommissioning and other contract terms are negotiable. Board members said county staff and outside counsel will be asked to clarify each point at the upcoming hearing.

County staff reported the application under discussion includes a proposal of roughly 200 megawatts and that a slide in the developer's presentation showed approximately $23 million in projected local revenue over the life of the project; staff said one's arithmetic on paper produced an initial annual estimate on the order of $1,000,000, and the developer's materials illustrated a model that would yield roughly $500,000 per…