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Supervisors weigh ordinance updates and proposed moratorium on solar development
Summary
County staff and supervisors discussed options to update Madison County ordinances, including using the current consultant or hiring a drafting firm and pursuing a legal review; Erin proposed an ordinance amendment to impose a moratorium on new solar development while updates proceed.
MADISON COUNTY
Supervisors debated how best to update Madison County's ordinance code and whether to temporarily halt new solar applications while revisions are drafted.
Erin, who advised the board on open-meetings and legal issues, said the county can use its consultant to draft ordinance changes but recommended a legal review to ensure the language would hold up in practice. She described the draft approach as either using the consultant to prepare full drafts followed by attorney review or hiring a separate drafting firm and then asking county attorneys to review the product.
On solar development, Erin told the board she would begin work on an ordinance amendment to impose a moratorium while the county updates its solar rules. "I think it's cleaner" to use an ordinance amendment rather than a simple resolution for a moratorium, she said, adding that the board could use a two-step process (an ordinance amendment to establish the moratorium, followed later by the ordinance update).
Supervisors discussed creating a focused task force and suggested a six-month timeline to complete core ordinance revisions; staff said public hearings and multiple readings would likely be required for any ordinance changes. The board directed staff to begin the ordinance amendment process and to return with drafts and options for legal review at a subsequent meeting.
No moratorium ordinance was adopted at the meeting; the discussion produced direction to draft amendments and pursue legal review.
