Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge clarity and safety safeguards for large‑scale solar proposals
Summary
Public commenters and commissioners raised questions about commercial‑scale solar agreements, the advisory committee’s scope and emergency‑response preparedness; a longer public comment urged hearings and clear decommissioning, setback and bonding rules before the county adopts recommendations.
Several members of the public urged the Bourbon County Commission to clarify the scope and process of an advisory committee studying commercial‑scale solar projects and to require stronger public hearings and safety plans before the county acts on developer agreements.
David Birbauer (public commenter) delivered a detailed statement that traced the policy history: an agreement with a solar developer signed by a previous commission last November, subsequent landowner concerns, a moratorium on new agreements, and the creation of an advisory committee to study setbacks and related issues. Birbauer asked whether the committee’s scope was limited to setbacks or covered other issues, and recommended public hearings, written submissions, and inclusion of local fire and environmental agencies in any deliberations. He also cited statutory authority for conditional use (recorded in the meeting as KSA 19‑2960) and said decisions should be unbiased and evidence‑based.
Other public commenters discussed economic projections for large projects and offered competing views about tax and job benefits; one commenter summarized a Pittsburgh project’s estimated $400 million value and multi‑million annual property‑tax projections. On the commission side, one commissioner asked for a moratorium on construction until fire‑safety plans and firefighter training are in place; other commissioners said solar proponents have offered training sessions for local fire departments and that developers have locally based experts available for emergency planning.
No formal action to change policy on solar siting was taken at the meeting; commissioners asked staff and the advisory committee to provide clarifying information and suggested organizing public hearings with clear scope.
