Livingston County board approves 18‑month extensions for two solar projects after engineering delays

The Livingston County Board on Thursday approved 18‑month extensions for two solar‑farm projects, citing delays in the county engineering review process.

Mike Hague, chair of the county’s Ag & Zoning Committee, told the board both projects — recorded in the meeting as SUDash8Dash22 (BroadLightSolar) and SU‑2‑22 (Blue Stem Solar) — asked for the extensions because the county’s contractor, ESI, had a slow turnaround on required engineering reviews. "They're not getting completed in a timely manner, which is causing these people to not be able to meet their deadline," Hague said, adding the delay was primarily on the county’s review side.

Hague moved to approve the extensions and Ritter seconded. During discussion a board member asked how long the applications had been under review; Hague said the materials had been with ESI since May and staff are pursuing other firms to speed future reviews. The board conducted a roll‑call vote; the record shows at least two members voting no (Maize and Lacard) while a majority voted yes, and the chair declared the motion passed.

The extensions leave the projects in place on the county’s docket for another 18 months while engineering sign‑offs are completed. No permit approvals or substantive project changes were recorded in the public discussion; the committee framed the action as a timing accommodation tied to the county’s review capacity.

The next procedural step for these projects is continued engineering review and eventual return to the committee for final permitting decisions, according to comments during the meeting.