Barry County establishes PACE program, requires board sign-off on projects
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Summary
Barry County commissioners unanimously adopted Resolution #2025-09 to create a Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program under 2010 PA 270, naming Lean & Green Michigan as administrator and adding a requirement that all PACE projects receive final approval from the Board. The decision followed a public hearing with both supporters and opponents.
The Barry County Board of Commissioners on March 25 adopted Resolution #2025-09 to establish a Property Assessed Clean Energy program under 2010 PA 270, a financing mechanism that allows property owners to fund energy, water and environmental-hazard improvements through property assessments, while explicitly barring the use of county funds or county credit. The board voted unanimously to approve the resolution after a public hearing.
Why it matters: PACE programs let property owners finance renewable-energy and efficiency projects repaid via assessments on the benefitted properties. Supporters say the program can lower upfront costs for private property upgrades; opponents raised concerns about taxpayer exposure and asked for further review before adoption.
What the board approved: The resolution approves the Barry County PACE Program Report as Exhibit A and names Lean & Green Michigan, LLC as a PACE administrator. The board added language to the motion, moved by Commissioner Bruce Campbell and supported by Commissioner Catherine Getty, specifying that “all projects shall come before the Board of Commissioners for final approval.” The motion passed on a roll-call vote with all eight commissioners voting aye (Bassett; Callton; Campbell; Getty; Hatfield; Jackson; Smelker; Teunessen).
Public reaction: During the hearing, Gary White of Castleton Township spoke against establishing the program, citing concerns about recreation-area costs to taxpayers. Shelly Lake of Irving Township urged the board to "table the Program vote until a later date" and asked whether matching funds had been identified for concurrent park grant applications. Nichole Lyke of the Barry County Economic Development Alliance and Greg Taylor of Copper Rock Construction and Development spoke in favor of the PACE program, arguing for its potential to facilitate local clean-energy projects. The hearing opened at 9:42 a.m. and concluded at 9:52 a.m.
Legal and administrative notes: The resolution references the PACE statute (Act No. 270, Public Acts of Michigan, 2010, as amended) and states that repayment is arranged between property owners and commercial lenders and secured by assessments on the benefited property so that no county money, general county tax revenue or county credit is pledged. The resolution authorizes the county to implement the program and to join with other units of government or private parties to operate the program, and it authorizes the County Board Chair or designee to execute necessary documents. It also permits amendment of program details by future Board resolutions without a new public hearing.
Next steps: With adoption of the resolution, the county may begin implementing the PACE framework and working with the named PACE administrator. The board’s added requirement that individual projects return for final board approval means individual project proposals will be considered in future meetings.