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Resident accuses commissioners of negotiating renewables projects before ordinance completion; commissioners deny circumventing process
Summary
During public comment, Deb Greider accused commissioners of negotiating with developers (named RWE and EDP) before the APC finished ordinance work for wind and solar projects; commissioners said ordinances are incomplete and said they are incorporating APC recommendations into the economic development agreement.
During the public comment period, Deb Greider raised concerns that county officials had entered private negotiations with landowners and developers (RWE and EDP) about projects before the Area Planning Commission (APC) completed its ordinance work.
Greider asked whether the county had "circumvented the process by not allowing APC to do the proper steps" and questioned whether commissioners had gone into "private negotiations behind closed doors." She also noted the county had put a moratorium in place for certain projects (battery storage and data centers) and asked why similar measures had not been enacted for wind and solar while the ordinances remain in draft form.
Commissioners responded that the ordinances are not complete and said they were working to take APC recommendations and implement them into the economic development agreement in order to make the EDA "better than what it was." The presiding officer disputed the characterization that APC had been removed from the process and said the county had allowed the APC time to work on ordinances.
The exchange ended without a formal finding; the public comment and the commissioners' responses were recorded in the minutes for follow-up and possible future discussion.
Context: Greider referenced Lake Trowell decommissioning paperwork and asserted that negotiations with developers occurred while ordinances were still being drafted; commissioners said staff were reviewing paperwork and legal counsel would be involved as necessary.
