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Hampshire board adopts resolutions objecting to two proposed solar farms after public concern about staff letters
Summary
After public comment and debate over staff correspondence, the Hampshire Village Board voted to adopt resolutions formally objecting to two commercial solar farm proposals in the village planning area and instructed staff to coordinate with neighboring municipalities and county officials.
The Hampshire Village Board voted to adopt resolutions formally objecting to two proposed commercial solar farm projects in the village’s planning area, after trustees and public commenters raised concerns about how the village’s staff had handled earlier communications.
A resident who signed up to speak during public comment urged the board to take a collaborative approach with neighboring municipalities and said a staff letter to Kane County listing board members’ names had been sent before the board discussed or voted on any resolution. "In fact, this letter has already been sent with all of your names attached before you've even voted on the resolution before you tonight," the resident said, urging more open dialogue with surrounding communities.
Board members discussed the difference between a staff letter and a board resolution. Mayor (speaker 2) and Trustee Hedges (speaker 3) said staff routinely provides comment on development proposals within the village’s planning area, but that a board resolution carries added weight with county decision-makers. "What it does is it says that, look, our members, Village Board voted on this," Hedges said, describing a resolution as a way to show formal municipal opposition when projects are within or adjacent to the village planning area.
Trustees debated the timeline and process: some members said they did not recall authorizing staff to send letters bearing board names prior to a full board discussion, while staff described the letters as part of normal development-review practice. Board members said they intend to coordinate with nearby communities that have taken similar positions and to present the unified concerns to county and state officials.
The board then moved and voted to approve the resolutions objecting to the two solar-farm proposals and to direct staff to pursue a coordinated approach with neighboring municipalities and the county. The resolutions are nonbinding statements of opposition; trustees said they plan to use them as part of the record when testifying before county and committee hearings.
The board did not adopt any regulatory ban on solar development; trustees emphasized the resolutions are intended to influence county-level review of the specific proposals while preserving the village’s ability to support appropriate solar projects inside the village limits.
Next steps listed by trustees included attending county hearings, sharing materials with the village’s county representative, and bringing the full file to county committee hearings where the village plans to object in person.
