Roosevelt County commissioners authorize opioid settlement participation, approve intent-to-adopt environmental ordinances; Schneider Electric assessment motion
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Summary
The commission authorized participation in a national opioid settlement, approved intent-to-adopt ordinances restricting disposal of solar modules and wind turbine blades in county facilities, appointed the county tax protest board, but a motion to accept a Schneider Electric assessment failed after debate over cost, decommissioning and procurement implications.
Roosevelt County commissioners voted to participate in the remaining national opioid settlements and authorized the county manager to sign the necessary participation documents before the May 4 deadline. The motion to participate passed on a roll call and the commission delegated signature authority to the county manager.
The commission also took two procedural steps to begin local regulation of waste tied to renewable energy equipment: members voted to publish a notice of intent to adopt an ordinance prohibiting disposal of solar photovoltaic modules and certain rechargeable batteries at county solid-waste facilities, and separately approved a notice of intent to adopt an ordinance prohibiting disposal of wind turbine blades within Roosevelt County. Both measures were advanced for formal adoption procedures and publication of the required notices.
Commissioners approved appointments to the county tax protest board, reappointing two members and adding one new alternate; staff read the names and the motion passed.
A separate agenda item drew extended debate: a letter of interest from Schneider Electric offering a no-cost facilities assessment (HVAC, lighting, solar options) and possible fast-turnaround tax-credit opportunities. Supporters said an assessment could identify cost savings and potential state tax-credit opportunities for solar; opponents expressed concern about the potential multi-million-dollar scale of projects, long-term decommissioning liabilities, the solvency of private vendors and whether accepting the assessment could shortcut competitive procurement.
“I don't think we do” have the capacity to tie up multi-million-dollar projects for 25 years, one commissioner said while urging caution about the county’s ability to finance large-scale energy projects. Another commissioner said the county has already replaced much lighting and many HVAC units and that an independent assessment might still be useful for targeted updates. After discussion and a roll-call vote, the motion to authorize the assessment failed.
The meeting closed with the commission setting follow-up tasks for staff to secure vendor quotes, clarify procurement and engineering requirements for fairgrounds electrical work, and return with firm numbers at the next regular meeting.
