Commissioners approve multiple wind and solar resolutions, but public urges pause over procedural gaps

Blackford County commissioners voted April 8 to approve a series of resolutions and related amendments tied to multiple wind and solar projects and to authorize inspection task orders, while members of the public urged the board to pause approvals until outstanding documentation and ordinance compliance issues are resolved.

County project staff described identical or similar road-use amendments for several energy developments, saying the changes will generally limit work hours to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., increase fines for off-agreement road use and add a “three strikes” enforcement mechanism that requires companies to repair roads they damage. The board moved to accept resolutions tied to Lake Trout Solar (Resolution 2026-01), RWE Prairie Creek (Resolution 2026-02), Leeward Wind (Resolution 2026-03) and an additional solar item (Resolution 2026-04) and approved the associated amendments; each motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

County staff also presented three SJCA task orders for construction inspection tied to the projects. Task Order 10 (Lake Trout Solar) was presented as a two-year inspection proposal not to exceed $173,342.22 split across years; Task Order 11 (Prairie Creek Wind) was presented as a two-year inspection agreement totaling $188,070.68; and Task Order 12 (a culvert replacement inspection for a community crossing grant project) was presented at $26,051.13. Commissioners moved to approve the task orders and recorded their approval.

During public comment, a resident asked the board to withhold issuance of any additional ILPs and to place a one-day moratorium on new solar approvals until attorneys resolve perceived discrepancies in project documents. A second public commenter urged the county to follow its ordinances precisely, arguing that skipping steps risks legal challenges, additional costs and uncertainty for all parties tied to the projects.

“The process is not clean and it was not followed correctly,” a public commenter said, arguing that letting approvals stand would expose the county and residents to future legal and financial risk. Another member of the public asked that missing application materials be addressed before projects proceed.

The board did not reverse the approved resolutions on April 8; commissioners approved the resolutions, the road-use amendments and the inspection task orders and indicated staff and counsel will continue follow-up work on outstanding documentation and project road lists. The board also said it will continue coordinating with SJCA and the developers to finalize the road upgrade lists and inspection scopes.

Provenance: topicintro SEG 295, topfinish SEG 456.