Grundy County board recommends updated solar and wind siting rules to Land Use amid public objections

Grundy County staff presented proposed text amendments to separate the county's combined solar and wind ordinance into two distinct ordinances and to incorporate state-mandated siting, safety and permitting standards for renewable-energy projects. The Zoning Board of Appeals voted to recommend the draft amendments to the Land Use Committee for review.

A county planning staff member said state legislation requires counties to update renewable-energy siting rules and gave the county until June 2026 to adopt revisions. The proposed changes require more complete applications up front — including final drainage and decommissioning plans, a recycling/reclamation plan and IEMA documentation — to prevent premature hearings and to better address agricultural and drainage impacts before the public process begins. Staff described mandatory preconstruction road baseline surveys, road-use agreements, stronger financial assurances for road repair and decommissioning, E911 emergency-communications studies, technical and environmental studies (sound, avian/wildlife, glare and shadow-flicker modeling, soil borings), and higher insurance and fee formulas to ensure developers bear financial responsibility for decommissioning.

Staff said the county translated state requirements into an ordinance intended to maximize local protections while remaining within state law, and that the draft was reviewed by the State's attorney and two outside law firms. The staff presentation noted the county would continue to refine the ordinances and accompanying fee schedules and checklists as legal and implementation issues arise.

Bob Kerner of Coal City told the board he submitted five written objections and argued the proposed solar amendments still contain serious deficiencies, including a lack of formal written findings of fact, incomplete application procedures, vague discretionary standards, inadequate drainage and watershed protections, missing objective soil-restoration standards, unresolved township and road-authority issues, incomplete decommissioning standards, and unclear administrative procedures for hearings and modifications. "These objections are intended to preserve both procedural and substantive issues concerning the proposed amendments and to ensure compliance with Illinois solar statutes, administrative law requirements and due process protections," Kerner said. Staff confirmed the written materials were received and would be added to the record for Land Use review.

Board members asked whether the changes would strengthen protections for roads and drainage and whether existing projects with road-use agreements would be affected; staff said applicability is project-specific, that some sites (including Buffalo Solar) already have road-use agreements, and that the new code includes baseline surveys and provisions to ensure mitigation and repairs where needed. Staff also said the county currently has a moratorium on battery energy storage systems and will bring a separate battery-energy-storage ordinance back to the board in October.

Following discussion, a motion to recommend the solar and wind ordinance amendments to the Land Use Committee passed on a roll-call vote, with the named members recorded as voting 'Yes' (Mark Hill; **** Joyce; Mark Sandino; Al; Berry). The recommendation will proceed to Land Use on May 27.

The draft ordinance increases upfront application requirements, technical and environmental studies, and financial protections for the county, but several public objections remain on the administrative record and will be reviewed by Land Use before final action.