Board grants preliminary approval to development agreement for RWE wind project, subject to final terms

The Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors granted preliminary approval for a development agreement with RWE Clean Energy LLC on the Pottawattamie Wind Project after discussion and closed-session consultation with the county attorney. The action was described in the board minutes as a preliminary approval subject to final terms and conditions.

According to the minutes, county counsel presented a recommendation during closed session and the board acted on that recommendation in open session. The motion to grant preliminary approval was moved by Supervisor Jeff Jorgensen and seconded by Supervisor Susan Miller; the roll-call outcome on the motion was aye votes from Brian Shea, Susan Miller and Keith Jones, a nay vote from Tim Wichman, and Supervisor Jorgensen listed as absent for the final recorded roll call (the motion carried). The minutes record that final approval remains contingent on completion of the development agreement and any required follow-up steps.

The minutes do not include the full draft agreement text or project-specific terms such as decommissioning, road use, tax payments or community benefits. County staff had previously indicated the Board would review any final agreement and that implementation would require final board action.

The preliminary approval advances the county’s capacity to negotiate a development agreement with RWE but does not itself create binding contractual obligations for the county beyond the usual authorization to continue negotiation and return with final documents for board approval.

The record shows the board used its standard motion and roll-call procedures; the vote and contingencies are recorded in the minutes. Because the decision is preliminary, the county will bring final contract documents back to the board for a formal vote and written execution.