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Commissioners review model battery storage commitment as starting point for ordinance drafting
Summary
Commissioners examined an example developer commitment used in another county for battery energy storage systems and agreed it could inform local ordinance language on screening, setbacks and fire protection, but no ordinance was adopted.
Ripley County commissioners reviewed a model developer commitment related to battery energy storage systems that staff circulated (the example was forwarded by Jeff French and printed by Vicky). Commissioners emphasized that the document appears to be a developer-provided commitment — not a county ordinance — and could be used as a starting point for local regulations covering site plans, landscape screening and fire protection training.
Participants noted the document included a recorded commitment (appearing to date from 2022 in the example) and that parts of it read more like a developer offer of mitigation (screening, trees, landscape plans) than prescriptive ordinance language. Commissioners suggested staff or an interested volunteer (Tara volunteered but already has a full workload) could draft proposed ordinance language using the example as guidance.
No formal motion to adopt an ordinance was made. Commissioners asked staff to review the example and prepare draft ordinance language for future consideration.
