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Rushford Village weighs Nature Conservancy purchase, PILT eligibility and schedules solar permit hearing
Summary
Councilors reviewed an impending 35.35-acre purchase by the Nature Conservancy and discussed potential impacts on local tax receipts and PILT eligibility; the council also listed new permits and set an Oct. 21 public hearing for an 11.4 kW rooftop solar permit.
Planning and zoning business dominated early discussion Sept. 16 as Administrator Jon Pettit listed several new permits and raised concerns about tax loss tied to conservation purchases.
Pettit reported that the Nature Conservancy will purchase 35.35 forested acres from Leon Quarve along Ridgeview Road. CEDA Regional Manager Laura Qualey told the council there is a statutory exemption (Minn. Stat. 477A.14, subd. 3C) that may apply to cities that were formerly townships, and that such an exemption could make the city eligible for Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) in some circumstances; Qualey said she could not confirm whether PILT payments would be retroactive to when payments stopped around 2018. Pettit also said Fillmore County received $540,294.20 in 2024 for 18,733.76 acres eligible for PILT and noted that the city does not currently receive PILT for state-owned land within its boundaries.
Pettit read a list of recent permit filings, including a 42x41x48 chicken coop, a four-season room, storm-damage roof and siding repairs, and an 11.4 kW roof-mounted solar array submitted by Ben Bernard for Indian Chapel Road. Because of its size, Pettit said the Bernard solar permit requires a public hearing; the council set that hearing for Oct. 21, 2025 at 6:45 p.m. (motion by Robert Hart, second by Rick Ruberg).
On a separate property matter, Pettit reported that Planning & Zoning did not favor a request by Evan Meier to install a block-type barrier in the road right-of-way; Attorney Joseph O’Koren advised the minutes reflect that nothing can be placed in the right-of-way. Meier did not attend the council meeting and no action was taken.
The council did not take a position during the meeting on the Nature Conservancy purchase; staff and CEDA offered to pursue statutory guidance and next steps for potential PILT eligibility.
Next steps: staff will pursue clarification on PILT eligibility and public notice and hearing procedures for the Bernard solar permit.
