Plan commission appoints ordinance committee to draft battery energy storage rules ahead of moratorium deadline

The Clinton County Area Plan Commission appointed an ordinance committee and discussed drafting an ordinance to regulate battery energy storage systems as a one‑year moratorium approaches.

Director Elizabeth (Liz) Stitzel said staff has a "menagerie" of typographical corrections and clarifications to push through this summer, but that the largest task will be an ordinance to regulate battery energy storage systems. She said the commission previously recommended a moratorium last fall and that one‑year moratorium was adopted by the county commissioners; staff wants a replacement ordinance in place before the moratorium lapses so the county has a regulatory framework for how such projects will be reviewed.

Stitzel said she reached out to county representatives about committee membership and that Commissioner Jordan Brewer indicated he was "fine with Kevin being on the committee" and would try to attend when possible. She proposed a three‑member ordinance committee drawn from the commission; the members selected were Dan Sheets, Kevin (member referenced), and Grant Moller. A motion to appoint the committee passed on a roll‑call vote recorded as 4–0 in favor.

Stitzel said ordinance committee meetings are public but not public hearings and are typically convened in daytime hours to draft language and put notebooks together for review. She indicated the ordinance committee may need to meet several times and that staff will prepare drafts for the committee and, as needed, forward recommendations to the plan commission and county commissioners for formal hearings and adoption.

No final ordinance language was adopted at the meeting; the committee was created to draft and vet ordinance amendments and to ensure the county has proposed rules in place before the moratorium expires.