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Ogemaw County weighs moratorium, RFP for master plan and tighter local rules for renewable and data center projects
Summary
County planners presented a draft master-plan RFP and commissioners discussed drafting a moratorium or a compatible renewable energy ordinance to regain more local say over siting of large solar, battery and data-center projects; board directed attorney review and drafting of proposed language.
A county planner presented a draft request for proposals to update Ogemaw County's master plan and asked the board to approve a submission process that would include deliverables such as GIS data and a 4-week proposal window. The planner said he had adapted elements from several municipalities and would return a cleaned RFP to county staff for posting.
Why it matters: Commissioners said the master-plan update would give the county current policy tools and clearer cost estimates for any related zoning or infrastructure work. At the same time, several commissioners pressed for new local controls over large renewable-energy projects and data centers, saying those uses could change the county's rural and agricultural character.
Discussion: The planner described two paths: adopt a compatible renewable-energy ordinance (CREO) that preserves county permitting authority or pursue a moratorium to pause permitting while the county drafts permanent rules. He cautioned that a moratorium would require notice, a public hearing and likely attorney review and noted state law and potential litigation could constrain local action. Commissioners discussed tradeoffs, including state preemption under Public Act 233 and the need to avoid procedural errors that could invite legal challenge.
Commissioners asked for options to be drafted. One commissioner urged a six-month to one-year moratorium to allow the county time to review ongoing state and legal developments and to coordinate with townships that handle much zoning. The planner recommended including optional deliverables in the RFP (a —menu— approach) so the county could scale the work if bids priced out GIS or other technical components.
Next steps: The board directed staff to prepare draft moratorium/CREO language for attorney review and to finalize the master-plan RFP timeline and submission details. No final ordinance or moratorium was adopted at the meeting.
Quote: "A moratorium is basically saying, okay, we're going to pause, and we're going to look at this a little bit deeper," the planner said, urging careful legal vetting before action.
Ending: Staff will return with a revised RFP and draft moratorium or ordinance language after attorney review and further input from the planning commission and townships.
