Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Battery Storage topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Kenosha County board introduces first reading of temporary moratorium on battery energy storage after residents voice safety concerns
Summary
After public comment urging limits on battery storage near homes and schools, the Kenosha County Board introduced Ordinance 7, a first reading to impose a temporary moratorium on permits and zoning approvals for battery energy storage systems while officials update zoning to address health and safety concerns.
Kenosha County Board members on the dais introduced a first reading for Ordinance 7, a temporary moratorium on the issuance of building permits, conditional use permits and zoning approvals for battery energy storage systems while the county updates its zoning rules to address public health and safety concerns.
Why it matters: The moratorium came after residents and supervisors signaled worry about proposed large-scale battery facilities near historic town centers and dense neighborhoods. The proposal pauses new permitting while staff and committees draft a targeted zoning amendment.
At the meeting, Kathy Denkel, a Wheatland resident representing the volunteer group Defend Wheatland, told the board the community values its agricultural heritage and small businesses and warned that a battery facility "puts that safety in jeopardy." She thanked supervisors for a prior vote to resume a one-year moratorium on new permits and offered to help craft a stronger local ordinance.
The ordinance text introduced at first reading says the moratorium would pause consideration and issuance of permits related to battery energy storage systems pending enactment of an amended zoning ordinance intended to "protect the public health, safety, and welfare of Kenosha County residents." The item was presented by the Planning, Development and Extension Education Committee as a first reading; no final vote on the moratorium was recorded at the meeting.
Board members asked procedural and substantive questions during the meeting about next steps; supervisors will return the matter to committee for drafting and timeline work before a second reading and a formal vote. Community members who spoke said they are willing to participate in drafting language.
Next steps: Ordinance 7 was introduced for first reading; the county expects further committee work and at least one additional board reading before any moratorium would take effect.
