Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Renewables And Revenue topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee discusses county solar farm, carbon credits and other revenue options
Summary
Planning members and commenters discussed options to generate non‑tax revenue — including a proposed 20‑acre solar farm on county land, carbon-credit opportunities for forest owners, and value‑added forestry products — and urged including renewable-energy education in plan materials.
Members of the Ashland County Planning Committee discussed potential non‑tax revenue sources and how the comprehensive plan should reflect those options during the June 23 meeting.
A finance-committee idea to develop a 20‑acre solar farm on county-owned land along a new transmission line drew comments about its potential to raise revenue and use underutilized county property. "We have 20 acres of land on Farm Road... one of the ideas is to create a solar farm there... to raise revenue for the county," a committee member said when summarizing finance committee discussions.
Speakers also raised forestry-related revenue possibilities. Public commenter Megan Samintumas and committee members mentioned carbon-credit markets and value‑added forest products as options that could benefit both county-owned and private forest lands. One committee member proposed wording to "promote county forestry commodity and specialty value‑added products that heighten our regional identity," and others suggested including carbon credits where appropriate.
Committee members noted statutory and regulatory constraints: some large-scale energy projects (such as solar fields above certain capacities) are regulated by state agencies rather than counties, and the committee discussed developing guidance or a one‑page summary of county cultural values to inform prospective large commercial proposals.
Why it matters: Non-tax revenue can help counties expand services without raising levies. At the same time, large-scale projects can raise land‑use, environmental and procedural concerns and may involve state-level review.
Next steps: Committee members asked staff to fold renewable-energy education into the utilities section, consider forestry objectives that include carbon credits or value‑added products, and prepare action steps for future meetings. The committee scheduled further drafting sessions for July.
