Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Solar Ordinance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mayor urges variance option for solar ordinance; councilmember’s nonprofit grant referred to attorney
Summary
Mayor Rok asked for edits to a draft solar ordinance to avoid wording that might conflict with the Wyoming Solar Rights Act and to add a variance for residents; she also referred Councilman Merrill’s planned nonprofit grant application to the town attorney to check for conflicts of interest.
Mayor Rok told the council at the May 28 work session that she was concerned the draft solar ordinance used the word “prohibited” for pole-mounted solar and that the wording could conflict with the Wyoming Solar Rights Act. She asked Clerk Herd to work with her on adding a variance provision for residents who cannot access roof-mounted solar options.
“...I was concerned with the use of the word ‘prohibited’ with regards to pole mounted solar given the provision of the Wyoming Solar Rights Act,” Mayor Rok said.
Separately, Councilman Merrill said she is forming a nonprofit and hopes to seek a grant to support the town’s tourism-and-trade (T&T) board and the local farmers’ market. Mayor Rok said she has referred Merrill’s grant application to the town attorney to ensure there are no conflicts of interest if a councilmember forms a nonprofit that would then receive town tax revenue for its operations.
The council did not take a formal vote on the ordinance at this work session; Mayor Rok said she would collaborate with Clerk Herd to prepare edits and a variance option for the next meeting’s materials. The attorney’s review of Merrill’s proposed nonprofit was described as a procedural step to confirm there are no conflicts before any grant is considered.
