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Bond County Board approves reduced solar permit fee after public debate
Summary
After public comment and debate, the Bond County Board approved a $0.025 per-square-foot permit fee for solar farms larger than 100 acres, overturning a previous Zoning Board recommendation and passing on a 4–1 vote.
The Bond County Board on June 17 approved a reduced permit fee for large solar farms, adopting a $0.025 per-square-foot rate for acreage over 100 acres after a split vote. The motion to set the fee at $0.025 was made by Jacob Rayl and seconded by Wes Pourchot; the measure passed on a Roll Call vote of 4 ayes and 1 nay (Jeff Rehkemper).
The fee debate followed public comment from local residents and a developer representative. Resident Matt Goodson spoke against the installations, warning of "negative impact the solar farms will bring to the surrounding farming community and the economic impact they will have on the County." Charlie Mamlin of Ranger Power urged the Board to reconsider higher permit fees and told the Board the company "plan[s] to do nothing but better the County not take from it," saying projects would bring jobs and work to Bond County. Zoning Administrator Brad Criner dissented from the Zoning Board of Appeals recommendation and had proposed a substantially higher $0.25 per-square-foot rate; the ZBA had recommended $0.05 per-square foot (Resolution 06-17-25-01). The Board ultimately approved the $0.025 rate and recorded the decision for the centralized fee schedule.
