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Board clarifies resolution and response to townships about transmission-line authority
Summary
Commissioners reviewed outreach from townships seeking to sign onto a county resolution about the transmission line and emphasized that counties and townships cannot ban utility lines but can regulate installation. Staff agreed to forward the county resolution and the PUC response for township use and recommended coordinated outreach through the township association.
Several townships contacted county commissioners seeking to "sign on" to a Houston County resolution concerning the proposed transmission line. Commissioners clarified that while the county can share its resolution language as a template, each township must adopt its own resolution and that state law limits local governments' authority to block a PUC‑approved transmission project.
As one commissioner read from staff materials, "counties and townships do not have the power to ban utility lines, but they do have legal authority to regulate how the installation occurs to protect local infrastructure and public safety." Staff agreed to forward both the county resolution and the PUC response to interested townships and recommended coordinating outreach through the township association rather than individual outreach. Commissioners also noted private groups may pursue legal action as a separate option, but county authority to prevent an approved PUC project is limited.
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