Commissioner seeks to rewrite wind farm rules
Staff writer
County commissioner Clarke Dirks asked Monday that the county instruct its Planning and Zoning Commission to rewrite nearly half of the county’s wind farm regulations.
He even shared with fellow county commissioners a draft in which he added or changed 2,294 of what would be 4,678 words in the wind farm rules.
Dirks, who asked for the topic to be added to an otherwise short agenda Monday, criticized current rules for focusing on “facilitating wind energy development of a commercial wind farm system.”
“It doesn’t say anything about protecting the citizens of Marion County,” he said. “I think it’s time that we put Marion County citizens first and start that process.”
Commissioners were wary.
“Don’t you think we need to contact Planning and Zoning’s lawyer and [director] Sharon [Omstead]’s people?” commissioner Dave Crofoot asked.
Chairman Jonah Gehring agreed.
“It’ll have to be kicked back and forth to make sure there aren’t any legal issues,” he said, “but you have to start a conversation somewhere. I’m not opposed to it.”
Dirks suggested that Planning and Zoning was wasting time and money looking only at five questions commissioners referred to it last fall, when inquiries by Orsted about expanding its Sunflower Wind operation into southwestern Marion County became a target of criticism among some county residents.
“We can change the direction so that we spend that money on a process that will provide something for the residents of Marion County,” he said.
Omstead, attending online, asked to jump in. She described what the Planning and Zoning Commission would be considering at a meeting Thursday.
“We do have the remainder of those five items ready,” she said. “We’ll be presenting those, and those will be brought back to the board of [county] commissioners. At that time, you can review them and decide what you would like of the planning commission to do moving forward.”
If amendments are desired, she said, Planning and Zoning would need to notify the public and schedule a hearing.
Among other things, Dirks’ changes would:
- Prohibit expansion of wind farm boundaries.
- Require setbacks of nearly half a mile from any non-participating residence or garage; nearly a quarter of a mile from any non-participating property, wetland, or stream corridor; and three miles from any city limits, parks, churches, schools, and cemeteries.
- Mandate from the start that lights on towers not blink unless aircraft are in the area.
- Impose specific standards for how land is to be restored when turbines are removed, forbid cutting of turbine blades on site, and require restoration and protection of native prairie on three acres off-site for each one acre lost on-site.
- Limit turbines to producing sounds no louder than those in a quiet office or library at any residence.
- Specify payment in lieu of taxes equivalent to half what would be owed if the wind farm were not tax exempt.
Commissioners took no action.
They also took no action on a proposal from Yvonne Cushenbery that Diamond Rd. in Logan Township, in the far northwest corner of the county, be paved from 330th Rd. four miles north to the county line.
The road is paved when it becomes Deer Rd. in Dickinson County.
“There’s no way to go north in Logan Township that is paved,” she said. “I know there was money for the roads up here, and we haven’t seen any benefit of it from the windmills.”
Enel Energy’s Diamond Vista wind farm annually contributes payments in lieu of taxes.
“We deserve something of the money that was designated for us,” Cushenbery said. “After all, we are the ones that have the wind farm in our area.
“Apparently it’s been spent on other things that have nothing to do with our roads. I would like to have some kind of accounting.”
She cited safety concerns caused by dust of semi-trailer trucks speeding along the road.
She also told commissioners she had tried to get her request on their agenda but was forced instead to mention it during public comment.
Commissioners also discussed a need for a large grill at an upcoming cookout for county employees.
Former commissioner Randy Dallke in the past arranged to borrow one from his employer, Atmos Energy.
Hamburger for the cookout will be provided, commissioner Mike Beneke said, by an anonymous donor.
In their one binding action of the day, commissioners adopted a proclamation written by Heather Murrow of SafeHope declaring April to be Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
They also met twice, for 15 minutes total, behind closed doors with county counsel Brad Jantz to discuss pending or possible litigation.