Logan County Briefs:
November ballot initiative to make county a second amendment sanctuary
Solar Farms and Gardens Ordinance 

 

[August 13, 2018] 

LINCOLN 

During the Logan County Board's Regular meeting in July several matters were voted on, one regarding a citizen’s right to bear arms and another on future alternative energy sources.

County citizens to vote in November on state gun law

Executive and Personnel Committee Chairperson Emily Davenport brought forward four motions, one on the position of the county regarding State gun law.

Board members discussed language for an Advisory Referendum to be placed on the November 6th, 2018, General Election ballot for a Firearms Sanctuary Resolution.

Blankenship asked whether it should be a resolution or whether we should just say we are a sanctuary county for the second amendment. He said that the Effingham County resolution they were using as a guideline is “cumbersome and lengthy.”

Ruben said it is basically saying we are a sanctuary for the second amendment.

Turner read the question that will be on the ballot. It asks, “Shall Logan County become a sanctuary county for all firearms unconstitutionally prohibited by the government of the State of Illinois in that Logan County will prohibit its employees from enforcing the constitutional actions of the state government.”

Bateman said Effingham County throws in four words, “not for undocumented immigrants.” Bateman amended the question to add “for everyone except undocumented immigrants” to the resolution.

The amended question asks, “Shall Logan County become a sanctuary county for all firearms unconstitutionally prohibited by the government of the State of Illinois for everyone except undocumented immigrants in that Logan County will prohibit its employees from enforcing the constitutional actions of the state government.”

The board unanimously approved both the amendment and main motion as amended.

Solar Ordinance

The board unanimously approved Planning and Zoning Committee Chairman Scott Schaffenacker’s motion to amend the Zoning Ordinance by adding in appendix F for Solar Farms and Gardens.

The Planning and Zoning Committee has been working on developing a solar ordinance for the county for several months. At the May board meeting, board members voted to send the Solar Ordinance back to the Planning and Zoning Committee for more discussion and modification.

The ordinance now has definitions for both a solar farm and a solar garden.

A 'Solar Farm' is “a commercial facility that converts sunlight into electricity, whether by photovoltaics (PV), concentrating solar thermal devices (CST), or other conversion technology, for the primary purpose of wholesale sales of generated electricity. A solar farm is the principal land use for the parcel on which it is located. A farm is a project that produces more than 2 Megawatts.”

A 'Solar Garden' is “a commercial solar-electric (photovoltaic) array that provides retail electric power (or a financial proxy for retail power) to multiple households or businesses residing in or located off-site from the location of the solar energy system. A garden is a project that produces no more than 2 MW.”

In a comparison to other counties, Logan County Zoning Officer Will D’Andrea said, “All of the other county ordinances defined solar gardens with a maximum acreage (5 ac). After further research, I discovered that the output (megawatt) and not acreage was what defined a solar garden from a farm, so we are going with the megawatts.” He said, “the issue for the County was that the proposed garden at the airport would be approximately 15-20 acres, and so the originally proposed definition of a solar garden (five-acre max) would not work.”

D’Andrea said the zoning issue is that the area the garden is being contemplated at the airport is zoned Special District. The umbrella question is in which zones is the county going to allow gardens and farms, and by what process. A special use is potentially allowed in all zoning districts after going through a public hearing process, which follows the conditional use process. Alternatively, the county would have to decide which individual zones to list solar as a conditional use (to require public hearings).

Schaffenacker also made a motion to set fees related to appendix F of the zoning ordinance at $12 per rated kilowatt.

Dave Blankenship amended the motion to $14 per rated kilowatt.

Bateman said $12 is “low-balling ourselves.”

David Hepler asked D’Andrea about the usual and customary amount.

D’Andrea said he gave the Planning and Zoning Committee a list showing a range of fees in surrounding counties, so none are customary.

The board unanimously approved both the amendment and main motion as amended.

The board unanimously approved both the amendment and main motion as amended.

The board also unanimously approved motions:

- to appoint Chief Deputy County Clerk Theresa Moore as the County’s Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator;

- to approve the Logan County Fraud and Corruption Policy;

- and to approve a Capital Fund Program grant for the Logan County Housing Authority.

The Board unanimously approved two other motions from the Finance Committee:

Finance matters

A motion to approve an ordinance authorizing Logan County to borrow money for the Health Department. A resolution was approved last month, but State’s Attorney Jonathan Wright said it needed to be written as an ordinance, too.

A motion to declare the GIS laptop and cell phone as surplus items.

Building and Grounds Committee update

The Board unanimously approved Building and Grounds Chairman Kevin Bateman’s motion to accept a 3.88 percent increase in KONE Maintenance Contract for the Logan County Courthouse elevator.

Bateman said the increase of 3.88 percent is big, but it is necessary due to the age of the elevator.

Insurance, Legislative, and Liquor Committee update

The board unanimously approved Insurance, Legislative, and Liquor Committee Chairperson Annette Welch’s motion to accept Cyber Insurance through CIRMA for an annual cost of $4,435 (including tax) with a current cost of $2,218 (including tax) for the remainder of our policy year.

Welch said the policy is to pay fifty percent of the amount for the six-month period.

Welch said county employees have been sent a survey to fill out that will help with future insurance decisions.

The next Regular Board meeting will be held Tuesday, August 21, 2018 at 7 p.m. in the Logan County Courthouse.

[Angela Reiners]