|
Logan County extends Sugar Creek
Wind One project time, approves Enterprise Zone for Mulligan Solar
Project
Send a link to a friend
[January 25, 2021]
At the Regular Logan County Board meeting on Tuesday, January 19,
the board voted on several action items.
From the Planning and Zoning Committee, motions approved included:
During discussion of the Enterprise Zone request, board member
Cameron Halpin said he does not think solar farms should be allowed
into the Enterprise Zone. He does not feel solar farms fit in with
the intent of the Enterprise Zone because they would only add two
full time jobs, while things like warehousing would add more jobs.
In addition, Halpin said adding solar farms to the Enterprise Zone
would mean losing square mileage available for other potential
projects that might add more jobs.
For years, Blankenship said there have not been any applications for
the Enterprise Zone. Given the current economic climate and the
budget, Blankenship said it makes good economic sense for the county
to be business minded and business friendly.
The motion to add solar farms to the list of eligible projects for
the Enterprise Zone passed 8-3 with Halpin, Sanders and
Schaffenacker voting no.
An Ordinance to extend Enterprise Zone to add Mulligan Solar Project
was approved by 10-1 vote with Halpin voting no.
Hepler asked that the motion to retain Patrick Engineering to
perform a review of the Mulligan Solar Farm Decommissioning Plan be
sent back to the Planning and Zoning Committee for further
discussion.
At the board workshop, Hepler and Kyle Barry, the attorney who
represents Mulligan Solar, expressed concern about Patrick
Engineering’s bid of $10,500 to do the review. They said that cost
is more than the plan itself.
Taking the issue back to the Planning and Zoning Committee for more
discussion would allow the committee and Barry more time to sort
things out with Patrick Engineering.
Finance Committee update
Finance Chairman Steve Jenness initially brought forward a motion to
accept the Tax Anticipation Warrant bid from United Community Bank
for 1.99 percent for $1,000,000.
[to top of second column] |
Jenness then amended the main motion to accept a bid from INB
(formerly called Illinois National Bank) for .76 percent. Jenness
said at the Finance Committee meeting there was some
misunderstanding as to whether the rate from INB was fixed and
guaranteed. Later, Jenness found out their rate was fixed, and the
county received verification of that from the treasury department.
Both the amendment and the main motion as amended to accept the Tax
Anticipation Warrant bid from INB .76 percent for $1,000,000 passed
with a unanimous vote.
Other action items approved included:
-
Executive and Personnel Committee Chairman Scott Schaffenacker’s
motion to approve Memorandum of Understanding with Dynamic
Lifecycle Innovations as the vendor for electronics recycling.
The scheduled recycling collection date is still to be
announced.
-
Insurance/Legislative/Liquor Committee Chairman Annette Welch’s
motions to adopt both the Logan County School Choice Week
January 24-30 and the 2021 Regular Board Schedule (revise
December to 12/14/21).
-
The
re-appointments of Rebecca Langley to the ETSB Board and Sheriff
Mark Landers as Designee to the ETSB Board.
-
Halpin’s motion from the Road and Bridge Committee to award 2021
MFT contract for aggregate materials to lowest responsible
bidder.
The board also approved funding for a Life Skills Pilot Program for
Logan County Jail inmates in the amount of $2,500. You can see more
details of the program in the article:
Logan County to offer qualifying inmates general life skills
instruction
Board members present were Chairman Emily Davenport, Vice Chairman
Scott Schaffenacker, David Blankenship, Janet Estill, Cameron Halpin,
David Hepler, Steve Jenness, Keenan Leesman, Bob Sanders, Annette
Welch and Jim Wessbecher. Bob Farmer was absent.
The next Regular Board meeting will be held Tuesday, February 16 at
6 p.m. in the Orr Building.
[Angela Reiners]
|
