By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Buchanan County continues to review proposed regulations of wind farms, with the possibility of having an ordinance ready by spring.
Presiding County Commissioner Lee Sawyer says several aspects of regulations need to be addressed even as the county attempts to determine how much tax revenue a wind farm might generate.
“We’re working on trying to get the calculations of what the property tax and what the actual revenue would be from the wind turbines, wind energy. That’s something that we don’t have good figures on yet, but we should fairly soon,” Sawyer tells Barry Birr, host of the KFEQ Hotline.
The County Commission is working with Kansas City engineering firm Black and Veatch on proposed regulations. Sawyer says the county planning and zoning commission will likely take a tour of NextEra Energy Resources’ wind farm near Osborn in Dekalb County. Then, a public hearing will be held before a final draft is rolled out, likely in spring.
“It’s a little bit of making the sausage right now, trying to figure everything out, but we feel that we’re heading in the right direction, but there’s still decisions to be made and there’s more information to gather to make a smart decision,” according to Sawyer.
Sawyer says the county wants regulations in place before a wind farm moves in.
“We don’t know for sure if anybody is interested in coming to Buchanan County. We know that there has been some interest, but we don’t know how interested,” Sawyer says. “It may be that there’s a better option for that organization or any organization. We just don’t know that, yet.”
Sawyer, though, acknowledges that representatives of NextEra Energy Resources attended a county planning and zoning commission meeting in January. He says the interest of the company might depend on what regulations Buchanan County adopts.