Putnam County Commissioners turn back solar farm rezone request

With a change of heart and a thunderous round of applause, the Putnam County Commissioners voted 2-1 against a rezone request that would have paved the way for EnergyRe to bring a 2,000-plus acre solar farm to the Cloverdale area. 

After three and a half hours of questions and answers and testimony from the petitioner, a pair of attorneys and a real estate expert, Commissioner Tom Helmer, who represents the area the solar farm would have gone into, took over the microphone and uttered six words that brought forth a round of applause.

"You guys changed my mind tonight," Helmer stated. 

Following applause, Helmer confirmed he was going to vote no.

"I make a motion to deny," Helmer said.

The motion was seconded by commissioner Andy Beck, and while those two voted in favor of denying the request, commissioner Rick Woodall voted in favor of the rezone request.

"I'm voting against them," Woodall said, as a chorus of boos rang out.

Beck said there were too many unknowns surrounding the request and added it was his opinion that it would be "bad to go against the Plan Commission and the UDO." 

"Those of us running in 2024 said we were against solar," Beck said. 

Lisa Zeiner, Plan and Building Director, told those in attendance that EnergyRe can file another petition within a year or significantly reduce the acreage of the project and submit another petition in three to six months. 

"Maybe they can get it worked out. Maybe if they can take it down to a thousand acres. In excess of 2,000 acres is a lot of farmland. What the ladies said tonight and the court cases changed my mind. I don't think EnergyRe was ready to give us the answers we needed," Helmer told The Putnam County Post after the meeting. 

EnergyRe was looking to bring a 300 megawatt 4Leaf Solar Project to Putnam County and locate it between Cloverdale and Jefferson townships. The Plan Commission denied the request last month by a vote of 5-0-1. 

Paul Cummings, Senior Vice President of EnergyRe, kicked off the meeting by telling those gathered the scope of the project had changed, as the total acreage dropped from 2,631 acres to 2,133. 

"We amended it because we want to be crystal clear we won't use those areas for farmland and wildlife. We want to maximize what is left as agricultural," Cummings said. 

In addition, Cummings stated that EnergyRe would make an investment back to Putnam County that would be as high as $2 million a year or as low as $500 thousand through the Putnam County Community Foundation. 

"The bulk of those funds would go to Cloverdale schools and the town," he said.

Cummings also said EnergyRe would do a wildlife study before obtaining a construction project, work with the town of Cloverdale for a wellhead study, include a 250 foot setback to the nearest residence, wouldn't mine the land, and offered details on a Solar Dividend Project, which was an addition by Energy Re.

According to Cummings, EnergyRe would compensate home owners that lived within 500 feet of the solar farm $2,000, a thousand to home owners who lived more than 500 feet to a quarter mile and $500 for anyone that lived a quarter mile to a half mile away. The payments would have been made to the Putnam County Treasurer and applied to the tax bills of those impacted, and Cummings said 170 homes would have been impacted. 

"Fifty thousand is a long way from $2.4 million," Beck told Cummings. 

Woodall asked Cummings if the measure were voted down, would EnergyRe take the matter to court. 

"We will look at all options," Cummings said. 

The commissioners also heard from real estate expert Denise Spooner, attorney Laureen White and attorney Eddie Felling. White and Felling represented residents who would be impacted if the rezone was granted. 

When asked by Woodall if her clients would sue, White said they are prepared to ask for a judicial review. 

As for Felling, he smiled and said, "hell yeah."

In addressing the commissioners, Felling said there were a lot of questions that remained unanswered. 

Felling asked how long the petitioners knew the project was coming, adding he believed it was for years. Felling also asked what would happen when the project failed. 

"It is not fair to ask you to approve this project and figure it out later," Felling said before asking Helmer to stand for the promise he previously made to vote no on solar farms. "Tonight, we are dealing with 2,000 cres for a solar farm and these people have told you how they feel."