St. Joseph County Council passes solar bill after public argues: Protecting home values versus the climate

It would require solar farm operators to financially ensure the values of properties near solar farms. That, Schaetzle said, would spare homes from “economic loss” if their values plummeted. 

And in a marathon St. Joseph County Council meeting on Tuesday, July 8, six people from the public spoke in favor of it, arguing that rural homeowners do indeed need protection from the negative effects of large-scale solar operations.  

But another 19 people spoke against it, questioning whether solar really has such negative effects and arguing that solar can feed a spike in need for energy as data centers grow. 

Ultimately, the council voted 5-4 along party lines to pass Schaetzle’s proposed ordinance, including a few amendments he’d suggested to its original version.