County commissioners signed an ordinance meant to open doors for local property owners to lease land to wind farm companies during their meeting Monday.
The ordinance regulates the construction, maintenance and decommissioning of wind farms in the county.
County officials have been working on the ordinance for more than a year, and the commissioners said they were glad to finally be able to act on it.
“It is pretty much a carbon copy of White County’s,” said Craig Boyer, Miami County Commissioners chairman. “Cass County followed the same pattern.”
The 16-page ordinance was modeled after what county officials felt worked well in other counties. It sets out guidelines for lease agreements between wind energy companies and land owners with the goal of allowing wind farms to be created without being unfair to nearby property owners.
Among other things, the ordinance stipulates that companies must apply for improvement location permits. In the application process, companies will have to submit land lease or rental agreements to the county zoning administrator, along with plans explaining how vehicles will access the site, as well as fire protection, drainage and erosion control plans.
The company must also repair damage to public roads and are responsible for removing wind turbines when the wind farm project either ends or is abandoned.
Permit fees were approved by the Miami County Council in its meeting June 21.
According to a copy of the ordinance provided at the time by Darrell Wooten, Miami County building commissioner, wind companies will pay $2,000 per tower taller than 140 feet for a building permit, and $200 per tower for an improvement location permit – or a building permit fee of $150 per tower under 140 feet.
It also sets a $100 minimum plus $20 per tower to file for a special exception of variance to the ordinance.
Wind companies are also to create a $20,000 fund that covers county expenses inspecting the wind farm. Once the fund runs down to $2,500, the company is to deposit another $5,000.
The ordinance specified turbines must be at least 600 or 1,000 feet away from any existing or occupied residence, depending on how much energy it generates. Noise and vibration produced by the turbines must comply with county, state and federal regulations.
Passing this ordinance gets the process started for whatever will happen with wind farms in the area, said Jon Faust, Miami County Commissioners vice chairman.
In the past, Wooten has said his office frequently receives inquiries from wind farm companies that want to know if an ordinance has passed yet. Wind farms coming into the area are expected to bring money to both landowners and the county, he said.
Miami County does not seem to have the ideal wind current for generating electricity, but the wind and open space in some areas of the county are still good enough to generate interest from companies, Boyer said.
“Hopefully it will open some doors,” said Josh Francis, Miami County Commissioners member.
Copyright © 2024 Peru Tribune