Come on, County Officials! Leave the solar ordinance alone.
Changes that make the county’s solar ordinance hostile to solar will cost the county millions in private sector investment. That’s money that could improve county services -- without using tax dollars!
If Commissioners and councilors don’t mess this up, we can improve county services with private sector investments. Investments from private solar companies could help fund:
The Sunny Meadows County Home ($850,000 still needed)
Highspeed internet for the county ($2 million in upgrades needed)
Upgrades in equipment for local law enforcement
If Commissioners change the solar ordinance, then they will lose potential millions in tax revenue.
Protect private sector investment. Tell your county officials to leave the solar ordinance alone.
Act now – the Area Plan Commission meets on Feb. 15 and could make recommendations for ordinance changes to the County Commissioners, who have the final say.
Private Sector Investment
Renewables strengthen Hoosier communities through private sector economic development payments and revenue that helps fund schools, first responders, community centers and highspeed internet. To date renewable energy companies have invested $8 billion in local projects and economies. Clean power projects paid $26.7 million in property, state and local taxes in 2022 alone.
Examples in other counties include:
In Western Indiana, three counties joined together to deliver fiber direct-to home for 75% of the population thanks to funds from wind farms;
And on the eastern edge of Indiana, Randolph County is using renewable energy payments to fund a $4 million project that delivers border-to-border broadband service for residents;
LaGrange County, through its future Cherry Hill Project, is projecting a contribution of up to $9 million over that project’s lifetime to local schools, another $5 million in local taxes and some $500,000 to local fire departments.
How Renewables Make DeKalb County’s Economy Stronger
Hoosiers from across Indiana share how renewables have improved their communities.
Revenue for Farmers
Farmers workday in and day out to provide for their families. They pay the taxes and they protect their land. In today’s global world, that’s increasingly becoming more difficult to maintain a reliable income. Renewables provide a new and stable source of revenue for farmers, giving them the option to use their land for wind or solar if they choose. Payments to private landowners from renewables totaled $26.2 million in 2022.
Hoosier farmer Scott Becker talks about the benefits of renewables to his farm and community.
Job Growth
Renewables deliver job growth. Clean Jobs Midwest reports that clean energy companies employed more than 86,000 Hoosiers at the end of 2021 – a seven percent boost over the prior year. Job growth in clean energy is twice the speed of the overall economy. There are now over 11,000 Hoosiers in the renewable space alone.
The projected economic benefits of a single 50-megawatt wind or solar project in a representative Indiana county: