Floyd County supervisors agree to another joint meeting with P&Z over wind farm zoning options

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Floyd County supervisors and county planning and zoning commissioners will meet together at least one more time as they work on amending the county’s commercial wind energy zoning ordinance.

After spending the meeting with P&Z last Thursday, John Robbins filled in the supervisors at their regular meeting Monday morning about what the zoning commissioners had discussed and what they proposed. (See related story.)

Robbins is a senior planner with the North Iowa Area Council of Governments (NIACOG), who the county has hired to help with the process of rewriting the wind energy and battery storage rules for the county, and likely also later to add commercial solar energy zoning rules.

At the planning and zoning meeting last week, the commissioners agreed with Robbins’ suggestion that they meet with zoning officials from other counties who had gone through the commercial wind energy zoning process, and suggested the supervisors attend as well.

Robbins agreed to send them a sampling of ordinances from other counties.

On Monday the supervisors agreed with the idea for another joint meeting, asking Robbins to work to set it up, including with other county officials either in person or by Zoom teleconference.

Since Robbins has already held as many joint meetings with the two boards as were included in NIACOG’s original contract estimate with the county, the supervisors agreed to pay NIACOG an extra $300 for him to set up and attend the additional joint meeting, and agreed to pay mileage for zoning officials who wanted to attend in person.

Supervisor Chair Mark Kuhn said he thought the cost was worth it for what they might learn, and he suggested the meeting could be in Charles City or at the county Fossil and Prairie Park Preserve Center near Rockford.

Robbins said he and the planning and zoning commissioners had talked about different ways to regulate wind energy projects, including one county’s method of using a point system similar to the Master Matrix used by the state to rate concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) permit applications.

Kuhn said he was looking for a “clear-cut policy,” not like the matrix.

Boyd Campbell, a Floyd County landowner who has been a frequent attendee at the wind energy discussion meetings, wondered if the county was going to set a maximum number of turbines that could exist in the county or if it would allow them to cover the county.

“We look like easy pickings” to the wind energy companies, he said.

Robbins said the setback rules and the amount of space needed by each turbine so they won’t interfere with each other’s available wind energy will help determine where they can be located, but he said some counties have set a maximum number of turbines they will approve.

Supervisor Dennis Keifer asked if any consideration would be given to protecting highly productive farmland in deciding where turbines can be located.

Robbins said he wasn’t aware of any counties that made that restriction, and said such a policy could be a “wind farm killer,” because almost all of Iowa farmland is productive.

He also said that each turbine takes up only about a half an acre, including the service access road.

At previous meetings wind energy company representatives have presented commercial wind farms as a way to keep people farming, by providing another steady supplemental source of income that could offset times when farm income drops.

One farmer at a previous meeting commented that based on income, that half acre was the most productive land he had.

Also at Monday’s meeting, the supervisors:

• Agreed to contract with NIACOG so Robbins can help the county with zoning issues on an hourly basis after the resignation of the current zoning administrator, Jeff Sherman, becomes effective March 29. NIACOG will be paid $60 an hour plus mileage when the county says Robbins’ help is needed.

Robbins, who was the Cerro Gordo County zoning administrator before taking the NIACOG job, said he could also help train a new Floyd County zoning administrator if needed.

Applications for the zoning administrator position, which also includes 911 sign administrator and environmental health specialist, are due with the county by March 22.

• Noted that part of the meeting next Monday, March 18, will be closed so the supervisors can discuss with the county attorney potential offers for land to locate a radio tower in the western part of the county for the county’s new public safety communications system.