McHenry County Board flips, approves new solar farm on second vote

It took two votes, but the McHenry County Board has approved a solar farm that would operate near Harvard.

The second vote – which flipped the outcome – was held after board member Terri Greeno, R-Crystal Lake, missed the first vote after having difficulty accessing Tuesday evening’s meeting remotely. Greeno said Wednesday she had been trying to get in since before the meeting began.

“I think that’s the fair thing to do, to give Ms. Greeno a chance to vote,” said board member Larry Smith, R-Harvard.

The solar farm is proposed by Azurite Solar and planned for property south of Bunker Hill Road, sandwiched between Busse Road and Illinois Highway 23.

Board members considered the same three conditions that they imposed when they hesitantly gave the nod to six solar farms in August: Developers must come back in 20 years for conditional use renewals, all current and future state and federal laws must be followed, and an engineer’s estimate on decommission must be submitted every 10 years. But the conditions were ultimately voted down.

The solar farm up for consideration this week was defeated by one vote during the first vote.

Board member Joe Gottemoller, R-Crystal Lake, suggested allowing some solar farms, including farms which get a unanimous vote from the county’s zoning board, to bypass county board approval.

Some board members have said that voting on the solar farms is futile because they feel they have no choice but to approve them. A state law that took effect in January limits a county’s ability to regulate new commercial wind and solar facilities and bans counties from having more restrictions than the state.

“You cannot say no, so why vote on it?” board member Carl Kamienski, R-Johnsburg, said Wednesday.

Despite feeling like they don’t have the ability to say no to solar farms, board members don’t blame those who are putting up the solar farms.

“We’re fighting with the wrong group,” Gottemoller said after the meeting.

“I can’t fault” those who put solar farms on their property, Kamienski said.

Board member Gloria Van Hof, D-Crystal Lake, said during Tuesday’s discussion that placing conditions would make the county vulnerable to a lawsuit.

“If we have any limits put on this, we are going to be liable for a lawsuit. It’s going to happen,” Van Hof said.

Board member Mike Shorten, R-Crystal Lake, tried to table the vote until December, but was quickly shut down by other board members.

“It will be a moot point to postpone it,” said board member Michael Skala, R-Huntley.

Ultimately, the board approved the solar farm by an 11-5 margin without the conditions. Kamienski; Tracie Von Bergen, R-Hebron; and John Reinert, R-Crystal Lake, voted no the first time, but yes the second time.

“I just didn’t feel it was right for the taxpayers to go through the cost of litigation,” Reinert said of his vote.

Some residents at the August meeting also expressed concerns about solar farms, in some cases because they want the land to remain agricultural.