McHenry County Board narrowly approves solar farm near Hebron

The McHenry County Board on Tuesday narrowly approved a solar farm near Hebron.

The solar farm is south of Thayer Road and east of Queen Anne Road, according to county documents.

County Board members have repeatedly expressed their frustration with an Illinois law that limits the county’s ability to regulate solar farms.

During a meeting last week, board members again expressed their frustration with the law, and several board members indicated that they were voting against the proposal.

Board member Terri Greeno, R-Crystal Lake, asked whether there’s been any movement on proposals to stop having solar farm requests come to the County Board and instead go through an administrative process and bypass the board.

Adam Wallen, the county’s planning and development director, said the matter was in the discussion stage, but the county has met with the state solar task force.

Greeno said it puts the board in a tough situation because it can’t tailor solar farm petitions, thus forcing board members to vote no, which could open the board up to litigation, or to vote yes on something they don’t agree with.

“It is kind of crazy, so if we could stop the crazy, that would be great,” Greeno said.

Board member Pam Althoff, R-McHenry, said the law puts the County Board in a “catch-22.” She said she didn’t believe the county had a way to get out of the vote at this point.

Board member Mike Shorten, R-Crystal Lake, favored keeping them on the agenda but recognized that he had wanted them off before.

“I think that this an overreach from the state government, and it does put us in a difficult position. Ultimately, if we pull it from the agenda and no longer have this ability to it, we’re acquiescing, and I’m not prepared to acquiesce at this point,” Shorten said.

Board member Carolyn Campbell, D-Crystal Lake, said the company had reached out to see if there was anything else that it could be doing.

She said she would hope the County Board would look at the projects “on their own merits,” noting solar projects are an opportunity for landowners to use their land in a way they can get the best return.

In addition to pushing for more local control, Campbell said she hoped the board would not turn down a project “that would be helpful to the community.”

The County Board on Tuesday narrowly approved the farm in a 9-8 vote. Althoff was absent from the meeting.

The board was sued in 2023 after adding in more restrictions than what is allowed under state law; the lawsuit was later dropped after the board opted to walk back the additional restrictions.

The board voted down a solar farm in October 2023, before reversing course and approving it on a second vote. One board member who switched their vote specifically cited the potential for litigation as the reason for changing course.