Ogle County Board approves solar development southeast of Polo

OREGON – A solar facility southeast of Polo was approved Tuesday by the Ogle County Board, with one member speaking out against using “prime” farmland for such a development.

By a voice vote, the board approved a special-use permit for OneEnergy Development LLC of Madison, Wisconsin, in the AG-1 (agricultural zoning district) for the construction and operation of a 2MWac community solar facility (Lupine Solar 2). The solar farm will be on 16 acres of a 75-acre site in the 3200 block of South Union Road.

The project was approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals by a 5-0 vote Jan. 30 and by an 8-1 vote by the Assessments and Planning and Zoning Committee on Feb. 11.

On Tuesday, board member Susie Corbitt of Polo said adjacent property owners spoke against the project during public meetings in Polo. Those meetings were held because the project is located within 1.5 miles of the city limits.

In December, OneEnergy officials asked for a letter of recommendation from the Polo City Council either approving or declining this project. According to minutes of the council’s Dec. 16 meeting, OneEnergy officials said they would make a contribution to the Polo Economic Development Corp. of $50,000 over 30 years.

The Polo City Council approved the project by a 4-2 vote Jan. 6.

On Tuesday, County Board member Marica Heuer of Oregon questioned the location of the project on what she described as “prime” farmland.

“This is a prime piece of farmland. I am voting no on this on principle,” she said.

After the meeting, Heuer said she disagreed in principle with taking prime farmland out of production, but she understands the need for more energy resources.

“That’s a lot of corn or soybeans, but unfortunately, we need the energy,” Heuer said.

Last month, the board unanimously approved an ordinance to increase the application fee for commercial solar and wind projects from a maximum of $25,000 to a fixed cost of $100,000.

The fee, which project developers pay to the county, is reviewed by the Ogle County Planning and Zoning Committee on a yearly basis. Its increase in 2025 is directed at the rising number of solar projects being brought to the county, which clashes with the board’s commitment to protect agriculture and landowner rights.

The application fee is paid by developers as part of that process. Previously, the cost varied from project to project and was calculated as “equal to 2% of proposed commercial value, up to a maximum fee of $25,000,” according to the ordinance.

The fee now is fixed at $100,000 for all commercial solar and wind developers coming to Ogle County, according to the ordinance.

Board member Pat Nordman, who is vice chairman, said she felt the increase was needed and listed several examples of recent unexpected costs to the county related to solar projects.

The Lee County Board updated its fee ordinance in January 2023 shortly after the new Illinois law was enacted. The application fee for commercial solar and wind projects in Lee County is $5,000 per megawatt up to a maximum of $100,000, which is used to cover the costs of a public hearing, according to the ordinance.

In Whiteside County, the application fee for solar and wind developers, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2022, is $1,000 plus $10 for every adjacent property included in the site plan, Whiteside County Building and Zoning Administrator Suzan Stickle said.

Payton Felix contributed to this story.