Big plans were evident for the Tuesday, November 12 meeting of the Kane County Commission, as the commission chambers had been prepared with additional desks and presenting space for the public-facing microphone. The public comment set the expectation of what the majority of the meeting might be about, as Mayor Schmuker of Big Water spoke in support of AES, the power generating company responsible for the solar farm project in the Big Water area. Said Schmuker, “We don’t like seeing land used to be taken away from ranchers … but at the same time, we’re losing coal plants, we have a power problem. I guess this is the new way to do things. We support AES, they’ve been good to work with.” A rancher from the Big Water area presented an opposing perspective, stating, “Ultimately, I am 100 percent against the solar farm out there, it takes away from ranching operation. I ask that if it does go forward, we don’t put the cart before the horse, that we make sure all the proper paperwork is in place. If we do go forward, I look forward to working together to make sure it is the best deal for everybody, we don’t always get what we want, but it’s up to us to do the best we can with the hand we’ve been dealt.”
Left to right, photos by Ty Gant:
County officials appointed Johnny Roundy as the new member of the board to replace Smith.
Owing to Isis Smith’s election as Recorder, her seat on the 401k board of trustees at the county needs to be filled.
With public comment concluded, the commission entered into their regular agenda, starting with the appointment of Johnny Roundy to the county 401k trustee board. According to board representative Devin Reed, “Isis Smith has been elected as our recorder for the coming year, and I don’t know if it’s law or not, but the commission has a policy of not having elected officials on the trustee board … so we put some feelers out. Johnny pays close attention, closer than most, to investment, to opportunities, so we reached out to him and asked if that would be a service he would provide; the recommendation of the existing trustee board is that the commission appoint Johnny Roundy.” The council unanimously agreed to appoint Roundy, and the next agenda item formally thanked Smith for her sterling service on the 401k trustee board.
The following item would take the majority of the meeting’s time, the aforementioned presentation by AES on the Glen Canyon Solar Facility near big water - a project which Commissioner Heaton described as “a sore spot” for Kane County. The solar power facility had made significant progress in its construction - a process which cost acres of grazing-friendly land - before essentially coming to a complete halt when AES lost the ability to transfer their power because of a transmission capacity complication. In the presentation by the AES team, they explained that they had come up with a new solution, with a new transmission contract that would incorporate battery-storage on-site. The new proposal for the project estimates construction starting in spring 2025, and finishing by the end of 2026. Per the AES rep, “Best case scenario, it’s less than twelve months of actual construction, with the rest of the time being commission and testing of the facilities.” The facility would consist of 220,000 solar panels, 64 battery units and a $325 million investment by AES. According to their team, consistent, dispatchable energy is in high demand, and the inclusion of battery storage and a discharge schedule that avoids peak hours justifies the increased cost and complication of the project. There was some concern on the Commission’s part, and with the presentation concluded, the commission agreed to consider the project further - the proposed plan was tabled to allow more time for research and questions. Following a break, the commission heard a series of grant proposals from Economic Opportunity specialist Kelly Stowell, seeking various grant funds from the state. Each proposal was approved in short order.
The following items involved a few dense legal considerations to bring county code into compliance with newly instituted state statute regarding land use and land use agreements. The exact wording is contained in the commission agenda and recordings.
Following some updates to interlocal fire agreements and a commission assignment response, the meeting went into closed executive session.
