The public will have a chance to heard once again on an energy company's proposal for a wind farm after the county's planning and zoning committee sent the application back to a public hearing. The DeKalb Planning and Zoning Committee voted 7-0 Wednesday on a motion to have a new public hearing based on an opinion rendered by DeKalb County State's Attorney Ron Matekaitis.

MALTA - The public will have a chance to heard once again on an energy company's proposal for a wind farm after the county's planning and zoning committee sent the application back to a public hearing.

The DeKalb Planning and Zoning Committee voted 7-0 Wednesday on a motion to have a new public hearing based on an opinion rendered by DeKalb County State's Attorney Ron Matekaitis. The state's attorney's office advised that new information on the application should render a new opportunity for public testimony to be heard by the hearing officer, Planning and Zoning Committee Vice Chairwoman Pat Vary said.

NextEra Energy Resources, a subsidiary of FPL Group, has proposed building and operating a 151-turbine wind-energy plant; 133 turbines would be built in Afton, Clinton, Milan and Shabbona townships and 18 turbines would be in parts of Lee County.

The date of the public hearing is tentatively scheduled for 9 a.m. on May 11, Vary said. She said that they would have liked to hold it earlier, but Hearing Officer Dave Dockus, who last week recommended the application for a special use permit be denied, will be out of town.

A location is still to be determined, Vary said, and if the public hearing is held on May 11, it would end by 5 p.m. and be continued to the next day if need be.

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