EUREKA - Wind farm opponents got no reprieve from Woodford County on Tuesday, which voted to leave unchanged the ordinance that would increase the distance of wind turbines from adjoining structures.

By an 8-6 vote, the Woodford County Board agreed with the county's Zoning Board of appeals not to increase the setbacks from the current 750 feet to 1,800 feet.

To overturn the ZBA's recommendation would have required a super-majority vote.

Board Chairman John Krug suggested tabling the vote, but in the end he, too, voted with the majority. Those who voted to increase the setbacks included Pete Lambie, Thomas Karr, Doug Huser, Stan Glazier, Thomas Evans and Marcus Adams. Jim Fyke was absent.

Before the vote, Evans said: "We are dealing with the safety of the people and somebody has to stand up and have the guts to do what we are trying to do. We are not trying to stop wind farms, but we need to have a safe distance from the wind turbines."

Evans is a member of the Conservation, Planning and Zoning Committee which brought forth the amendment to set the wind turbines back at least 1,800 feet from public roads and at least 1.1 times the tower height from third-party transmission lines and communication towers.

The county's current ordinance calls for turbines, some planned to be more than 400 feet tall, to be placed no closer than 750 feet to occupied structures.

The county's decision followed two lengthy public meetings at which people spoke passionately on both sides of the issue.

In other matters, the board voted to table a vote on approving a contract with the village of Roanoke for police patrols. Sheriff Jim Pierceall said he could not sign the contract until the board also approved the additional hires he had requested.

The additional hires were in another resolution before the board. After some discussion, the board voted to also send back to the finance committee the resolution to approve the hiring of one full-time and two part-time officers to cover the contract with Roanoke.

On June 1, the village of Roanoke decided to disband its police department and contract with the county. It was only two years ago that the village broke off its relationship with the county for police protection.