ROCKFORD - The Winnebago County Board overwhelmingly passed an ordinance Thursday night that will allow the location of wind farms in the county.

The 27-1 vote was the culmination of six months of work that began when officials from Minnesota-based Navitas Energy started looking at a potential wind farm site near Seward and discovered that Winnebago County had no ordinance to allow wind turbine construction.

Navitas project manager Andrew Evans said that now that the ordinance has been passed, it would take about four to six weeks for the company to come up with an official proposal and map for the wind farm.

Given the timing, it's likely the construction jobs involved with installing the turbines won't come until spring or summer.

Nonetheless, a standing-room-only crowd filled with mostly union members erupted in applause when the vote tally was read.

"This was huge tonight," said Mark Szula, business representative of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150.

Szula said he expected the construction would employ more than 100 members of his union at a wage of $40 an hour, before benefits. He also thanked the board members for voting the way they did.

"Is the ordinance perfect? Of course not. Can it be improved down the line with amendments? Of course it can. But right now it can put some people back to work," said Winnebago County Chairman Scott Christiansen.

While there was little doubt the board would vote to ultimately approve a wind farm ordinance, there was a move to delay the vote for two more weeks.

Paul Gorski, D-5, said he was concerned that the County Board had opened itself up to litigation because members received information from people both for and against the project that wasn't presented during the regular zoning meetings.

His move to lay over the ordinance was met with support from only three other board members: Republicans Bob Kinnison and Steve Schultz and Democrat Dorothy Redd.

Then, when the roll was called for the final vote, only Schultz opposed it.

"They framed the question so it was ‘Are you for jobs or against jobs?' " Schultz said. "Of course I'm not against jobs or anti-wind farm."

He said too many questions remained in his mind about the environmental safeguards put into the ordinance, the process for decommissioning the turbines when their useful life is over and the zoning issues brought up by Gorski.

Evolution of an ordinance

What's planned: Navitas Energy Corp. wants to build a 100-turbine wind farm that straddles Stephenson, Ogle and Winnebago counties. Forty of those turbines would be in Winnebago County.

What had to be done: The Winnebago County Board had to write, review and approve an ordinance permitting wind farms. A public hearing on the issue was held in mid-August before a standing-room-only crowd at Veterans Memorial Hall in Rockford.

Some of the requirements: The ordinance requires a 1.5-mile setback from the boundary lines of a village or municipality; that all turbines be generally uniform in size, color and design; and that a wildlife survey be done before turbines are constructed.

Who has been in favor: Unions have supported the measure because it is expected to bring jobs, while many farm families back it for the income the wind farm would produce in rent payments.