Article
Senate bill estabishes Tax Rate on Highland Co. wind turbines
The Roanoke Times|Mason Adams and Michael Sluss|January 28, 2006
The Senate passed a bill Friday that would set taxation rates on 18 to 20 proposed wind turbines in Highland County.
The Senate passed a bill Friday that would set taxation rates on 18 to 20 proposed wind turbines in Highland County.
Senate Bill 404, approved by a 36-0 vote, would set the tax rate at $5,000 per megawatt of the turbines' capacity.
The bill's sponsor, Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Augusta County, said it was requested by the Highland County Board of Supervisors and Highland New Wind Development LLC, the developer behind the project.
"The purpose of the bill is to set up a mechanism so the local board of supervisors will know how much the valuation will be and how much tax they'll be obtaining," Hanger said.
Hanger said the wind turbines are expected to have a 39-megawatt capacity, and if SB 404 is approved they would bring the county nearly $200,000 in annual tax revenue.
The wind turbines must still receive state approval before construction may begin. In …
Senate Bill 404, approved by a 36-0 vote, would set the tax rate at $5,000 per megawatt of the turbines' capacity.
The bill's sponsor, Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Augusta County, said it was requested by the Highland County Board of Supervisors and Highland New Wind Development LLC, the developer behind the project.
"The purpose of the bill is to set up a mechanism so the local board of supervisors will know how much the valuation will be and how much tax they'll be obtaining," Hanger said.
Hanger said the wind turbines are expected to have a 39-megawatt capacity, and if SB 404 is approved they would bring the county nearly $200,000 in annual tax revenue.
The wind turbines must still receive state approval before construction may begin. In March, the State Corporation Commission will conduct public hearings on the project. The public hearings will be followed by evidentiary proceedings in Richmond for formal participants in the case.