Wapello County Board of Supervisors at a standstill over wind turbine and solar panel ordinances

WAPELLO COUNTY, Iowa - There's disagreement in Wapello County over wind and solar ordinances—and if the three county supervisors can’t come to an agreement, it could result in a moratorium on them altogether.

Wind turbine, solar panel and battery storage ordinances were on the agenda for the board of supervisors meeting on June 2; it was met with quite a bit of contention. There is a proposed ordinance on the county supervisor’s website, but supervisors don't agree on it.

“That whole ordinance is unacceptable—in my opinion—as it stands. We would need to work on the ordinance before we can take it to a public hearing,” said County Supervisor Bran Ziegler during the June 2 meeting.

“Well, we're never going to have 85 wind turbines like you want. We're not going to have 15,000 acres whatsoever,” said County Chair Darren Batterson during that same meeting.

“I wish you would stop saying that, because I have never said that is what I want. I said that is the maximum allowable.”

KTVO reached out to the supervisors—Darren Batterson, Carrie Teninty and Bryan Ziegler—and requested interviews about the topic. Only Ziegler responded.

Wind and solar have been an issue for the county for at least the past year. Ziegler says he’s for them, but one of the other county supervisors is against it, and the third has claimed conflict of interest—leaving the decision to just two of them—locking them in a standstill.

Ziegler told KTVO that as a landowner, he would stand to gain financially if renewable energy sources and data centers are allowed in the county; he also says it would benefit other landowners.

“With the solar system—it would be like $300 to $500 of tax revenue per acre for the county—but it would also be $5,000 per acre for the landowner. That's a huge increase over corn and beans. And, I still take the position that that should be a landowner decision—not the government that decides whether or not you can do solar. [...] Fifty wind turbines in Wapello County would generate about $2 million of tax revenue per year.”

Ziegler says the added tax revenue could help fund a much-needed Wapello County Jail expansion—something the sheriff discussed during the meeting.

Aside from that, he says the county needs to decide on an ordinance to limit what developers can and cannot do soon. If they don’t, they risk losing developers altogether. Marc Roe with Greater Ottumwa Partners in Progress said the electric grid in Ottumwa will need to expand in order to accommodate new businesses—and that costs a lot of money.

Citizens say they’re tired of waiting for answers, including one who spoke at the meeting.

“I would encourage you to—as Board of Supervisors—get your act together and make a decision. [...] Whenever you make public policy, you're never going to get a policy that’s perfect, and not everybody's going to get everything they want. So, we come up with the best that we can at the time and build into it the ability to adjust it or change it as we get some experience,” said one of the attendees.

Sheriff Don Phillips and a representative with the City of Ottumwa both offered to mediate work sessions on the topic.

The next work session is scheduled for June 9 at 10:00 a.m. at the Wapello Building.

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Wapello County Board Of Supervisors Wind Turbines Solar Panels Ordinance Renewable Energy Moratorium Public Hearing Tax Revenue Ottumwa Public Policy Landowner Solar Panel Ordinance Wind Turbine Ordinance Landowner Rights Battery Storage
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