By HOLLY GASKILL
The Wells County Council was unable to vote on an ordinance to ban tax abatements for solar energy companies on Wednesday, as the legal documents were not finalized by its special session.
At the beginning of the session, Council President Seth Whicker told the council that the county attorney needed more time to prepare the ordinance.
“(County Attorney Ted Storer) sent out an ordinance (to the council) that was actually written pretty well — I think most of us may have seen that,” Whicker said. “But with some developments that have occurred, he’s asked us (the council) to give a little bit more time.”
Whicker stated that Storer plans to meet with attorney Rick Hall, who had helped prepare the economic development agreement with Paddlefish Solar. The prospective ordinance will not retroactively affect the Paddlefish agreement, but Whicker said Storer wanted to practice due diligence in preparing the ordinance.
Whicker anticipates the council will vote on the ordinance during its next meeting, 7 p.m. on July 2.
“Let’s do it once and do it right,” Council member Brandon Harnish said.
Following that update, the council unanimously approved a 10-year total tax abatement agreement with Heartland REMC and a waiver for an application deadline error.
The council met via Zoom with William Dye of Heartland REMC, who explained the proper paperwork was late due to a clerical error in his first year at the company. Dye reported that Heartland REMC had invested $6.6 million in Wells County in 2023 and planned to complete a $10 million project in the next 18 months. Multiple council members expressed their appreciation for Dye taking responsibility for the error.
holly@news-banner.com
