The Tazewell County Board shut off power to a planned solar farm project west of Morton on Wednesday.

By a narrow vote of 10 to 8, the board rejected a special use application by Unsicker Solar to build a 5-megawatt solar farm on approximately 52 acres northwest of the intersection of East Idlewood Street and Schmidt Road, south of Illinois Route 98 (Birchwood Street).

The county’s Zoning Board of Appeals recommended denying the special use in an agricultural conservation area. The county’s Land Use Committee also recommended denying it. The Morton Town Council passed a resolution opposing the special use at a special meeting.

Morton Mayor Jeff Kaufman breathed a sigh of relief Wednesday after learning of the county council’s vote.

“I am so happy. The board made a wise decision,” he said.

Morton officials believe the solar farm would have hindered the village’s efforts to attract industrial development west of Interstate 155 along the Birchwood Street corridor.

The municipality has spent $1.25 million to increase water capacity in the area and plans other infrastructure improvements, including extending Flint Avenue north to Agriculture Drive and installing a traffic light at the intersection of Birchwood Street and Erie Avenue

The area already has a 500,000-square-foot Precision Planting assembly and distribution center at 801 Agriculture Drive, which employs 250 people. The facility will begin operations in 2023.

The county council’s rejection of the special use runs counter to a state law passed in 2023 that removes the ability of local governments to restrict or ban solar and wind farms, and strengthens a 2021 state law that requires the state to have a 100% carbon-free electricity supply by 2050.

That legal challenge failed to convince board members and Morton residents Nick Graff and Greg Menold, who led the opposition to the special use.

“Why can I vote yes or no on every issue that comes before us except a solar farm project?” Graff said. “This is not how our government should work. I should not be told how to vote.”

“I’m done. From now on, I’m voting the way I want to vote on solar projects. I don’t want the county to get into legal trouble, but I also don’t want to break my oath of office.”

Menold said no one from Morton pressured him about how to vote on the special use.

“If there was ever a time to stand up and say no to a solar farm project, it is now,” he said. “Morton has installed a lot of infrastructure in the area for potential developments. I will not oppose Morton’s plans.”

Menold’s argument was previously refuted in the board meeting by Chicago attorney Jim Griffin, Unsicker Solar’s attorney.

“There is no evidence of a future project in this area. And the owner of the land where our solar farm will be built has not been contacted by a developer or by Morton,” Griffin said during the public hearing.

Board member Greg Sinn, a Tremont resident, asked why Morton did not annex the land if it considered it so valuable.

In another solar farm-related matter, the board approved a one-year extension of a special use in an agricultural conservation area for the construction of a two-megawatt solar farm at 21737 Illinois Route 22 east of Delavan.

The district will pay a maximum of $5,000 for the training costs of full-time employees

Also on Wednesday, the board stated:

• Approved the creation of a reimbursement policy for professional development for full-time county employees. Employees are eligible to be reimbursed up to a maximum of $5,000 for training costs. Sue Webster, the county’s human resources director, said the policy was created to retain employees and attract good candidates for open positions.
• Approved a grant agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation in the amount of $189,891 for the purchase of paratransit buses.
• Approved a contract with the low bidder, Midwest Engineering and Testing of Bloomington, to conduct soil drilling and provide site survey, environmental laboratory soil testing, and engineering services valued at $18,642 at the Tazewell County Justice Center Annex site.
• Approved a $134,890 contract with the low bidder, Western Specialty Contractors of Peoria, for the replacement and repair of the exterior limestone in the McKenzie Building, 11 S. Fourth St., in Pekin.
• Approved a proposal from Sourcewell to install a Caterpillar generator at the Tazewell County Health Department building, 1800 Broadway Road in Pekin, for $119,004. The price includes the cost of the generator. The county is a member of Sourcewell’s cooperative purchasing program.