Commissioners extend moratorium on permits for renewable energy projects

The moratorium was first approved on Jan. 16 and was proposed following questions raised by the Situla Solar Energy Project. While the moratorium had no impact on this project, Commissioner Charlie Knapper says it exposed a lack of specific regulations in the county’s comprehensive plan and zoning laws for such projects.

“My goal with this moratorium is to have some basic elements in place to enable the next permit to be issued,” Knapper said at the time. “This will give us time to build some structure, a foundation.”

The board then rejected the Situla project’s conditional use permit (CUP) last month. Commissioners reaffirmed that decision at their first meeting in June, declining to reconsider the permit after Dunlieh Energy, the company behind the project, asked them to do so.

As the moratorium on CUP renewable energy applications expires next month, Knapper put it back on the agenda and encouraged it to be extended for another six months. He argued that the board didn’t have time to fulfill the original purpose of the moratorium – creating specific regulations for renewable energy projects – because it was too busy considering and dealing with the Situla project.

Knapper also informed the board that the county Planning Commission has formed a subcommittee to consider and develop regulations regarding renewable energy projects, with results expected within the next six months.

The board approved the motion to extend the moratorium, with Chairman Ken Meyer being the lone “no” vote.

The issue came up again during the public comment period, when supporters of the rejected Situla project expressed concerns about the moratorium and the board and county’s lack of progress toward its goals in the first six months it was active.

While commissioners did not directly address these concerns, Knapper later expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of progress on renewable energy regulations. He encouraged the board to make this issue the focus of its work session to be held at 3 p.m. on Monday, June 29.

Other board business included announcing Ashley Hopkins as interim emergency manager following the resignation of emergency manager Tim Newman in May. Hopkins was appointed to the position by the Region 22 Board of Directors and served as deputy emergency manager under Newman.

Commissioners like Mike Blue expressed their support for Hopkins and her qualifications and thanked Newman for nearly 10 years of service.

The Board also approved several appropriation transfers as we approach the June 30 end of fiscal year 2024.

These included sliding scale amounts from the general fund that were set aside for year-end adjustments. Board accountant Lisa Rein explained that the budget allocated $200,000 specifically for year-end adjustments and recommended approval of transferring $110,000 to the circuit court budget and $20,000 to the sheriff’s office budget, with commissioners giving the green light to both transaction.

Scotts Bluff County Commissioners meet on the first and third Monday of each month at 4:30 p.m. on the second floor of the County Administration Building.

Contact Fletcher Halfaker: [email protected], 308-632-9048.