SJC council passes vote on solar property value guarantee agreements

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- As the sun set Tues. evening, the St. Joseph County Council was well into an almost six-hour meeting, where they discussed amending the county code to include a property value guarantee agreement for any large-scale solar permit issued by the county.

The council had a number of options for the type of action they could take on the bill, but in the end, they made amendments to the original bill that was presented and took a vote on that, which passed 5-4.

The final version of the ordinance the council voted on said a solar energy system developer looking to build in St. Joe County must come to a property value guarantee agreement with all non-participating residents and landowners, except those in an industrial district, within a one-mile radius of a large-scale solar energy system, which is measured from the nearest point of a solar farm to the closest property line of the residence.

Before a permit would be issued for a solar energy system developer, a property’s fair market value will be determined by a qualified appraiser that both the solar owner and property owner agree to, before any announcement or start of construction for the large-scale solar project.

If that home or landowner’s property decreases, or they are unable to sell after the creation of the solar project, the solar owner will pay the property owner the difference or buy the property at the baseline fair market value that was set before the solar project began.

The ordinance will now go back to the St. Joseph Area Plan Commission for a vote on the amendments made by the council.