HOLIDAY GUIDE
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HOLIDAY GUIDE
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The Grundy County Land Use Committee recently approved a resolution to increase solar farm fees.
Grundy County Development Director Alec Macdonald said they are increasing fees, which is part of a bill passed by Illinois lawmakers. 
“We have worked proactively to ensure to put the county in the best position plausible regarding future solar development fees. The information provided within the summary are the maximum fees a county government may charge for solar developments as included in the recently passed but not yet signed SIRGA energy bill in the state of Illinois. The handout I passed out prior to the meeting breaks down the hypothetical forty acre four point eight two megawatt solar development to show how those fees would be applied. Under the twenty twenty five fee schedule, solar farm developer paid ten thousand dollars special use application fee. Renewals were limited to three years with renewal schedule at seventy five percent application fee year one, fifty percent application fee year two, then one hundred percent of the original fee in year three.” 
He spoke about specific increases. 
“Under the updated fee schedule, solar special use fees would be capacity based, set at five thousand dollars per megawatt of name plate name plate capacity rounded up to the next megawatt. This is the maximum amount authorized under state law. The state has capped fees at a hundred and twenty five thousand dollars per specific project. Renewal fees have has have also been updated as well and are now one hundred percent of the original fee allowed annually up to five years, also capped at a hundred and twenty five thousand dollars. Again, this is consistent with new state guidelines. In addition to the special use fee, the update also addresses the building permit for solar farms. Previously, that permit was tied to estimated construction value. that required staff review and verification of cost assumptions. The updated ordinance moves to capacity based building permit fee also set at five thousand dollars per megawatt with a state authorized cap of seventy five thousand dollars per amount.” 
The committee also heard this from Macdonald. 
“This creates a more objective, predictable, and defensible process while ensuring the county recovers the true cost of plan review and inspections. Taken together, these updates again reflect the maximum fee structure allowed under state law consistent with the new surge of framework, which authorizes counties to recover the full cost of reviewing, inspecting, and administering large scale solar projects. most importantly, this ensures that commercial energy developers, not local taxpayers, pay the true cost of review oversight and long term administration of the green renewable energy initiative from the state while also discouraging speculative approvals and encouraging timely constructions of these developments.” 
Macdonald said they will also be looking at other fees in the future.
“Our concern was ensuring we capture as much of that that comes in because with the new funding through the ill and the federal subsidies not running out until twenty twenty eight, we truly feel that there will still be a significant uptick in solar developments within Grundy County over the at least the next two years, if not going forward. So, we were worried that if we waited till January first, that would push us to February. So that’s kind of why we’ve pulled out just the solar fee. I know we’re looking at the other portions of the fee schedule as well.” 
The Grundy County Board will have the final say on the resolution at their meeting in January.
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