GRADY COUNTY, Ga. (WCTV) – The Grady County Board of Commissioners extended a moratorium on solar farm permits on Tuesday.
Commissioners decided to extend it for six months, allowing more time for research and to address public concerns. The moratorium is set to expire on Aug. 6 unless the commission decides to extend it again.
“It’s up to us to make the hard decision to do that,” Commissioner Phillip Drew said.
Drew said the board plans to take a look at financial assurances, environmental and property value impacts, land usage and construction traffic.
“We need to just stop the process right now and kind of regroup as commissioners and do something that satisfies all parties is what we’re trying to do,” he said.
WCTV also spoke to a local farmer who said the solar farm idea could really help his family, and the money could really put him and his son in a great position.
“It would help us stay on the farm, and you know, not everybody’s against the opportunity to do this,” he said.
Perkins said that he believes a lot of people have misconceptions about what a solar farm would bring to Grady County.
A lot of folks spoke against the idea at a public hearing in January. Opponents shared environmental concerns and advocated for families that built their lives on the land.
Overall, Perkins hopes more people will do their own research. But he believes that for his family, solar projects could bring revenue and infrastructure development to the area.
“In Decatur County, I don’t know the figures, but it’s added, it’s helped the county government tremendously,” Perkins said.
Most importantly, he supports anything that might help his family.
“It would be beneficial to me and my son and my grandson,” he said.
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The decision Tuesday came after many residents spoke during a public hearing two weeks ago, asking for a longer pause before the county decides to move forward. During that hearing, some residents opposed solar farms.
However, others felt it could bring more opportunities and money to the county.
Officials said they plan to tour other solar farms to see everything it entails and will continue to dig into more research.
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