Published 4:22 pm Wednesday, October 21, 2026
By Ashlyn Little
UPDATE: The Vernon Parish Police Jury has called a special meeting for Friday, Oct. 23, at 3 p.m. The new drafted ordinance is on their website now and the public can make comments until tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. before the meeting.
For the second consecutive month, the Vernon Parish Police Jury has postponed a vote on tighter restrictions for local solar developments, choosing caution over mounting state and federal pressure to lift its current moratorium.
Facing another packed house at the Vernon Parish Judicial Complex on Monday, the Police Jury ultimately voted to table an amendment to Ordinance No. 9 of 2025. The decision followed a direct warning from District Attorney Terry Lambright, who urged the panel not to rush into a vote before he could thoroughly vet the new regulations.
The meeting, which opened with a prayer by District 3 Juror David Fox, quickly pivoted to the controversial solar ordinance. Parish President James “Jim” Tuck initially announced plans to approve the amendment Monday, pending Lambright’s subsequent legal review.
“We’re going to approve it today, but we’re going to amend it based on his (Lambright’s) approval,” Tuck said at the start of the session.
Tuck noted that the jury is facing significant state and federal pressure to take action and lift the solar farm moratorium, which has been in place since a special-call meeting on Aug. 10.
“I did make a commitment to state and federal people that we would take action on it no matter which way it went today,” Tuck added, emphasizing that “every change we’ve made in this ordinance is to protect the existing landowners.”
However, Lambright strongly advised the jury against passing a law before it was legally finalized.
“I reviewed the ordinance that is being submitted and I’m going to say this: I don’t really like to pass an ordinance and then let the District Attorney figure out what we’ve got regarding to do that,” Lambright told the jury. “I think the jury, in order to make the best decision, needs to actually get the advice in front of the passing of ordinances as opposed to after the fact.”
Residents also pushed back against a hasty decision. The jury limited public comments on Monday, stating ample time had already been provided in prior weeks. Even so, Vernon resident Stacy Merchant was able to voice his concerns.
“I’m just trying to prevent problems before they start, that way we’re not dealing with them after the fact,” Merchant said, arguing it was the wrong time to rush the vote. While Tuck countered that the ordinance could always be amended again in the future if needed, the jury ultimately sided with the DA’s recommendation to delay.
The drafted amendment introduces significantly tougher restrictions for solar farm developers compared to the parish’s original framework. Under the newly proposed rules, the required buffer zone between a solar facility and any public road would double, pushing the minimum distance from 150 feet to 300 feet. Additionally, developers would have to maintain a strict setback of at least 500 feet from the property line of any private neighbor. However, the draft offers some flexibility for residents, allowing private landowners to sign separate written agreements with operators if they choose to permit a smaller setback next to their property.
Beyond physical boundaries, the amendment establishes strict environmental and operational safeguards to protect the surrounding community. Any equipment or structures built outside the buffer zones must be designed and situated to eliminate unreasonable impacts on neighbors and public roads, explicitly targeting problems like glare, heat, and odors. Noise pollution is also tightly regulated, capping facility sounds at no more than 10 decibels above ambient noise levels when measured from the property line. Furthermore, developers face heavier long-term financial and maintenance obligations; the timeline for reevaluating the facility’s decommissioning bond would shrink from every five years to every three years.
The update also holds solar operators strictly accountable for the visual and physical upkeep of their sites. The draft mandates that all landscaping must be fully maintained and warranted for the entire lifespan of the facility, requiring any unhealthy or dead plant material to be replaced immediately. Finally, the regulations place the burden of problem-solving on the companies themselves. If a solar farm causes any adverse effects on an adjoining property owner at any point during its construction or daily operation, the facility owner is legally required to work directly with that resident to mitigate and correct the issue.
 

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