Supervisors OK wind ordinance
No one knows if wind turbines will spring up in Humboldt County, but the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors are moving closer to having an ordinance in place to regulate commercial wind farms if they do come. Read about it in this week's Humboldt Independent.
By KENT THOMPSON
More than six months in the making, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Monday approved language changes in a commercial/utility grade wind tower ordinance and agreed to have the first reading of the ordinance at its Monday, May 7 meeting.
Citizens who would like to read the full 7.5-page ordinance are encouraged to do so. They may obtain a copy by contacting the Humboldt County Auditor’s Office on the main floor of the Humboldt County Courthouse, 203 Main St., Dakota City. People can also view the ordinance online at www.humboldtcountyia.org.
Applications for permits are to be filed with the Humboldt County zoning administrator, who will have 30 days to review the application and provide comment.
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors will then set a public hearing review within 30 days. At least one representative of the applicant shall be present at the public hearing.
No later than 60 days following the public hearing, the applicant shall provide a final development plan to the zoning administrator. Within 30 days, the Board of Supervisors will review the plan for completeness and compliance with the ordinance. The Board will approve the application by resolution, and direct the zoning administrator to issue a construction permit.
“I’ve talked to quite a few county supervisors informally, and people who are familiar with these structures and most are happy with them. There will always be some people unhappy, who will be dissenters, but it is time to make a decision and move on,” Humboldt County Supervisor for District 2, Carl Mattes of Humboldt said.
“It’s not good enough,” District 4 Supervisors Erik Underberg of Livermore said of the ordinance. “For what we are dealing with, I’m extremely dissatisfied with how the ordinance was put together. To date, it’s a good start, but it doesn’t provide enough specifics, and in my estimation, doesn’t provide the proper due diligence as it is now written.”
To read a detailed report of what the ordinance contains and other comments about it, pick up this week's Humboldt Independent. Better yet, subscribe. It's as easy as clicking the link at the top of this page.
