As it currently stands, the ordinance, which would govern utility scale solar energy systems in the county, is lacking several key components including setback restrictions.

The meeting began with a brief introduction by the county’s outgoing Zoning and Planning Administrator Taveis Stevens.

“The board here is going to take all recommendations and move that forward to the board of supervisors who actually make the decision [on the ordinance]. … We’ll get [comments] recorded and hopefully we’ll send a good product up to the board of supervisors,” he said.

Following Stevens’ brief remarks, the five-member commission chaired by rural Clutier farmer Doug Dvorak approved the minutes from their last meeting before then allowing 13 members of the public three minutes each for comments.

Members of the Tama County Zoning Commission including, left to right, Carol Meyer, Wade Mitchell, and chair Doug Dvorak, are pictured on April 17 in the supervisors’ chambers at the Administration Building in Toledo.

TED Renewables, aka Draft Horse Solar

Three individuals with Tyr Energy Development Renewables, LLC (TED Renewables) spoke during the meeting, including the company’s Director of Project Development Elias Toshiro.

On Valentine’s Day last year, Kansas City-based TED Renewables – the U.S. arm of ITOCHU Corporation which is headquartered in Tokyo and focuses on the development of renewable energy projects – along with Tama County landowner Terry J. Kucera of Sergeant Bluff filed a solar energy lease and easement agreement with the county recorder. It encompasses some 960 acres total across Perry and Clark townships east of Traer in and around Highway 8.

In February of this year, TED Renewables started a Facebook page for the proposed Traer area project – Draft Horse Solar. According to the company, once in operation, it would generate up to $200,000 in new tax revenue for the county each year during its approximately 35 year lifespan.

Through their public comments, representatives with TED Renewables asked the zoning commission to remove both the ordinance’s CSR (Corn Suitability Rating) limitations – currently set at 65 or higher in the draft ordinance – and the 25 megawatt size limit.

In terms of setbacks, TED Renewables recommended setbacks of 50 feet from non-participating property lines and roads and 300 feet from non-participating domiciles.

“For Tama County, a well-written solar ordinance can help preserve the county’s rural character for neighbors while allowing economic growth to help support the expanding community school and the essential first responders,” TED Renewables Developer Justin Wills said. “Counties play a critical role through their ordinances to keep their doors open to good business and allow for opportunities for their residents. To remain competitive in Iowa, the CSR limitation must be removed. This will allow landowners the freedom to steward their land and will keep projects localized around existing electrical infrastructure. Most of the lower CSR ground in the southern part of the county is lower rated because of hills and floodplains which aren’t good for solar development. And better suited land in the northern part of the county would be off limits because of the CSR.”

Public comments

Terry Kucera also spoke on behalf of the Draft Horse Solar project, which would be developed on his land.

“There’ll be no flashing lights, no odor, no noise. There’ll be flexible setbacks. The land will be seeded down to reduce erosion and increase habitat for bees and other wildlife. The length of this contract is much shorter or shorter than most CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) contracts that farmers enter into today. The good thing about it – with no concrete in the post – this land will be easy to return to row crop production,” he said.

Kucera also addressed the outputs of the proposed project.

“On a per acre basis, the project will produce 20 to 50 times more energy than growing corn for ethanol. It will provide employment for three to four local people plus an additional $200,000 in tax revenue. As a former teacher at North Tama, my wife is happy to know there’ll be extra funding for the schools. All I have ever asked people to do was to talk to the developers to gather the information,” he said.

Tama County resident Lynn Cizek, who lives with her husband Jeff in Clark Township east of Traer adjacent to the proposed Draft Horse Solar project site, also addressed the commission.

“Our acreage on Highway 8 will be profoundly impacted if this solar project is allowed to go through. … We will be surrounded totally on three sides to the north, the east, and to the west, in a metallic prison filled with hundreds of thousands of solar panels. Jeff and I have lived on this acreage for over 30 years, raising our kids and grandkids. … What do you think my property values for this acreage will be if this proposed project is allowed to go through? I will tell you – nothing,” she said. “No family would want to move next door to a monstrous solar complex. No mother would want to expose her children to the unknowns. We really don’t know what all the health risks and repercussions of this are going to be. And we won’t know – probably not until 20 years down the line when it’s too late.”

Cizek went on to say that while she isn’t “totally against the use of solar” – positively referencing small scale solar projects undertaken by local businesses, schools, grain cooperatives, “corporate” farmers, etc. – she is against utility scale projects like the one proposed near her property.

Other speakers Wednesday evening included Tama County residents speaking out against utility scale solar projects as well as a couple of rural residents who have solar panels of their own and cautioned against limiting landowners’ rights.

There were also speakers from outside the county including Iowa City resident Mike Carberry, who spoke on behalf of Bright Future Iowa, an organization supported by NextEra Energy Resources that advocates for solar energy development in Iowa.

No recommendations made, yet

“So where do we go from here, folks?” Dvorak asked toward the tail end of the nearly hour long meeting.

Collectively, the commission’s members seemed to agree that they needed to conduct more research and then hold another work session in order to discuss the draft ordinance further before sending it on to the board of supervisors.

“I see both sides of it,” Dvorak said. “I agree with [commission member] Carol Meyer – we aren’t gonna make everybody happy. That’s all there is to it. We’ve got to find compromise.”

In terms of a future meeting or work session, which has not yet been scheduled as of presstime, one of the commission members joked, “The sooner the better. But it has to be raining.”

The Tama County Zoning Commission is currently composed of five members including Dvorak, whose term ends in 2028, Carol Meyer, whose term ends in 2025, Wade Mitchell, whose term ends in 2026, Steven Peterson, whose term ends this year, and Craig Sash, whose term ends in 2027.