County Board learns tax bills will go out in August
By Kayleigh Rahn
Douglas County Treasurer Bobbi Murray told the Douglas County Board during its meeting Wednesday, July 18 that she anticipates the Douglas County tax bills will be sent to county property owners at some point in August and will be due in September and October.
“Please pass that information around,” she requested.
In other business during last Wednesday’s meeting, the county board entertained additional conversation regarding the proposed Broadlands Wind Farm, to be located near Newman in the northeast corner of the county. EDP Renewables has worked for nearly a decade to construct the 200-megawatt, 60-turbine wind farm.
Newman-area residents, led by resident Paul Freebairn, previously requested the county board establish a moratorium on applications under the Wind Energy Conservation Systems, which would include wind farms. Freebairn requested the board set the moratorium to allow time to consider a 3,000-foot setback from a structure, rather than the current 1,000-foot set back, and a setback from the property line of 3 times the turbine tip height, rather than the current 1 times the turbine tip height.
After several weeks of research the county’s Plat and Planning committee made no motion to recommend the moratorium, which prompted residents in the affected townships to pass ordinances establishing township zoning. Newman and Murdock townships have given the green light for zoning at this point.
“On (July 10) Newman voted in an electorate election 86-57 to adopt local zoning in their township and last night (July 17) Murdock Township voted 63-25 to adopt in their township and as I understand Sargent Township is getting ready to do the same thing,” Freebairn told the board last Wednesday. “I equate this to what the board said last month in regards to the gun issue with the state of Illinois and the gun situation and taking local control. I think we have the same sort of situation with the townships that they are viewing the inaction of the board on the moratorium for the wind ordinance the same way and they are taking local control.”
“When we talk with the historic preservation committees, they think this building is cool,” City Administrator Drew Hoel said. “When we think of historic we think of the 1800s, and this isn’t art deco, but it’s the contemporary style of the late 1950s–the football bank.”
The full story can be found in the Wednesday, July 25 edition of The Tuscola Journal.