Set public hearing for Sept. 12 on $3.8 communications tower, radios
~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline
The Greene County board of supervisors took the next steps toward $16.5 million in county indebtedness at their meeting on Aug. 22.
The board unanimously passed a resolution calling for an election to vote on a proposition for public authorization of $12,685,000 for Greene County to “authorize a loan agreement and issue General Obligation Capital Loan Notes …for the purpose of designing, constructing, equipping, furnishing, and making land site improvements for a new Greene County jail.”
The question will be on the ballot for the general election Tuesday, Nov. 8. Registered voters of the county can vote on whether to approve the indebtedness for a new jail.
Construction and architecture of a new jail has been discussed at several board meetings. ISG, the company designing the structure, provided an estimate of $12,635,000 earlier this summer.
At the request of board chair John Muir, ISG provided a quote with a peaked steel roof rather than the proposed flat roof. That estimate – $500,000 – was given to the supervisors Monday.
According to ISG, the change in design will increase the life expectancy of the roof from 20 years to 50-75 years. Board chair John Muir had requested the cost for the pitched roof rather than the flat roof in the original plan.
The supervisors agreed to seek voter approval of the higher estimate to include the pitched roof.
“We need the public to vote in the November election,” Muir said.
The board also set a public hearing for Sept. 12, at 9 am in the board room of the courthouse for public comment on the authorization of a loan agreement for $3.8 million for the “essential county purpose” of purchasing and installing peace officer communications equipment and emergency services communications equipment including towers and radios.
According to the notice of the public hearing, the board will consider objections from any resident or property owner in the county and then decide whether to continue the process of authorizing a loan agreement and issuing General Obligation Capital Loan Notes.
Heidi Kuhl, Northland Securities, spoke to the board about the financial process ahead. Northland assisted the county in financing for past projects such as the Career Academy.
Northland provides financial services, structuring of TIF cash flow, terms of bonds, and helping through the bond rating process. Northland also provides underwriting for loans.
“The county’s first bond issue was in 2019,” Kuhl said. “We will take a look at decisions you’ll have down the road. Greene County has a credit rating of AA-.”
(According to an investment website, bond ratings are the equivalent of consumer’s credit ratings for governments that want to borrow money. A rating of AA is very high indicating the county is considered financially strong.)
Kuhl said the first step is to sign an engagement letter with Northland Securities for jail financing and communications tower.
The board unanimously approved a Municipal Advisory Service Agreement between Greene County and Northland Security, Inc., for the proposed new jail.
A second agreement with Northland Security was also unanimously approved by the board to engage Northland as the underwriter for the communications project, and not as financial or municipal advisor.
During discussion of the proposed communication tower, Muir said, “We have to do due diligence and look out for the taxpayers. Do we have any 250- foot towers?”
Doug Hawn, E911 board secretary, told the board a 250-foot communication tower is needed to work with the State’s radio frequency. He said new radio equipment will also be needed.
Hawn said the E911 Service Board would engage Rey Freeman Communications Consulting to help in dealings with Motorola. Hawn said this would save the county money.
Jamie Daubendiek from Jefferson Telecom told the board about the current state of towers in the county, saying there are some 190-foot towers that could be extended “depending on the weight of the equipment and the height requirements.”
Supervisor Pete Bardole asked about the lifetime of a tower.
Hawn said there is maintenance of things like guy wires but the tower itself has very long life expectancy.
The board discussed how a future change in communications systems would affect the choice of whether to extend current towers or construct a new tower.
“We might have a change in (communication) systems, but we still will need a tower,” supervisor Dawn Rudolph said.
“We have to look at every possibility,” said Muir.
The board took no action since the public hearing on the communications system is scheduled for Sept. 12, but information will be explored as to alternatives to a new tower.
In other business, county attorney Thomas Laehn presented the supervisors with a draft of the zoning ordinance “supplanting the current zoning ordinance”.
Laehn said he and auditor Jane Heun had reviewed the current ordinance and found 200 needed changes in the 63 pages. He asked for supervisor feedback, especially for the proposed ordinance on utility-scale solar energy projects.
“We modeled the solar energy part after the Webster County ordinances,” Laehn said, “but we removed the parts about private solar panels.”
“This draft is more elaborate than Webster County’s,” he said. “It’s also based on our past experiences with the windmills.”
Laehn said a site plan would be submitted by a utility-scale solar energy company and would include a conditional use plan. A limit of 1000 acres per solar farm, 2 miles from another solar farm, and encircled by fencing would be required.
Laehn said set-back distances in the draft are based on supervisor Dawn Rudolph’s previous recommendations.
Set-backs include 1000 feet from dwelling units; 75 feet from right-of-way; 1000 feet from wildlife management areas; 500 feet from buildings; and 500 feet from cemeteries.
Laehn said AC powerlines would be underground and the solar companies would be responsible for drainage system repair and clean-up.
“There must be a landscape plan by a licensed landscape architect or arborist,” Laehn said. “Trees must be (at least) 4 feet high when planted. Topsoil should not be permanently removed.”
“The solar company must restore roads and bridges used for construction,” Laehn said.
“There must be protection for public drainage and an agreement between the drainage district and the utility company,” Laehn said.
Laehn also spoke about need for the utility companies to have general liability insurance and a plan for emergencies, including natural disasters.
“Abandonment (of the solar farm) would be defined as 180 consecutive days of inactivity,” Laehn said.
“The land can be two or more owners making up the 1000-acre limit,” he said. “Owners might decide to sign waivers on the set-back distances.”
Rudolph asked how land values for taxation purposes might be affected. There was no discussion of this but there was a general agreement to look into it.
Laehn asked for feedback by the next board meeting and said he would have another draft by the meeting on Sept. 6. He proposed a first reading of the ordinance on Sept. 6, publication on Sept. 12, and adoption at the board meeting on Sept. 26.
The public can obtain copies of the draft ordinances from the office of the county attorney.
Laehn told the board the current moratorium on utility-scale solar energy projects is scheduled to end at noon on Sept. 26. He advised it would be possible to have all the ordinances re-codified by this date.
“I think we can meet the timeline for both the re-codification and the moratorium. We are making amazing leaps in Greene County because of Thomas (Laehn),” Muir said. Engineer Wade Weiss asked the board about the possibility for TIF (tax increment financing) money for a future road project on County Road P-46 near Paton.
