An Open Letter to the County Commissioners
Do you have Questions? There is to be a public hearing on January 17, 2023, at 7 p.m. at the Hardeman County Courthouse, 2nd floor, 100 North Main Street, in Bolivar concerning a moratorium on solar farms in our county.
I recently attended a workshop on solar farms and left with many unanswered questions. I sent a letter to our commissioners with some of the questions and concerns I have on this issue. Here is the letter they received:
To the current Commissioners –
I recently attended the Solar Workshop chaired by Jim Pierce. There were representatives from the solar companies, lawyers, elected and appointed officials, and concerned citizens of Hardeman county all in attendance.
I came away with a lot of information and a lot of unanswered questions. There was discussion about what kind of fence and how high? What kind of screen planting should there be? What is a reasonable setback from homes and property lines? How will this affect future use of your property? Will it affect property values? Do people want to see a solar farm in their backyard?
We talked about the future and who will be responsible for the removal of panels once they are decommissioned. How do we safeguard the county from incurring those cost?
Every question brought up another question and so it went throughout the day. It is a complicated issue with no easy answers.
Other counties have struggled with this same issue and it was suggested that we simply adopt what they have done. That would be an easy way out, but is it what is best for the citizens of Hardeman County? Looking to the State for guidance was no help as currently their policy is simply that we have to allow solar companies access to sunlight, BUT the State is currently doing a study which includes most of the questions that came up that day.
For this reason, the Zoning Committee has voted to put a moratorium on solar for 12 months. It will be beneficial to all parties involved to see what they recommend.
This is a big issue for our county and one that could result in thousands of acres covered in solar panels and a solar farm popping up in your backyard. It will affect everyone now, and in the future. It needs careful consideration to make sure that we get it right. Once installed, these farms cannot be moved or altered and we will be dealing with the consequences of your decisions for next 30 to 40 years. Your decisions should be based not only on current needs, but also on future concerns.
The promises of tax dollars are great, but they will go away as the value is depreciated.
What if the solar instillations get sold to another entity? Will we still get tax revenue?
These companies are heavily subsidized by the federal government. What happens if those funds go away?
The electricity produced by the soar farms is contracted to go to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to do with as it pleases, so will those dreams of lower utility costs be realized by the citizens of Hardeman County?
There are so many “what if’s” and so many unanswered questions that I urge you to vote “yes” on the moratorium to give the State time to finish it’s study. It will also give you time to further investigate the pros and cons of solar so that you can make an informed decision as to what is best for all of Hardeman County.
Let’s make sure we have a county that we will still recognize in 20 years and a county that our children will still want to call home.
Thank you for your time and consideration on this matter.
Karen Clayton
If you have other questions or concerns, I urge you to contact your commissioner and share them with him or her. This is the time to speak up as they are in the planning phase of how this issue will be handled in our county. This will affect everyone in Hardeman County in one way or another and we must take the time to do it right.
The Honorable Brad Grantham – District 1, Position 1 (Bolivar) – bradrgrantham@aol.com
The Honorable Jackie Sain – District 1, Position 2 (Bolivar) – wjsain@bellsouth.net
The Honorable Thomas Polk – District 1, Position 3 (Bolivar) – tepolk@bellsouth.net
The Honorable Bethany Miller – District 2, Position 1 (Bolivar) – bethany38008@yahoo.com
The Honorable Johnny Weems – District 2, Position 2 (Bolivar) – jweems13@gmail.com
The Honorable Chandra Lake – District 3, Position 1 (Whiteville) – prettylake14@gmail.com
The Honorable Cory Bufford – District 3, Position 2 (Whiteville) – corybufford72@gmail.com
The Honorable Bobby Hensley – District 4, Position 1 (Hickory Valley) – coachhensley@yahoo.com
The Honorable Johnny Lanier – District 5, Position 1 (Middleton) – johnny_lanier@bellsouth.net
The Honorable David Bell – District 5, Position 2 (Middleton) – david@southcentralsales.com
The Honorable Jeff Kennamore – District 5, Position 3 (Middleton) – jeffkennamore@bellsouth.net
The Honorable John Vickers- District 6, Position 1 (Peavine Road/Highway 125 area) – iam4ut38052@yahoo.com
The Honorable Russell DeBerry – District 7, Position 1 (Hornsby) – (731) 658-1054
The Honorable Mark Gilliam – District 7, Position 2 (Hornsby) – mgilliam@midsouthcoop.com
The Honorable Bobby Wright – District 8, Position 1 (Toone) – wrightbobby770@gmail.com
The Honorable Joseph Jenkins – District 9, Position 1 (Grand Junction) – jenkinsjoseph488@gmail.com
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