Washington wind ordinance debate resumes Tuesday

WASHINGTON — County Supervisors plan to continue their discussion of an ordinance governing taxes for wind energy projects in the area at their regular meeting on Tuesday

While an official draft of the new ordinance was not yet available, county officials expected it to resemble a similar policy debated in 2021. Washington County Supervisor Jack Seward Jr. said the alternative to a county-level ordinance was a default to state rules, which would similarly tax the generators with fewer benefits to the local government.

“If we don’t do it, it would be classified by the state as a utility, and the state would get most of their tax money,” he said. “We need to have it done before there’s any property like that in the county.”

The assessment rules are largely preordained, after a bill from the state’s 2022 legislative session modified state code to require that wind farms be assessed at a rate depending on their age: 0% of the net acquisition cost for their first year, but compounding 5% of the acquisition cost every year thereafter, until year seven, where assessments would cap at 30%.

It was not immediately clear, based on the item’s wording in Tuesday’s tentative meeting agenda, whether the conversation would focus only on wind turbine assessments, or would also encompass rules for the generators’ placement, setbacks, coloration, signage or other considerations.

County supervisors at previous meetings, however, have signaled plans to consider such rules separately from those governing taxes on wind property, which they expect to prove less controversial.

“I would suggest that the very first thing we do is to look at this, basically, two-page ordinance regarding setting the assessment,” Seward said at a meeting in July. “That’s the very first step, and I think it’s the easiest one to do.”

Whatever does get discussed at Tuesday’s public hearing, state law would start a countdown of 30 days to get an assessment ordinance on the books before another public hearing is required.

At least two power companies are keeping a close eye on the conversation.

County supervisors at last week’s meeting said they’d heard of interest from Alliant Energy in local wind projects, while industry powerhouse Duke Energy has put out feelers quite publicly in the region.

Eric Briones, owner of consultant firm Sustainable Power Partners, which represents Duke Energy, said county ordinance decisions would determine where turbines end up.

“The counties that have incentives for these types of power plants … will be able to sell electricity at a more competitive rate, putting those projects at a better cost to providers, a better cost to utilities, a better cost to their customers,” he said at a meeting last month.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com