The White County Board met Tuesday night briefly.
During the administrator’s report, Dustin Harmon with Bellwether reviewed upcoming deadlines with board members, especially highlighting the June 1st compliance deadline for state-mandated changes to solar and wind ordinances. He recommended key changes, including new setback requirements, revised fee structures, updated decommissioning funding protocols, and the requirement of engineer evaluations. Harmon also noted during this update that several solar farms have experienced fires, but no further details were provided.
Following the report, the board moved on to the sole item on the agenda and approved the final ordinance for Pivot Energy. The company made an additional $10,000 payment toward its solar farm project in Crossville for a property that was initially included but missed in earlier meetings.
There were only a few reports from County officers, including Sheriff Jordan Weiss, who informed the board that bids for window replacements will begin coming in and that he is interested in donating two old Humvees to the VFW.
EMA Director Alan Wurst expressed his gratitude to the Absher Charitable Foundation, which recently donated $1,000 for trauma kits across five clinics and an additional $3,350 for EMA equipment, including an AED. He referenced a recent incident in which a critical emergency involving an elderly man occurred at a local clinic, prompting the realization that certain equipment was needed. Wurst stated the nearest urgent care was miles away, so the trauma bags now include advanced “Stop the Bleed” supplies to stabilize patients before transport.
During this meeting, the consent agenda included approval of VET Environmental bills totaling $13,717.07 for quarterly sampling and permit studies, as well as property resolutions and revised engineering agreements for bridges over Grindstone Creek in Heralds Prairie.
The next White County Board meeting will be on May 19 at 7 PM with a special meeting regarding the new ordinance for Solar Farms starting at 6:45 PM.