Marion County Board reviews Sandoval solar farm project
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Board also approves agreement to conduct study of property assessments
By DENNIS ROSENBERGER
stceditor@salemtc.net
The Marion County Board heard details last week on a planned community solar farm project that will be located along U.S. Route 50, about a mile east of Sandoval
Dimension Energy has submitted an application for the project under Marion County’s new wind and solar energy ordinance. According to details discussed during the county board meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 26, the project will be constructed on a 95 acre property east of Sandoval, although the actual solar farm will use only around 29 acres.
Development of the just under 5 megawatt solar farm is estimated at around $15 million, with construction expected to get under way sometime next spring.
It was noted that Dimension Energy was seeking some sort of preliminary approval for the project, since they are hoping to submit it for assistance through a state program that has an application deadline in early September.
With that in mind, the board agreed to provide a conditional letter of support for the project stating that if, after proper review, the project meets all requirements under the county’s solar ordinance, the board will approve the permit application. That application must first go through a review process by the county’s consultant before final approval can be granted.
The Dimension Energy development in Sandoval has an initial lease for the property that runs for 25 years, with an option for a five year extension. During the presentation, it was noted that the completed project is expected to generate an estimated $562,000 in tax revenue for the county’s taxing districts over the 30 year life of the solar farm.
As a community solar project, local residents will have the opportunity to subscribe to the solar farm and receive a discount on their electric bills from Ameren.
In addition to the project from Dimension Energy, the county board also gave conditional approval to another previously discussed community solar project off of Community Beach Road near Centralia.
The Community Beach Road project is being undertaken by Solar Generation MW and is a similar size to the Sandoval project, as 4.95 megawatts and an estimated project cost of $15 million.
In other business on Aug. 26:
The Marion County Board approved an agreement with Property Evaluation and Tax Advisors, LLC, for a study to be conducted to try and determine the cause and possible solutions for the disparities between property assessments in the county, compared to actual sale prices of properties.
The board’s Budget Committee heard a presentation on the study from Property Evaluation and Tax Advisors, LLC, representatives earlier in August, which noted that Marion County currently ranks near the bottom out of the state’s 102 counties when it comes to the accuracy of property assessments.
The assessments of some commercial properties in the Salem area have been the subject of complaints heard by the board over the past few months, with business owners expressing concern about their unusually high property tax bills.
Some county board members have pushed for the study in hopes that it can help address any assessment disparities in the county and ensure that everyone is paying their fair share in property taxes.
The cost of the study will be $14,800 and a report from the study is expected to be ready in two or three months, once the work gets under way.
