Wright County board rejects Resolution 2,659 after debate over permits and federal preemption

Wright County commissioners continued a Sept. 15 meeting on Sept. 16 to consider Resolution 2,659, a measure directing local action related to earth movement near a satellite earth station. Commissioner Shane moved to adopt the resolution and Commissioner Holland seconded, but the motion failed on a 3–2 roll-call vote.

“I’ll go ahead and make the motion to accept resolution 2,659,” said Commissioner Shane when she introduced the motion. County legal counsel warned the board that the resolution as drafted risked exceeding the board’s authority: “As written, this resolution would take the zoning interpretation authority away from the zoning administrator,” the attorney told the board, adding that such a step would likely not survive judicial review.

The vote concluded a prolonged exchange over whether the county could withhold permits or otherwise block installations that involve transmission or reception functions governed by federal law. After the resolution failed, commissioners moved to send changes to the county’s ordinances to the revisers committee; that motion passed on a voice vote.

The board left in place staff direction to investigate the site and agreed that, if an engineering report shows more than the 500-cubic-yard threshold, the applicant would be required to pursue a conditional use permit for land alteration.