Kent County commissioners approve letter and paid ads opposing state solar‑siting rule

Kent County commissioners voted April 28 to direct the county office to send a formal letter to state leaders and regulators opposing a recent state law that county officials said limits local control over large‑scale solar siting.

The board also approved using contingency funds to buy a half‑page ad in the Kent County News and an ad in the Tidewater Trader to publicize the county’s stance. A commissioner moved that the county prepare the letter and purchase the ads; the motion passed by voice vote.

The letter described concerns about the state law (referenced in the meeting as HB 1036 and SB 931), which commissioners said allows up to 5% of Priority Preservation Areas (PPAs) to be converted to solar before authority is returned to counties. “Because we have such a large land mass in PPA, the amount of acreage percentage of our total county acreage is extremely high for this potentially to happen,” a staff member told commissioners while summarizing the draft letter.

Commissioners framed the action as an effort to inform residents and prompt state reconsideration or amendment. The presiding official asked to add language noting that the law has overridden county authority: “Could I add one sentence in there…pointing out the fact that the state has overridden the county’s authority,” the official said during the discussion.

One commissioner urged broad outreach, saying the county should post the letter on its website and run the paid notices so the public understands the county’s position. The board approved a motion that authorized the county office to prepare the letter and purchase paid ads with contingency funds; the motion received a second and passed by voice vote.

The transcript refers to a figure of “up to 7,000” (described by a speaker as part of the potential affected farmland), but the unit (acres, parcels, or another measure) was not specified in the meeting record.

Next steps: staff will prepare and distribute the letter and run the paid notices as authorized by the board. No further details on timing or the exact ad text were provided during the meeting.