Residents urge Daviess County to act on solar ordinance changes as moratorium end looms

During the public-comment portion of the April 30 meeting, Allison Kum of Owensboro told the Daviess County Fiscal Court her group has worked "diligently" on suggested amendments to the Owensboro Metropolitan Zoning Ordinance Article 8 addressing solar and wind leases and asked why the county has not progressed those changes after an earlier request for input in November.

Kum said the fiscal court extended a moratorium to allow review but that the group sees no reported progress, and she urged the court to act before the upcoming primary election. She also raised a potential conflict of interest involving a candidate for judge executive who reportedly holds an active solar lease and would be obliged to recuse himself if elected; commissioners responded that multiple internal reviews and outside consultations have been undertaken and that some counties have hired outside legal or technical consultants to craft defensible ordinance language.

Commissioners later reiterated their interest in resolving the issue: Commissioner Marksberry said, "I did not want to put a six-month extension. I was ready to move forward," and urged action ahead of the primary. The judge said staff had requested materials from citizen groups and met with commissioners and external peers to review options, including hiring outside experts to ensure changes will withstand legal challenges.

No ordinance changes were voted on at the meeting; commissioners said they are reviewing materials and budget implications and that further discussion will follow.