Allen County taxpayers still have the chance to reap a remarkable harvest from the Birch Solar project in Shawnee Township, if only our commissioners will speak for us. The project’s permit from the state is in limbo; it may enter a second hearing and possibly even be contested at the Ohio Supreme Court.
In the meantime, a tax windfall of $80 million for the county is on the line, just as Shawnee Township households grapple with paying for new schools (Shawnee schools planning for future, Feb. 9). The Shawnee school district, which would be the largest single recipient of taxes paid by the project, has reached its limit on funding, and this source of income would give the district much-needed help to build those new schools.
It’s an issue for Shawnee residents to debate, but the commissioners’ apparent opposition to the solar project has consequences for the rest of the county, too: Tax from the project would also go to Apollo Career Center and be a big boost to the county budget.
It’s not entirely clear to me that the commissioners actually oppose this source of new taxes, and I challenge them to set the record straight since the state regulators singled them out as the main reason for their initial denial. The regulators affirmed that the developer had met all of the requirements placed on the project, and local farmers continue to stand ready to lease their own land.
Andy Chappell-Dick
Bluffton
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