New wind farm ordinances blow into SW Iowa
With the prospect of wind energy blowing into southwest Iowa, both Page and Fremont County have passed similar wind energy assessment ordinances. Both ordinances, which are similar, went into effect Sept. 16
The ordinance in each county was passed so wind towers will be assessed locally, if and when, they come to Page and Fremont County.
Without an ordinance, wind towers are considered a utility and assessed by the state.
Fremont County Assessor Karen Berry said if wind towers are assessed as a state utility, tax dollars go to the state and are distributed where the state feels they are needed.
“If accessed locally, we keep the money here in the county,” said Berry. “A part of it goes to the county and a larger part of it goes to the school district where the towers are located.”
Both Page and Fremont County ordinances state wind towers will have a zero percent assessment of the net acquisition cost for the first year, but for the next six years, the rate increases by five percent, gradually reaching a maximum assessed value of 30 percent.
Page County Board of Supervisors member Jim Richardson said they modeled their ordinance after Buena Vista County.
“Buena Vista was one of the first to pass such an ordinance,” said Richardson. “I think you’ll find most everybody in the state is copying Buena Vista.”
Which is not surprising when Earl “Speck” Hendrickson, a member of the Fremont County Board of Supervisors, said their county did the same thing.
“It works out best for the county and the wind tower companies,” said Hendrickson.
Berry said items are assessed beginning Jan. 1 of the new year, therefore it was a good time to pass the ordinance.
“It’s in case, by some slim chance, someone would want to put up a tower next year, we’d already have the ordinance in place,” said Berry.
Richardson and Hendrickson agree it was a no-brainer when it came to voting in favor of the ordinance.
“It’s a good deal for the whole county,” said Hendrickson.
“It’s a win-win situation,” said Richardson.
A test tower has already been placed in Page and Fremont County to see if it’s viable to produce wind energy, but there has been no official word from any wind energy corporations on future plans.
Tess Gruber Nelson
3 October 2008
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