April 23, 2008
Illinois

Lincoln council to let wind farm in enterprise zone

LINCOLN (GHNS) – The City Council agreed Monday to include the Logan County portion of the Rail Splitter Wind Farm in the Lincoln-Logan County Enterprise Zone – for a $5,000 annual fee, payable to City Hall.

The Logan County Board last week adopted a similar resolution, which authorizes extending the zone to the northern part of the county. A 3-foot-wide strip of land down Interstate 155 will connect the wind farm to the Lincoln part of the zone.

Approval is still needed by the Elkhart Village Board and Sangamon County Board before the extension application is forwarded to state officials for their blessing.

Horizon Wind Energy of Houston, parent company of the proposed wind farm, gave the city a written commitment saying it, its subsidiaries and any possible future owners of the wind farm would never seek property tax relief, routinely offered to enterprise zone projects, for the leased property where wind turbines will be constructed. Horizon has said it is interested only in taking advantage of one zone incentive – a waiver on paying sales tax on materials it purchases to construct the turbines.

Horizon also furnished a letter agreeing to pay the annual $5,000 fee to City Hall for up to 30 years. That money will be earmarked for enterprise zone administration costs.

The project calls for 29 turbines in Logan County. Another 35 turbines will be built in Tazewell County along the Union Ridge, which intersects Interstate 155 about 3.5 miles south of U.S. Route 136.

pjstar.com

23 April 2008


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/04/23/lincoln-council-to-let-wind-farm-in-enterprise-zone/