A member of the zoning board in a small Iowa county is leasing land that would be directly affected by a proposed solar farm project.
As a member of the Cherokee County Zoning Board, Adam Glienke also played a key role in crafting the highly restrictive 1,320-foot setback requirement for the Maple River Solar Project. The county Board of Supervisors is shceduled to vote on the zoning board's recommendations May 13.
The 900-acre proposed solar farm in Cherokee County would be the fourth largest in Iowa and provide substantial tax revenues to the rural county residents.
Adam Glienke
| File photo
But standing in the way is a proposed zoning ordinance that would require a 1,320-foot setback minimum that is up to 13 times greater than the average setback requirements for solar farms across America. The zoning board also has suggested acreage limitations that could squash the project.
Supporters of the project, that has been in discussion for more than two years, say that if this setback is approved by the zoning board next week, the project will likely die.
The Maple River Solar Project, being developed by TED Renewables, is a proposed solar farm that would produce 160 megawatts. That would generate enough clean energy to power approximately 27,000 homes annually.
If the project goes through, it would be one of the largest solar farms in the state and would be a boon to the small county in northwest Iowa of fewer than 12,000 residents.
The Cherokee County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote May 13 whether to accept the zoning board's ordinance for the setback. The supervisors can accept the zoning board's recommendations as is or change them. The county currently has no solar farms, but there are at least 16 utility-scale solar farms in the state.
Shane Bellefy, a member of the Cherokee County Board of Supervisors, has expressed concerns about transparency with the project.
"While I want to sincerely thank the Zoning Commission for their time and volunteer service, I have significant concerns that make it difficult for me to support their recommendation,” Bellefy said. ““It appears that the commission may have violated Iowa Open Meetings laws on multiple occasions by not making meetings properly accessible to the public, as required by state code.
“Transparency is a cornerstone of public trust, and any potential breach of these laws is deeply troubling.”
Bellefy also noted potential conflicts of interests with the zoning board.
“Furthermore, this Board of Supervisors has, in the past, faced considerable public scrutiny over decisions involving potential conflicts of interest,” he said. “That history played a direct role in the election of new board members, myself included, who were chosen to help restore integrity and public confidence in this body. We must remain vigilant in upholding the standards our constituents expect and deserve.
“In addition, I have ethical reservations about supporting a recommendation from a board where there may be conflicts of interest involving one or more of its members. As an elected official, my responsibility is to uphold the will of the people and to maintain the integrity of the process. Therefore, with respect to the commission’s efforts, I cannot in good conscience accept their recommendation.”
During a Board of Supervisors meeting last month, Bellefy complained about Glienke’s renting of land that would be part of the project and the “blatant conflict of interest” that creates.
Glienke was appointed to the zoning board late last year.
Glienke and the zoning board proposed the 1,320-foot setback plan as well as the 500-acre limit per project. Other government and business officials both have balked at those “highly restrictive” requirements.
Bellefy and others have questioned if Glienke is representing the county or himself.
“We have a certain zoning member that was commenting and making laws on land that they cash-rent,” Bellefy said, saying Glienke should have recused himself from the zoning meeting. “I am very concerned that we have a zoning member commenting and writing ordinances, in effect, for a particular project they are tied to.”
While Adam Glienke is on the zoning board and leases land that would be used for the solar project, his uncle Dale Glienke is on the county Board of Adjustments and his aunt by marriage Kris Glienke is the county auditor. And his father Brian Glienke owns property adjacent to the proposed location.
“I do not want that thing 300 feet from my house, I’m gonna tell you that right now,” Brian Glienke said last month during a public hearing, according to the Cherokee Chronicle Times.