By JEFF LAMPE
For The Weekly Post
FARMINGTON – Solar panels generate power and are increasingly popular because they do so with a lower carbon footprint. But they can also be a source for fires.
To better prepare for the latter possibility, the Farmington City Council is working to finish zoning regulations for solar energy installations in the city.
Discussion on the topic started last month and continued Monday, as council members reviewed a rough draft of an ordinance.
“We’re more interested in knowing where (solar installations) are and that nobody is powering the world off their one lot,” Farmington Mayor Kenn Stufflebeam said. “We just need to know where they are and what’s there so firefighters know what they are showing up to fight in case of a fire.”
Information on the location and type of solar installation gleaned from permits issued by the city will be shared with the fire department, Stufflebeam said.
The topic is particularly timely given that solar panels could be linked to a Dec. 22 grass fire on the Farmington School District campus. No cause for the fire has been proven and structural damage to the solar array wasn’t apparent, according to Farmington Superintendent Zac Chatterton.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze in about an hour.
On June 11, 2023, a fire in an inverter panel at a solar farm near Farmington on Illinois Route 116 did cause a grass fire. Farmington firefighters handled that blaze using a dry chemical extinguisher.
Council members on Monday asked city attorney Bill Connor to pare the proposed ordinance and make a few changes, including adding a possible $100 permit fee for solar installations. The council expects to review a new version at its Jan. 20 meeting to have something ready for the city planning commission to review on Jan. 30.
Council members agreed that solar panels that have already been installed will be grandfathered in and will not be subject to any fees or regulations, unless they face repairs of 50% or more at some point.
In other business Monday, as part of an effort to update city codes, the council discussed billing for sewer and garbage service. Most of the discussion centered on how to handle and inform residents who are behind in their payments.
The council also heard that the police department has received new Tasers and is working to get them into service. General orders are also being updated using the Lexipol process. Police chief Chris Darsham reported the following activity for his department in December: 3,660 building checks, 237 business checks, 233 calls, 30 traffic stops, 18 reports, 13 assists to other departments, seven arrests, five traffic tickets issued, four crashes handled, four crimes against people, four miscellaneous items, two property crimes and two ordinance violations.
At the end of the meeting, local business owner Cassandra Anderson asked how the city was promoting its TIF district and downtown development.
The consensus from the council was that TIF decisions are made on a case-by-case basis and that anyone seeking financial assistance should attend a meeting of Farmington’s CEDC committee. That group meets on the fourth Thursday of each month at 5 p.m. in the council chambers.
