VIENNA — The Maries County Commission at its June 2 meeting voted to end right-of-way agreement negotiations with solar developers with no deal in place.

Over the last few months, the commission has engaged in talks with Azimuth Renewables and Vesper Energy, the companies developing the Vichy Solar project in the county. The most recent meeting occurred last week (see related story), and the commission told the developers they would make a decision this week.

Presiding Commissioner Victor Stratman began the discussion by saying he was ready to sign the right-of-way agreement if Eastern District Commissioner Doug Drewel, whose district the agreement would affect, was confident the roads would stay in good enough condition throughout the construction process that it would not impede the residents of those roads. His main concern was that the developers could not run overhead wiring on some of the roads because of limited space on the sides of the roads.

Drewel asked how many people would benefit from the county entering into a right-of-way agreement. He estimated about 15 residents had leased their land for the solar farm.

“It’s going to benefit 15 people, and you have how many people on that side of the county?” he said. “I probably talked to 150 people that don’t want anything to do with it. They wanted to know who owned the county road. I guess each person owns a little bit of it, and they do pay taxes in the county.”

Drewel said if the commission were to make a decision about the right-of-way agreement that represented the majority of county taxpayers, then they would reject a deal with the solar developers. He said he had heard arguments in support of the solar farm from residents saying they did not believe anyone should tell them what to do with their land, such as preventing them from leasing to solar developers.

“I agree with that 100 percent,” he said. “If you want to put solar panels on your ground, that’s fine. Put them on there. But those people shouldn’t be able to tell (other landowners) that they have to give up their ground so they can get solar panel juice to the line.”

Stratman said he did not see how the point related to the decision the commission was weighing.

Drewel said the county road was effectively owned by taxpayers and only about 15 or 20 of them wanted the agreement to happen.

“If you go with the majority of the people, you’re going to have to not do it,” he said.

Drewel also outlined lingering concerns about being locked into whatever conditions the agreement set. He questioned how much of the proposal was “bogus” and cited a specification the county had requested for rock that the developers had repeatedly ignored when they updated the draft. Another concern he had was about the liability for the project because the proposal seemed to absolve all parties from liability.

The question of how much money the project would bring the county was another one of Drewel’s considerations. If the commission signed the right-of-way agreement, the county would receive $400,000 in the latest draft plus a few thousand dollars per year for the project’s lifetime, which could last up to 40 years. He said if production on the solar farm were to stop after a few years, then the county’s revenue stream would end with it.

Taxes on Vichy Solar would also provide the county with revenue, but the county would not have to become directly involved with the project to receive it, unlike the revenue from the right-of-way agreement. Drewel said he believed the project would happen regardless of whether the county signed the agreement because the developers would find a way to either lease from landowners or request a state commission settle the issue of connecting to the transmission line. He saw either as a more favorable option because it would not leave the county liable for the developers’ activities on the county roads. If the state became involved and gave the developers rights to the road, then it would guarantee that the repairs met state specifications.

“I don’t think it’s a good deal for the county because there are too many unknowns,” Drewel said.

“Everyone I’ve talked to is not for it,” Western District Commissioner Patrick Kleffner said.

Drewel motioned to end right-of-way negotiations with the developers of Vichy Solar. The other commissioners voted in agreement with the motion.

Following the meeting, Vesper Energy responded to a request for comment by reaffirming its commitment to the community.

“Vichy Renewable Energy is committed to partnering with the community to support local nonprofits and economic development efforts throughout Maries County,” Community Affairs Manager Peter Stockus wrote in an email. “We look forward to upholding that commitment and maintaining an open dialogue about the construction of the Vichy Renewable Energy project.”