The Greene County Supervisors recently approved the Urban Renewal Plan for the Greene County Beaver Creek Wind Farm.

After the Board unanimously passed the resolution for the Urban Renewal Plan to be put in place, they recently created an ordinance for a division of revenues for a portion of the plan. Board Chair John Muir says within that ordinance, it details where every windmill is located, every access driveway to each windmill, and the roads that connect the windmills to potential projects. He points out what they will use the Urban Renewal Plan for going forward.

“In this instance, the plan is things that we can do in the future, not things that we are required to do, not things we’re promising to do. There are things that we are putting in there included that could be projects that we’ll bring forward and do them. The (career) academy is the one that’s the first one that we’re addressing.”

The Supervisors have committed up to $5 million in tax increment financing (TIF) funds from the 41 wind turbines toward the project with the Greene County School District to build the career academy. Muir says one of the requirements to use TIF funds is if it is for economic development, which he adds was a long discussion on the career academy.

“Ahlers & Cooney, the attorney who we are working with, vetted that very thoroughly, whether they thought that was a project that could qualify for TIF money. What their conclusion finally was was that it is economic development for the county and that fits what requirements are to be able to use TIF funds on a project.”

In order to use TIF funds from the wind turbines, the County must take on debt by typically issuing general obligation bonds. The Supervisors can then service that debt with TIF funds to reimburse themselves over time on projects as well as the general fund.