14 January 2026 -Stop Solar Farms Meeting- Manchester Fire House 6 PM
These notes may be updated later with more detailed print out from some of the presenters.
Packed Room with 153 county residents. Signs and Petitions to sign or fill out to send to Commissioners available for all. Most signed in with their contact information and added names to the petition. Signs were available and there was suggested $5 donation bucket to help pay for them.
Also present- Commissioner Bischoff and Marc Emral- Register Publications
This meeting was video recorded and attendees counted by Danessa Mortenson.
Bobby Rauen and Stacy Craig- began the meeting with the pledge of allegiance
Discuss what Feb 23 PC meeting will be about.
Stacy Craig-Private Property Rights- Every landowner has the right to make decisions about their own land.
Zoning is rule book- with rules- not a suggestion. Is supposed to have properties that can work well together. This property does not fully fit zoning. This does not fit zoning- so it has to go thru the full zoning process.
Neighboring counties. - Set Limits 200 acres and 2 miles between solar farm. Dearborn County does not. 75 ft set back if buffers here - others have larger ones. We deserve to know that we can invest in our homes and farms without having an industrial sale operation next to us. No Ag property in the county is safe if we do not have rules.
Dec 16th Access road had been put in- ‘185 Mega watt solar form. 9 recorded deals, Linea Energy and Sunman Solar. Signed as far back as 2022. 50 year leases??? Almost positive. That there are more land leases. 400,00-550,000 solar species.They have not submitted any application yet as far as we know ( per county.)
She reached out to Garrett Bascom. He has helped to gather info from surrounding counties and is paying attention to help us. He couldn’t be here tonight as they are in session now in Indy.
[NOTE: Stacey Craig kindly sent me her entire presentation which is posted here - inserted below my notes.]
Before we talk about solar, permits, or ordinances, I want to address the topic of private property rights. I see comments about this often on social media and I actually believe it’s an issue we all agree on…
We believe in private property rights. Full stop.
Every landowner has the right to make decisions about their own land. None of us know the personal situations that led families to sign leases or the empty promises made to them by some fancy professional solar rep.
this is not about blaming landowners.
This is about is whether zoning in this county means something or is it just a suggestion.
Zoning is the rulebook we all rely on so we know what can—and cannot—be built next door. It’s how homeowners make long-term decisions with some level of certainty.
Agricultural zoning was created to protect farmland, water, rural character, and land uses that work well together. It was never meant to quietly turn agricultural land into an industrial zone. Zoning PROTECTS property rights, EVERYONES property rights—this includes the rights of neighboring landowners who did not sign leases but must live with the consequences of what happens next door.
When a project doesn’t clearly fit the zoning (which is our current situation)It means the county is required to follow the full zoning process, apply the rules as written, and make sure standards are met before approvals move forward.
This is major concern we have because our current ordinance has real gaps.
It does not protect rural residents nearly as well as other counties do. For example, our neighbors in Franklin County not only limits individual solar projects to 200 acres per solar farm but it also requires a two-mile buffer in between farms, it also caps total solar development countywide at 1,500 acres. Those limits exist to protect rural communities.
By contrast, Dearborn County currently has no cap at all on how many acres can be consumed by solar— either per project or countywide — and no spacing requirements. As it sits now, Manchester township alone is approaching the limits set for the entirely of Franklin Co.
Franklin Co has set back requirements of 650 feet from any nonparticipating dwelling. Dearborn Co setbacks are 75 feet from a property line if a buffer is used. I encourage everyone to do a little research of these so called "buffers"
As you can see this is a huge difference in protection.
When an ordinance has gaps like this, those gaps don’t protect neighbors — they benefit developers.
And this is important because timing matters. Once a solar permit is accepted as complete under the current ordinance, the county’s ability to require stronger protections drops dramatically . The rules are effectively locked in, even if everyone later agrees those rules were not sufficient.
This matters because people in this county deserve certainty. We deserve to know that we can invest in our homes and farms, improve our property, raise families, and plan for the future without worrying that an industrial-scale project could suddenly appear next door and drive down property values.
This isn’t about whether solar is good or bad, or whether landowners should earn income from their land.
It comes down to one simple question:
Do the rules apply the same to everyone — or do they change when a project is big enough or moves fast enough without any of the community
knowing? Because if that is the case then no ag zoning in Dearborn county is safe.
The decision on this solar farm will set a precedent that will shape rural Dearborn County for decades to come , and the responsibility for that outcome rests with county leadership.
So what do we know exactly.
On 12/16 an access road on Benning was being installed on a private property. When Bobby, who is the neighbor, asked the excavator what the road was for he said, a solar farm, that is how we first learned about this.
Linea Energys website states the Sunman project is 195mw solar farm and BESS—lithium battery storage facility.
I searched recorded deeds through the courthouse and found 9 recorded deeds, 6 of those are land leases, 1 exclusive right to buy up until 2030, and 2 easements.
They are filed under two names Linea Energy and Sunman Solar
They consist of 20 parcels in Manchester township that equal 823 acres.
The leases were signed as far back as 2022
They are 57 year land leases, with a 7 year construction window and the landowners have signed all rights over to the company during that time.
From my research I understand that a 195mw solar farm can accommodate up to 1.500 acres, we are almost positive that more land has been leased, and we have heard this from credible sources, however but we no evidence to prove it at this time because land leases are not required to be recorded by law.
A fair estimate according to my research for a 195mw project spread over 800 acres is roughly 400k-550k panels Manchester township.
Linea energy was started in 2022, it has yet to complete a solar farm, they have one that was started in 2023 in Georgia and apparently it is nearing completion.
They have started the Endangered species studies, wetland studies, Geotech, to name a few. This stuff must be done before they submit a solar application to the county. As of today no permit application from Linea has been submitted to the county. That is why is it so important for us to request a moratorium or a pause in the county accepting any solar permit applications until we can address the issues with the current ordinance as it stands and this is what the 2/23 meeting with planning is about.
The solar ordinance will be so important moving forward, even if we win this battle, they will be back, They do not sign 60 year leases because that’s how long solar farms last, the lifespan of solar farms are only 25-30 years, they sign 60 year leases because in a few years they will be back trying the same thing under a new LLC name. They want to wear us down and hope that eventually we stop fighting back. We need an ordinance in place that is so solid and strict that it is not worth their time to mess with solar Dearborn County and Bobby will explain that process in more detail.
Several weeks ago I reached out to our state rep, Garrett Bascom to let him know what is happening, he called me back the same day. Since then he has stayed in touch, asking for updates, answering questions, and helping us gather information from Franklin County who just went through this process. He has also reached out to the county commissioners on our behalf, and he would be here tonight but he is in session at Indy. Our state rep is paying attention and is willing to help anyway he can.
Thank you
Casey and Dan Rollman. July 2023 purchased their home. 6-9 months after they moved in leases started to be signed again. They are almost completely surrounded by this. You will know the property owners with leases around us. Some might even be here. We are not against solar energy- just not here where it will destroy the abundant wild life we have here,
Emily Hartman-a very concerned neighbor Conducted an extensive comparison of Boone County IN and ours. They had a 2 year moratorium in 2024. It just ended. She will share the document so people can read it. Purpose and intentions- of Dearborn County is pro developer of solar. Boone County is written as purpose to minimize the negative aspects. Boone County has property value guarantee. Boone County language is the gold standard in her opinion.
Bobby Rauen- All though much of DC is privately owned property - we have a stake in all of this
Moratorium or ban is in 72 of the counties.
We should use the adjoining counties for a template to help construct ours. Scenic landscape and ag culture here. Commercial energy system will alter the ag FOREVER. This will impact property values. We have to get this right. It is not a controversial thing.
Mark Hall - Give you history to show how you can fight this. Recontac in Sunman- Outer Loop Highway. 3000 people at South Dearborn HS on that. Look at KY OH and IN- Look at the difference . Stopped both those things- and someone ended up in jail. Signs need to go everywhere. EVERYWHERE- with your support.
Rhett Dennerline- lives in Dillsboro- worked on Stop 101. Look at Ohio River and Ohio Stateline. Their studies point out that they do not like us. This meeting started with Pledge of Allegiance and Lord;’s Prayer. That doesn’t happen enough. Commit to 2 signs- Commit to telling everyone about this. Get as many people as possible to the meetings on this. Practical piece of advice. Spent 2 years and got 8000 signatures on Link 101. Call neighbors and friends. There is a small fraction of our local gov’t who will help us. The others fight against us.
Bobby Rauen- February 23 PC at DC Gov’t Center at 6 PM. [NOTE: Considering the turnout here the Plan Commission may need a larger meeting space, where there is less time to check, or else the meeting may not be able to even start on time.]
Emily Hartman- Important to state you support the MORATORIUM.
Stacy Craig- Asked for volunteers to sign up etc. The online petition is no good- it has to be signed in person. The meeting in February is just about seeking the moratorium. Then we work on the ordinance itself.
John Lucas- Fayette County and Rush County have been through this. They did it 2 years ago. Talk to your commissioners and have them contact the ones in Rush and Fayette counties. Things that can stop them- might be drainage to adjoining properties. If these solar properties fail- who owns them? It will be hazardous waste to clean up. Windmills have been stopped too. House and land values drop around this. Because who wants to live next to them. Look at Data centers too while you are fixing the ordinance.
Emily Hartman- Our Zoning ordinance is very pro-development. We need to close the loopholes.
The solar company even asked for clarification on our ordinance as it was too vague.
Article 19 is the one we are looking for. This is the one on solar, that needs to be looked at.
Bobby Rauen- We will use emails and will send releases to send out info to the public.
Meeting broke up at 7 PM Police officer is outside to direct traffic.
Christine Brauer Mueller
Lawrenceburg Township
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