18 AUGUST 2026 DEARBORN COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MEETING NOTES
Livestreams can be found @
https://www.youtube.com/@DearbornCountyGov-47025/streams
Present: Jim Thatcher, President, Duane Bischoff, and Kevin Turner
Also present: Connie Fromhold, Auditor, Andy Baudendistel, Attorney, and Sue Hayden, Administrator, and Jeff Cotton, Commissioner-elect
TITLE VI STATEMENT FOR COMPLIANCE was read by Baudendistel as legally required.
OLD BUSINESS
Citizen Review Committee Update- Duane Bischoff said the first meeting is tomorrow night and will be at 6 PM in the multipurpose room upstairs and they will set a time for future meetings.
Draft ordinance for solar has been sent out to local affected depts like highway and building dept. August 24th PC meeting will have this on the agenda after the scheduled case.
Sept 9 special meeting just for solar. And the Sept 28th looks like it will be totally for solar. It is set up for a possible vote on the 28th. From then on they will advertise it for potential vote if the board chooses to decide.
Bischoff- said a lot of concerns that were raised and some of these items seemed to be less restrictive - setbacks and berms widths and heights. Berms cannot have trees on it unless they are really wide. Thatcher said he saw example of trees doing well on 1-3 ft berms. Nicole disputed that trees would do well on those berms due to issues with the root structure not having enough space to spread a wide as the canopy when maturing. Issues with community solar and no maximum acreage. They did have it for utilities. Height measurements or the panels were confusing. Agrivoltaics were brought up by Nicole and she did not know the answer on how the assessor will work. Bischoff cited the new code - IC 6-1.1-4-13 - if bees ( Bee hives) are on it- then the tax base is Ag- even if other things are there. This greatly reduces the property tax paid. Need to check that!! That’s a big change for tax revenue. There is a lot of MAY and not SHALL. He specified the areas that was confusing- Daily said it was based in the permitting - Section 3a was an issue for him too. Also discussion on the heights of the panels between Daily and Bischoff. Daily- It’s just a draft that I put out and this can change at any point.
He will send these questions to the PC as well as Nicole suggested. Daily departed.
NEW BUSINESS
Jack's Forever 3 Run/Walk 2026 - Linda Fox- 15th year for this- Sept 12 at 9 AM at Christian Church to start. They are notifying the sheriff dept. They sent a copy of road closure notice to the locals. They plan a different type event after this year. Approved.
Jason Sullivan, EMA/EMS Director- Disaster Declaration- They ratified this one. They can extend this to continue it until Sept 1, as it can only be 7 days and there may be more coming. Approved Extension.
Travel advisory was lifted today - Commissioners ratified that as well.
Applications for EMT Sponsorships - Tabled until next meeting until amendments can be done. Thatcher said a lot of people are coming in to get our EMT training.
2027 Schedules for claims, payroll and holidays- Approved all at once.
Health Department Grant Application for Teens Linked to Care Program- Fromhold said this is just a continuation of the one they have.
ADMINISTRATOR- Sue Hayden- CGI Digital Video - Duane Bischoff is doing the Press release on this. Duanes’s daughter is helping them get this out on Facebook and the county website. CGI Digital will do this for free- by using local businesses to advertise around this. Commissioners signed off on this. They will be here for Duane to do a welcome for this and do drone views etc. They submitted still shots from One Dearborn to get ideas. They will highlight towns and the river and rural areas. Commissioners have the right to reject any advertising that is not what they want. CGI Letter is approved to send to local businesses.
Sue Hayden - At Budget Hearings this was brought up. Increases in Liability and Workers Comp Insurance Amounts- Council liked to have them do an RFP for Insurance broker this year to get competitive rates. Commissioners Agreed.
AUDITOR – Connie Fromhold -Claims/Payroll and August 4th Minutes- Approved.
ATTORNEY – Andy Baudendistel-nothing
LATE ARRIVAL INFORMATION: none
PUBLIC COMMENT: Michelle Dudley- Manchester- commenting on Daily’s Drafts.
350 ft set back at most.
It is possible to have property values hurt by these solar farms .
It feels like all the time we spent at all these meetings Doesn’t feel welcome and left
Lisa- Also wanted to have page numbers on the draft- makes it hard to reference
Ed Yelton- went to La Grange IN south of Michigan. There is a 50 acre solar farm up there farm 2019-20. It took a storm and they were in disarray. Then later SE of Coldwater MI about 2000 acre solar farm. Three of the farms with silos and and barns.
I do not like this called a solar FARM. This is not agricultural. This needs to change to commercial constructions.
There should be no county tax abatements. These people need to pay up.
Saw substations that were BIG around these. He thinks the stacks need to be 400 ft. Some of these were 50 ft from some homes in these areas. Just want to offer these as information.
Baudendistel told him about the rules in MI that allowed them to bypass locals for some of these. The state of MI did this. Compatible renewable energy sources. These people won’t be coming here. Eventually these people will be going to the state.
Yelton said they need to look at restricting hardwood tree clearing. There is property that might used for solar that could be cleared for this. Drive SR 48 to Benning Rd and then down to Weisburg.
Gillian Collins- resident and ranch owner. Disappointed tonight in the draft. The draft ordinance is massive at 50 pages now. The majority speaking on this matter have been consistent in what they want is a protective ordinance and predatory energy company and this is NOT that.
Was told Dearborn Co can not do a protective ordinance as it is too risky- per Planning Dept. Spent a lot of time researching this. There is a plethora pf protected ordinances using many other options. If they can do it- why cannot we? It’s not because we can’t. It’s because Nicole has unilaterally chosen not to.
Individuals in leadership positions have to be held top account for this. The stakes in this are incredibly high. We are in in ideologically stale mate between majority votes of constituents and Planning and Zoning.
“The fish rots from the head” an ancient proverb-
She said we need to be sending a message that we are not open to this.
Current ordinance is 14 pages versus draft is 50 pages- Baudendistel- wanted to note that. There is a lot in there.
COMMISSIONER COMMENTS:
Kevin Turner praised all the efforts of officials in the larger area and us after the storm and he also wanted to recognize his daughter for her 18th birthday and he’s very proud of her. :-)
Thatcher- Be open minded- This review committee will hammer this out hopefully. still work on this Maybe Manchester isn’t the best place - we are here to protect you. Maybe it should be on space that does not produce anymore.Keep an open mind.
ADJOURN- 6:53 PM
Christine Brauer Mueller
Lawrenceburg Township
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