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Solar panels are shown in this photo from Shutterstock.

After Monday’s announcement that the current Douglas County Commission could approve a large-scale solar project by the end of the year, many of the candidates running for the commission are worried about acting on it before the new members are seated.

Meanwhile, the two incumbents in the race say they see no need to change the timeline, with one saying it would be “irresponsible.”

As the Journal-World reported Monday, a federal judge ruled that the lawsuit filed by Lawrence-area businesses and neighbors against the Kansas Sky Energy Center project — which would put 8 million square feet of solar panels on 600 acres of farmland from north Douglas. County – should be heard in Douglas County District Court instead of federal court.

A county spokesman announced that key solar development studies should be ready for County Commission action by the end of the year. This timing is important because the commission will soon expand from three members to five, and elections for four of those commission seats are currently underway.

The Journal-World reached out to all County Commission candidates, including the two incumbents, to discuss the solar project and this moment. District 5 candidate Kirsten Kuhn, a Libertarian, did not respond to questions from the Journal-World about the solar project and the ongoing process.

The candidates in each district, including the newly created Districts 4 and 5, are as follows: In District 2, incumbent Democrat Shannon Reid will compete against independent Brad Chun. In District 3, incumbent Democrat Karen Willey faces Republican Pam McDermott. District 4 includes Democrat Gene Dorsey, Libertarian Steve Jacob and Republican Timothy Bruce. Finally, in District 5, the candidates are Republican Rich Lorenzo, Democrat Erica Anderson and Kuhn.

Elections next week could lead to the appointment of two to four new commissioners, but they will not take office until January. The Kansas Sky Energy Center requires two more approvals from the County Commission to proceed. With Monday’s update, it is now possible that the project will be decided after the election, but before new commissioners take office.

If two heads are better than one, then logic says five heads are better than three, Dorsey told the Journal-World. Conditional use permits are supposed to include all pertinent information, but important plans, such as agrovoltaic and stormwater management plans, have not been finalized or made public, Dorsey said.

“Some of the most important pieces of this project’s process are left unfinished and they are rushing to finish them with little public input and no input from the new commission while the hapless citizens wait for their day in court just doesn’t sit well with me” , Dorsey said. in an email.

The current commission shouldn’t push the bill because they feel it’s the right decision, knowing there could be a different outcome when there are five commissioners, Bruce said. He added that Douglas County has spent time and resources to keep the agricultural parts of the county agricultural.

“If there is a need for these types of projects, we should be looking at putting them over parking lots or buildings and not over rich farmland,” Bruce told the Journal-World.

Chun said county residents are concerned the solar project will exacerbate the flooding problems North Lawrence currently faces. He said North Lawrence’s stormwater drainage infrastructure has yet to be completed, citing a 2005 study paid for by the city of Lawrence, and that two of the three pumps recommended in the study were installed in 2014, but the installation of the third third pump. it was never completed.

“If the county government were to move forward with this project before addressing the stormwater drainage issue, it would be neglecting its responsibility to protect the lives and investments of the constituents most directly affected by the project,” Chun said in an email.

This is the first project of its size in the state, so it’s important to get it right, McDermott said. She added that two years ago the people of Douglas County voted to expand the board from three to five and the people waited two years to get that representation.

“Also, rushing this process with unresolved litigation is not good for the community,” McDermott told the Journal-World in an email. “It erodes people’s trust in government processes and has contributed to unnecessary divisions in our community.”

Anderson said decisions of this magnitude should be delayed until the County Commission is fully constituted with five members. She also said it is essential to rebuild trust with residents by ensuring all voices are represented in the decision-making process.

“While I support the development of solar and wind energy, I believe Kansas’ current net metering policy needs reform because it primarily benefits corporations rather than residents,” Anderson said via email.

Jacob also said it’s about transparency, and that will be lost if it goes before the current commission before the litigation is resolved.

“What private landowners do with their own land is up to them, but transparency in local government is one thing,” Jacob said in an email to the Journal-World.

Douglas County citizens voted in November 2022 to have a five-person commission based on a desire to have more rural voices on the commission, Lorenzo told the Journal-World. He added that after the 2022 vote, the commission chose not to hold elections for the new seats for nearly two years.

“Five commissioners should have been at the table from the beginning of this request, and so I think it makes sense for the new five-member commission to determine the final action,” Lorenzo said.

Willey said in an email to the Journal-World that she agreed with her April vote to approve the Kansas Sky Energy Center’s conditional use permit. She added that final agreements would be brought back to the commission based on the applicants’ timetable. Additionally, she noted that regular county business will continue unless there is legal action to stop a project.

However, with this particular project, Willey said the commission asked that it be treated differently.

“They would normally be approved by staff,” Willey said. “In this case, the commission asked to come to a public hearing.”

Reid said by email that he doesn’t think it’s good governance to stop a lawsuit just because the commission is expanding. She said if any other decisions come to the committee before January or after January, then so be it. Reid added that, similarly, there is no reason to stop a trial because of a trial.

“Without an order from a court requiring the county to do this, it would be irresponsible to try to change everyone’s pace,” Reid said. “As commissioner, it is my duty to participate in a good faith process based on facts and merits.”