Commissioners meeting gets heated over solar, residents voice frustration

The temperature turned up at a routine Pulaski County Commissioners meeting on March 2, as residents voiced their opinions on solar projects and expressed feelings of being unheard by their local government. The conversation started with Commissioner Jennifer Knebel's presentation on county solar projects. Commissioner Knebel said that she wanted to give an update as the first of five county projects are nearing completion. Knebel explained that background information is needed to understand Pulaski County's current unique situation. She said that in the spring of 2022 - after a county and three state appellate judges ruled in favor of non-participating landowners in a lawsuit - previous commissioner Chuck Mellon had asked previous county attorney Kevin Tankersley to examine the solar ordinances and make changes or eliminations to streamline solar development in Pulaski County. She said that more than 80 county ordinances were either changed or eliminated and the elimination of the special exception has impacted Pulaski County the most.