MAQUOKETA, Iowa — The Jackson County Zoning Board held a meeting on Monday, Oct. 21, discussing the final draft of an ordinance on wind turbine construction.
The ordinance, which took more than a year to assemble, establishes rules on where wind projects could be built and what developers need to do to get a project approved.
"We looked at some of the concerns that people had and tried to incorporate what we thought would be a very good issue to include in the ordinance," Board Chair Monica McHugh said.
McHugh said that some of those other concerns including the wind project's distance from the community, the impact they could have on wildlife, noise and cleanup.
"Part of our concern is to make sure these companies will clean up when something is damaged," McHugh said.
But some residents of Jackson County, as well as neighboring Clinton County, are wary of turbine companies. Clinton County passed its turbine ordinance in 2009, but no turbine projects have been completed in the county, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
"They will repeatedly find your elderly when they are home alone. They may pressure them to sign an agreement on the spot, and when they sense resistance, they'll bring in the paid lobbyists," Clinton County resident Michelle Braswell said.
Other residents want stricter regulations than the ordinance provides.
"I would like to focus on the detrimental impact of environmental noise, audible and inaudible, such as turbine noise, which can and does cause adverse health effects," one resident said.
The board decided to discuss the ordinance again in their November meeting, rather than vote to send it to the Jackson County Board of Supervisors. Ultimately, that board will decide whether the ordinance is approved or goes through more revisions.