Solar farms are top of mind right now for DeWitt County officials.

At Monday night's DeWitt County Land Use Committee Meeting, Chair Buck Carter questioned if it was too early to begin preparing with Cummins Engineering for the arrival of the Prairie Flats Solar Farm. Zoning Administrator Liz Weikle indicated the plans for the farm should be ready by the end of the month. 

Joe Witte, Dee Dee Rentmeister, and Weikle dove into the county ordinances to see if there was anything that clearly stated an inability to begin working with Cummins before Prairie Flats had received the building permits. 

Due to the lengthy review process, the committee decided it would be best to agree as soon as possible with Cummins. This agreement would only cover the review of the siting permits and not any actual construction. That agreement will come at a later date. 

While there was a brief discussion over using a different engineering firm, the committee ultimately decided to forward the agreement to state's attorney Dan Markwell before it moves on to the full county board. 

Weikle also informed the committee that there has been some turnover within the Alta Farms staff. While the sound study previously requested has been completed, Alta is also fighting cybersecurity problems that have further delayed the progress of the study.