OREGON – In front of a standing-room-only crowd, the Ogle County Board overwhelmingly approved a moratorium Tuesday on new solar farms in the county for at least six months.

The board will now take at least six months to consider regulations and best practices for future solar development. That six-month delay could also be extended.

The moratorium was approved before the county considered three new solar farms – two in Stillman Valley and one in Polo.

Board member Dan Janes made a motion that the board approve the moratorium.

“I have no problem with people being engaged in agriculture doing whatever they want,” he said.

But he added the county does not have the regulations in place concerning “industrial solar plants.”

He said the county should look at what other counties and states have done to find the best practices on solar development so the county can, “deal with the impact that’s coming our way.”

The moratorium does not affect the solar farms already approved by the county in Forreston, Davis Junction and Mount Morris. It does put all of the others now in the pipeline on hold.

That was a concern for Board member Lyle Hopkins. He said people have gone through the process for the solar plants and have paid their fees. He said the moratorium should be put in place after the three solar farms under consideration Tuesday were voted on.

But a motion to move consideration of the moratorium to lower on the agenda so it would come after a vote on the proposed plants failed.

Board Chairman Kim Gouker said he believed the county “made a mistake” by not having guidelines in place before it started approving solar farms. He said the county should develop specific criteria so everything about the process is uniform.

“Something that has been codified and board approved,” he said.

Board member Lee Meyers agreed.

“I don’t want to agree with you, but I think you’re right,” he said, to laughter from the board and those in attendance.

Most in the crowd, many wearing “No Solar Plant” stickers, appeared relieved after the moratorium was approved. Mark Werckle of Stillman Valley, who would have seen more than 150 acres of solar panels next to his home if the proposed plants had been approved Tuesday, was one of them.

 “We all feel as a group that this is the right thing to do,” he said Wednesday morning.

He said he was glad the county plans to step back, re-evaluate the process and get an ordinance in place. He pointed out Gouker’s comments about how things had been handled thus far.

“He even kind of admitted they went about it wrong,” Werckle said. “I was pleased to hear that.”

Board member Thomas Smith said the public needs to be involved in the upcoming discussions on how to handle solar moving forward. Werckle said his group plans to remain as involved as possible.