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here.
>> Road

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» here.
>> We have a quorum. Thank you very much.

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We now will be continuing our public
hearing from where we left off on July

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20th. As stated in our last meeting, one
of the duties of the plan commission is

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to conduct public hearings in order to
listen to and record the testimony of

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the public whenever the city considers
requests, including a zoning map

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amendment, otherwise known as resoning,
approval of a special use, and variance

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requests. For everyone in the room
tonight, so we understand exactly how

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the process works, the citizens on the
planning and zoning board, which are the

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individuals on the stage to my right,
are appointed positions. We are not

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elected officials. We are appointed
recommendation board that conducts

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public hearings for the city of Plano.
Once we've conducted the public hearing

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of this subject, we will then make a
recommendation to the city of Plano

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council which is comprised of elected
alderman and the mayor. They will have

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the final vote for or against the
petitioner's request regarding this

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public hearing tonight.
Tonight we'll begin with the testimony

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portion of our public hearing. Plano
Skies has respectfully ended their

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overall presentation and we have
cross-examined their representatives and

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experts. We now will start tonight with
the interested parties and their

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testimony. All interested parties are
invited to approach and speak tonight

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and provide testimony or witnesses or
documents on their behalf in support of

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or against the Plano Sky application.
All taxing bodies here tonight that wish

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to speak as interested parties may also
do so, but we do ask that you provide

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one representative to provide the
testimony on your behalf of your entity.

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If you wish to speak tonight during the
public hearing as an interested party,

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you must first sign up at the public
hearing interested party registration

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00:02:06,079 --> 00:02:13,680
sheet which is located on the on the
table outside the auditorium doors.

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Interested parties are defined as all
owners of record within 250 ft in each

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direction of the location in which the
property is located and who have

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received a certified letter about this
hearing. Also, that includes any taxing

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bodies or units of local government
including school districts in which the

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subject property is located and the
owners and occupants of the other

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property in which may be affected and
are invited to attend by the planning

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commission. If you wish to speak tonight
and have not yet registered on the sheet

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00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:47,120
outside the door, please do so while I
continue to describe the procedure for

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tonight.
Additionally, the last half an hour of

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each scheduled session has been set
aside for comments by the general public

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of up to three minutes per speaker. This
part of the evening will be open to

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anyone who wishes to approach the podium
to speak to the commission. We will have

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guidelines and procedures in place for
public comment portion of our evening

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00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:13,040
and I'll be reading those closer to the
time before we begin that portion of the

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evening. We encourage you also to sign
up for the public comment signup sheet

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00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:20,720
if you wish to speak during public
comment and we'll call for those

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00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:25,599
comments in order that you signed up.
With the completion of the Plano Sky

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full proposal, we now tonight will move
into the testimony of the interested

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parties both for and against the
petition. They will be able to come up

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00:03:32,879 --> 00:03:39,440
and speak up here in front to the
microphones in the order based upon

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those signed up on the interested
registration sheet.

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00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:48,400
Following testimony by interested
parties, the Plano Skies petitioner and

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00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:51,440
the commission may also ask members of
the interested parties at the

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microphone.
Upon completion of the evidence and

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00:03:53,440 --> 00:04:01,040
testimony by the interested parties,
Plano's Guys may have the opportunity to

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00:03:58,319 --> 00:04:04,799
rebuttal any testimony in opposition
subject subject again to

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00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:10,480
cross-examination by the interested
parties and back and forth. So, um,

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00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:15,200
we will, you know, get through that as
we go depending on how many people are

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00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:20,320
speaking. When there is no further
testimony, the hearing will then be

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moved to close. Once the public hearing
is officially closed, whether tonight or

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at a future date, the city staff and
consultants will offer their comments

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00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:32,160
based on the testimony that we've heard
over the last few weeks at these

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meetings and consider the comments of
other entities such as other units of

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local government. and then we'll proceed
to discuss and vote on the

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representative items sought by Plano
Skies. The commission will discuss and

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00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:52,080
take its vote in recommendation in and
take its recommendation to writing to

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the city council. Although the public
hearing portion will eventually be

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closed, we will always let you know when
the next meeting is and the location.

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And even with the public hearing closed,
you're more than welcome to attend our

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meetings to hear the discussions and
decisions of the plan commission. We

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always offer a 30 minute public comment
at the end of all of our meetings,

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regardless if it's a public hearing or
not.

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Please be concise in your testimony
tonight. If your point has already been

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00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:21,280
made during the hearing, it is not
necessary to repeat it. Each item

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addressed and each point made is
recorded and considered as the

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00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:29,360
commission makes its findings and
recommendations on this matter. When it

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is your turn to testify, please approach
the front aisle and speak directly into

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00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:37,600
the microphone so that you may be heard
for the record. State your name and

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00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:41,199
spell your last name for the reporter
and indicate if you're representing an

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entity and also please give your
address. If you speak after your initial

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testimony, please give your name each
time for the record. This is the only

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public hearing this evening on the
agenda which addresses petitions for

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reszoning of properties currently in
Plano. annexation and reszoning of

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properties outside of Plano, special use
permitting for a groundmounted solar

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farm energy system, and variances to our
existing city codes. With that being

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00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:14,800
said, my goal every time we meet is to
ensure that everybody feels like they

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have the opportunity to be heard and I
respectfully ask that all parties

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respect my commission members and
guidelines that we've put in place for

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this public hearing. I will not tolerate
any disrespectful behavior and will be

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00:06:24,319 --> 00:06:32,360
asked to leave if necessary. I do need a
motion on the floor to reopen the public

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hearing.

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» So moved.
>> Uh motion by Mr. Routder to reopen the

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public hearing. I need a second.
>> Second.

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» Seconded by Mr. Carter. Roll call.
>> Router.

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» Yes.
>> Carter.

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» Yes.
>> Brauml.

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» Yes. Riddle,
>> yes.

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» Rodrig,
>> yes.

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» Okay, public hearing is reopened. Um, as
I explained earlier, this will begin the

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testimony portion of our interested
parties, which I do see that we have a

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list here. Um,
before we start that, we are good with

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moving on to testimony. Yep. Okay.

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I've been provided with uh this
evening's signup sheet for interested

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00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:28,080
party registration. Uh I'll note that um
for one entity, there are two

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individuals signed up specifically for
Little Rock Township. I believe that

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Trusty Henderson and Trusty Light have
both signed up um for purposes of

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brevity. Could that be accomplished
through one of you if you're

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representing the same entity?
>> Representing the same entity. You're not

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representing the same entity. Okay, then
I'll I'll I'll start with the first name

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on the list, Jonathan Henderson.

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» Please uh approach the microphone and
state your name, please.

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» Jonathan Henderson.
>> Mr. Henderson, can you raise your right

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hand and repeat after me? Do you s or do
you solemnly swear or affirm uh that the

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testimony that you're about to give will
be the truth, the whole truth, and

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nothing but the truth?
>> Yes, sir.

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» Um and which entity are you representing
this evening?

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» Little Rock Township.
>> Okay. And you are a currently elected

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trustee of the township?
>> Yes, sir.

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» Okay. Thank you.
>> Good evening, everybody. Uh as a fellow

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public servant, I'd like to address this
board and the city of Plano alderman

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during this time of testimony. We as
public servants must remember who we

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serve. The people. We don't serve
attorneys. We don't even serve other

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government. We serve the people. Our
founding fathers set this nation up in a

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very particular manner. The basis of it
is this. The people have all political

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power and us as public servants need to
understand that the people are our

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masters. I didn't get elected to make
decisions for the people. I got elected

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to carry out their wishes. You likewise
have been appointed to this commission

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and the same is true for you. With that
said, I'd like to review two very

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important words with their proper
definition. The first word is

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constitution. The Black's Law
Dictionary, fourth edition, defines

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constitution as follows. Constitution in
American law, the written instrument

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agreed upon by the people of the union
or of a particular state, as the

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absolute rule of action and decision for
all departments and officers of the

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government in respect to all the points
covered by it, which must control until

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it shall be changed by the authority
which established it, and an opposition

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to which any act or ordinance of any
such department or officer is null and

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void. I hope you can see how important
this definition is. First of all, you

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are convened as an appointed public
board. Right now, you're acting as

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public servants in an office of public
trust. You have a duty to uphold and

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defend the Constitution of this state
above any attorney's council or even

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what the mayor or alderman may tell you.
It's an obligation and duty. Notice what

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this definition says. Quote, "It is the
absolute rule of action." End quote. For

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all points covered by it, which must
control your decision-making process.

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Now, let's pause there for a moment. The
Illinois Constitution's preamble in

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Article 1, Section 1 clearly outline
that the entire purpose of government is

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to protect the people's rights,
property, and their community.

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Therefore, in spite of whatever any
solar company may tell you or an

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00:10:28,079 --> 00:10:33,760
attorney may tell you, your decision
must be determined by the Constitution

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00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:37,200
first. Before you even entertain what a
state statute may or may not say, the

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00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:41,120
Constitution controls your
decision-making. Remember, the people

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00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:45,279
don't elect or appoint public servants
to be their rulers or to make decisions

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for them. We as public servants must
first consider the text of the

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constitution as being the people's
expressed will and the people have

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clearly expressed that their rights and
property are paramount for the entire

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existence of government. Now let's look
at the second part of that definition.

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It is the duty and obligation of every
public servant from the dog catcher to

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00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:06,000
the governor in any department of
government that would be you and this

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00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:10,480
board to stand in opposition to any act
that is contrary to the constitution.

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00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:13,920
This shouldn't be confusing for even the
most basic things in law. As you've

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00:11:12,399 --> 00:11:17,839
heard multiple times, the people of
Plano are the same people of Little Rock

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Township. Those people are our masters.
You and I both have committed volunteer

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00:11:20,160 --> 00:11:26,560
voluntarily to serve those masters in
that capacity. So, I encourage you all

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to stand strong for the people which you
are obligated to serve. They expressed

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00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:33,839
their will with the township's ordinance
prohibition for commercial solar

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00:11:32,160 --> 00:11:37,360
projects. I encourage you all to reject
this proposal based upon that very

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00:11:35,680 --> 00:11:41,360
ordinance because the people express
their collective will with that

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00:11:38,640 --> 00:11:44,880
ordinance. And if there is any court
case or litigation that comes from this

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00:11:42,959 --> 00:11:48,720
situation, your own defense lies within
that very ordinance. As government has

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00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:53,040
so often used this statement for its own
benefit instead of the people's benefit,

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00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:57,040
your hands are tied. There's nothing you
can or should do but simply state,

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00:11:55,680 --> 00:12:00,079
quote, "based upon the Little Rock
Township ordinance prohibiting

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00:11:58,399 --> 00:12:04,000
commercial solar installations within
the township, our hands are tied and we

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00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:08,000
must reject this proposal and vote no."
End quote. You see how simple that is?

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00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:11,600
The people already protected and
empowered you to say no. And it's your

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00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:15,760
duty and obligation as you sit in a seat
of public trust as a servant of the

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people. No need to talk about BMS or
screening or economic impact. None of

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00:12:17,680 --> 00:12:22,639
that matters. Only the people's will
matters. And they've already expressed

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in both in this constitution and have
doubled down with the township

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00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:28,720
ordinance. Truth be told, they shouldn't
have even had to make the ordinance in

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00:12:27,279 --> 00:12:32,560
the first place since, as I stated
before, the entire purpose of government

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00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:36,079
expressed right in Article 1, Section 1
plainly tells us it is to protect the

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00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:38,880
people's property. If we simply return
to the first principles of the

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00:12:37,279 --> 00:12:42,399
constitutional principles, these
hearings wouldn't have been necessary in

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00:12:40,399 --> 00:12:46,079
the first place. Finally, I'd like to
define another important word, which is

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00:12:44,079 --> 00:12:50,800
amendable. The Black Law Dictionary
defines it as subject to answer to the

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00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:55,839
law, accountable, responsible, liable to
punishment, also means tractable that

184
00:12:53,040 --> 00:13:01,040
may easily be led or governed. So, what
the law is, the highest law, which us

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00:12:59,120 --> 00:13:05,040
public servants are accountable to. It's
the state constitution. We are liable to

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00:13:03,279 --> 00:13:08,880
punishment if we don't follow it. We
don't need an attorney or judge to tell

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00:13:06,560 --> 00:13:12,399
us what it is. We read it. We obey it.
And if there's a time of accountability

188
00:13:10,639 --> 00:13:16,560
that comes upon any of us for our
actions, that's the very document that

189
00:13:14,079 --> 00:13:20,800
protects or condemns us. But don't miss
the second part that we are to be easily

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00:13:18,639 --> 00:13:24,560
led or governed. Remember, in this
nation of America, the people are not

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00:13:22,560 --> 00:13:27,440
governed. It's us, the public servants,
which are governed and which are

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00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:31,519
amendable to the people, not the other
way around. That word amenable is a

193
00:13:29,519 --> 00:13:35,279
compound word. It's the word amen, which
is a Bible term that means let it be so.

194
00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:39,360
And the word able, which means we as
public servants are pre-authorized or

195
00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:43,360
able to follow the people's will. The
people have empowered us to be quickly

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00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:46,720
in agreement with them, not corporations
or attorneys council. Remember, in each

197
00:13:45,440 --> 00:13:50,160
court case, there's an attorney that
ends up being proven right and one

198
00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:54,399
that's proven wrong. The people of this
community have spoken to you and me.

199
00:13:52,560 --> 00:13:58,000
First through our written constitution,
secondly through the township ordinance

200
00:13:56,000 --> 00:14:03,040
prohibition, and thirdly here with
multiple public testimonies. Your duty

201
00:14:00,399 --> 00:14:06,800
is not to be amenable to attorneys, to
unions, to corporate entities, or even

202
00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:11,600
to the state government. Your duty and
sole purpose is to be amenable to the

203
00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:15,279
people of this community, which includes
the township and the ordinance which the

204
00:14:13,199 --> 00:14:18,880
people enacted. So unless or until that
ordinance gets challenged in a court of

205
00:14:16,959 --> 00:14:22,800
law and overturned, we as public
servants must obey it. It was written by

206
00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:28,320
the people, enacted by the people, and
it's our duty and obligation as public

207
00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:31,120
servants to be amenable to do it.
And I'd like to have this recorded in

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00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:34,120
the meeting minutes for perpetual
memorial.

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00:14:34,560 --> 00:14:43,199
Can I give this to somebody up here?
>> Sure. Um, actually, well, as far if we

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00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:47,040
commission members have any questions
Oh, sure.

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» to uh engage with. Um, and we'll kind of
work through this testimony part because

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there are no tame there are no like time
lengths for you. This is your time as

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interested parties to approach us. Yeah.
>> And then ask questions. So

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» before you're uh sitting down. Yeah.
Anything commission members to ask or

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» questions regarding
that testimony?

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Savian, same question to you. As part of
the process here and how we're going to

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do this is you also have an opportunity
to then uh cross-examine or rebuttal to

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the interested party's testimony. And at
this time, do you have anything that you

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wish to add?
>> We we have no questions for this

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witness. I mean, as far as rebuttal, I
think we would like to wait until all

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the interested parties have testified
before we determine whether any rebuttal

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is necessary.
>> I can we can do one rebuttal at the end

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if you so wish after all interested
parties speak. Is that what I'm prefer?

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Yes.
>> Okay.

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» Um,
>> Mr. Henderson, were you were you asking

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to provide us with your your written
comments to be part of part of the

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meeting minutes? We can do that.
>> Okay. Should I leave them with somebody

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or Yep.
>> Okay.

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Mr. Henderson, is there anything else
that you wish to speak or

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» say, questions or anything else?
>> Okay. All right. Well, I thank you for

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uh speaking tonight.

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[applause]

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» Next on the interested uh party
registration sheet is Eric Light.

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Mr. Light, when you approach the uh the
microphone, please can you state your

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name?
>> Yep. Eric Light.

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» You spell your last name, please.
>> L I G HT.

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» And Mr. Light, which interested party do
you represent?

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» Myself.
>> Are you an adjacent property owner?

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» I am.
>> To the to the project?

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» I am. And what is that address?
>> 15540 Miller Road.

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» Thank you.
>> Yep. [clears throat]

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Um, we are still able to ask just some
clarifying questions. Correct.

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» I'm sorry, what was that?
>> I am able to still ask some clarifying

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questions of Savon.
>> This is your opportunity to present your

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own uh either testimony or
uh evidence.

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Uh it's not
>> I won't speak for them.

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» Yep.
>> Yeah. They might not answer, but for my

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personal commission opinion, I would
like to still have you ask questions

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because it's still something that we as
a commission will still be writing down

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when we have time to be able to approach
the petitioner. So, any questions that

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are during your testimony, even though
they might not answer, I still would

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like to have them on the record just for
our own uh commission

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notes.
>> Fair enough. And some of them I one of

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them in particular I think may have been
asked before but I want to clarify it.

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Um projects in Illinois. How many
projects do you have in Illinois and

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have had?

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The second piece of that is how many of
those projects

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that you built or constructed are you
still managing

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and then how many of those are in
Illinois?

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Those are the only questions I had.
reason I clarify these again and one of

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the largest issues that I have with this
entire project

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is the investment in our community.
I understand business-wise, corporate

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wise, you have to decide what you know
what you're going to do to to make

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money.
But when you're the person that brings

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that to the table,
it's very important that there's an

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investment in the community beyond a
monetary promise down the road. those

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types of things. There's been other
projects over the years that have come

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to this community.
I My wife grew up here.

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Uh we've been together over 30 years. We
did enough to decide to come back and

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live in this community. We've been here
over 20 years now. But I remember other

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projects that were in here.
[clears throat] Menards, you know, great

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for the community. There was opposition
for that. Lots of jobs to our community.

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tax base. I think they're the highest if
I remember correctly from one of the

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experts. There's a a large buyin to our
community with Menard's. I'm going to

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contrast that with another project.
Years and years ago in the 90s, they

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wanted to put a racetrack out here. A
lot of individuals that live here,

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you'll remember that. That that project
ended up getting pushed out of our town

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and it went down to Juliet.
it it was supposed to be one of the

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largest NASCAR racetracks. All of this
money for the community, all these

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things, that project down there, that
that business is still there from my

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understanding is a shell of what it used
to be. Um the the number of events that

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they do at that facility is
substantially less from my understanding

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of what it was going to be.

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this is, you know, 30 years down the
road from when that project was talked

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about, you know, and I think a lot of
people are glad that it didn't end up

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here, especially for the amount of
ground that it was going to take from

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our community.
Um, I am not against solar.

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I'm an electrician. I support our, you
know, our our laborers. I support our

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00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:07,760
electricians. I support our uh excavate
excavators, you know. Uh

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00:21:05,919 --> 00:21:12,080
they're a huge part of our community.
They've helped me build my life. But it

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00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:16,480
is they helped me build my life to be
able to choose the type of community

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that I wanted to live in. And that
community is should be driven by the

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00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:26,799
people who live in that community and
not by outside sources. It's great.

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Bring something to the table. We decide
if it benefits our community or not, not

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00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:39,440
outside places. So, I just um
I am not in support of the project

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um
for a lot of the the reasons that I just

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00:21:41,600 --> 00:21:49,039
talked about. Um I'm concerned about the
return on the investment and the future

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of our community and also the ability
for the people of our community to help

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drive what happens in this town uh and
in this township. Uh we talked Yeah,

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I'll leave it at that. Thank you very
much.

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00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:14,600
» Thank you, Eric. [applause] Um,
commission members, any questions or

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00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:14,600
comments for Mr. Le?

303
00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:21,200
» Same to petitioner.
>> We don't have any questions.

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00:22:20,559 --> 00:22:24,840
» Thank you.
>> Thank you so much.

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00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:35,039
Uh next party interested party signing
on the registration sheet is John Wikes.

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00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:38,360
» I'm going to pass u
speak tonight.

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00:22:39,120 --> 00:22:46,880
» You are also if you do feel inclined to
speak later at the public comment is

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00:22:43,919 --> 00:22:54,440
also an option or at the end of the list
of interested parties.

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00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:54,440
» Uh next on the list is Mike Bernett.

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Please come to the uh microphone and
state your name, please.

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00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:06,240
» Michael Bernett.
>> Can you spell your last name, please?

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00:23:04,240 --> 00:23:10,960
» B U R N T.
>> And Mr. Bernett, your address?

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00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:13,919
» 14247 Sears Road.
>> And that's a property that's immediately

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adjacent to the project.
>> Yes, it is.

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00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:20,559
» Thank you.
>> Um, thank you for your time tonight. I

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00:23:18,799 --> 00:23:27,720
do have a lot of stuff to cover. So I
printed off my complete statement for

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00:23:23,679 --> 00:23:27,720
all of you if I may approach.

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So, as I already said, my name is Mike
Bernett and I live in Little Rock

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Township, not within the city limits,
but my property abuts the proposed solar

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00:23:53,039 --> 00:23:59,120
project and it will cause injury to my
private property.

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All people who live inside the city of
Plano also live in Little Rock Township.

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We are the same people. We share the
same streets, the same schools, the same

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00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:14,880
farms, and the same future.
We are at a watershed moment, not only

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for this city, this township, but also
for this nation.

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00:24:17,039 --> 00:24:22,400
I've been to some of these hearings.
I've heard some of your questions. I can

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tell many of you are concerned about how
these solar projects will affect this

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community. But I want to offer hope to
you and the people of this community.

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We all feel it. Something just isn't
right in America anymore. This isn't the

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nation or the state we grow up in.
Something is a miss. Instead of being

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a nation of freedom and liberty, we
become a nation that has been overrun by

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corporate interests and bureaucrats who
have centralized power. Something our

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00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:57,039
founding fathers warned us about. Yet
here we are celebrating 250 years as a

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great republic. But it's on the brink of
falling into tyranny.

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Thankfully, our founding fathers when
they divorced England had the wisdom to

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institute written instruments called
constitutions

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00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:12,400
that are the highest law of the land.
Yet, these instruments don't stand

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alone. They're based upon something
called the fundamental principles of law

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which many of us people have been
learning because for many generations

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00:25:19,919 --> 00:25:26,320
now they have been not been taught to us
but we have found them and we have

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recurred to them just as our Illinois
constitution warns about in article 1

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section 23 and I quote a frequent
recurrence to the fundamental principles

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of civil government is necessary to
preserve the blessings of liberty. These

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blessings cannot endure unless the
people recognize their corresponding

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individual obligations and
responsibilities.

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Allow me to explain. Liberty is the
defining term of this nation. Liberty

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means to be free free from external
control. In order to maintain that

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00:25:57,279 --> 00:26:04,000
liberty which has been slowly eroded for
many decades now, there must be a

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frequent recurrence to the fundamental
principles of law. What are those

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00:26:06,640 --> 00:26:12,720
fundamental principles? They are the
substructure of our constitutions. They

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00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:16,799
are the maxims that are [clears throat]
the foundation of our constitutions,

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00:26:14,559 --> 00:26:21,120
both state and federal. Yet for many
years now, attorneys and legislators

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00:26:19,200 --> 00:26:26,720
have been taught how to hide or ignore
those principles, skipping right past

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00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:32,000
them to statutes. Yet, a statute is not
the fundamental law of this nation, nor

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00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:35,919
this state.
Now, I'm willing to bet that you've had

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00:26:33,520 --> 00:26:40,320
some attorneys give you counsel. I will
also bet that with any of that council,

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00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:44,480
they have only cited statutes to you,
but likely they haven't cited any

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00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:49,520
Illinois constitutional articles to you.
And I'll guarantee they haven't cited

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00:26:46,159 --> 00:26:54,080
any maximums of law to you. Why is that?
It is because at least a generation now,

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00:26:52,159 --> 00:26:59,279
the law schools no longer teach the
constitutions nor the fundamental maxims

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00:26:56,159 --> 00:27:04,320
of law. They may briefly go over the US
Constitution, then get right into

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statutes. Thank God our Supreme Court is
now correcting these decades long

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00:27:06,799 --> 00:27:13,840
errors. So I'm going to cite some very
important principles and constitutional

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00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:18,240
articles to you right now. Illinois
constitutional article one section one

364
00:27:16,559 --> 00:27:22,559
the very first statement in our
constitution apart from the preamble.

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00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:27,039
All men are by nature free and
independent and have certain inherent

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00:27:24,480 --> 00:27:31,520
and inalienable rights among which are
life, liberty and the pursuit of

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happiness. To secure these rights and
the protection of property, governments

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are instituted among men, deriving their
just powers from the consent of the

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governed.
What does that mean? It means no matter

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00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:47,600
what any attorney tells you, we are free
people with rights that are guaranteed.

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And the whole purpose of government is
to protect our rights and our property.

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Book that in your mind. Bookmark that in
your mind for a moment. Now, what is

373
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this hearing about? It's about property
and commercial land use. But please

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00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:07,360
understand that commercial land use is
public not private and our private

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00:28:05,360 --> 00:28:12,799
properties are the entire basis of
governmental existence. Private property

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00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:17,360
rights were the primary of many reasons
of our founding fathers decided to

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00:28:15,120 --> 00:28:22,399
divorce England. That's why in every
state constit constitution you'll see

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00:28:19,679 --> 00:28:26,480
similar statement in article one or two.
It is paramount.

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00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:32,240
We the people learned this, but we have
learned and discovered so much more of

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00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:37,120
why our state is in absolute disarray.
Way back in 1848,

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00:28:34,480 --> 00:28:42,880
our ancestors adopted a new Illinois
constitution, abolishing the original

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00:28:39,919 --> 00:28:48,480
1818 constitution. That's important to
remember. They abolished the 1818

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00:28:45,840 --> 00:28:53,600
constitution. The main focus of the new
constitution was to institute each

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00:28:51,039 --> 00:28:59,279
county to be able to choose its form of
government. And in 1849,

385
00:28:56,399 --> 00:29:04,399
Kendall County chose a county under
township form of government. And Little

386
00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:07,679
Rock Township was formed. That was prior
to the establishment of the city of

387
00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:11,919
Plano.
This is important to understand because

388
00:29:09,840 --> 00:29:15,840
that fundamentally changed how Kendall
County functioned.

389
00:29:14,159 --> 00:29:19,760
Instead of having a board of three
county commissioners with this new

390
00:29:18,080 --> 00:29:23,760
county under township form, it
eliminated those county commissioners

391
00:29:21,520 --> 00:29:28,320
and instead the county was made up a
board of supervisors. The supervisor

392
00:29:26,399 --> 00:29:33,200
elected from each of the nine townships
made up the county board of supervisors.

393
00:29:30,960 --> 00:29:40,640
This is important an important point
that I will come back to in a moment.

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00:29:37,039 --> 00:29:46,159
Then in 1870 after the Civil War,
Illinois adopted a new constitution

395
00:29:42,799 --> 00:29:51,039
without abolishing the 1848 one, but
rather they continued certain aspects of

396
00:29:48,399 --> 00:29:58,000
it, namely the townships and county
under township form. But in this new 187

397
00:29:55,039 --> 00:30:02,320
1870 constitution, which was our third,
the people adopted a very important

398
00:29:59,840 --> 00:30:06,640
article. It's in the legislative section
about the state general assembly. I'm

399
00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:10,880
not going to read the whole section, but
point to a couple of relevant parts.

400
00:30:09,039 --> 00:30:15,279
Now, don't dismiss this just because it
is the 1870 Constitution because right

401
00:30:13,760 --> 00:30:20,240
after I'm going to show you the
expressed text of our current 1970

402
00:30:18,480 --> 00:30:26,960
Constitution that continues these
provisions. They're still relevant.

403
00:30:23,679 --> 00:30:33,840
The Illinois 1870 Constitution, Article
4, Section 22, it says in part, "The

404
00:30:30,480 --> 00:30:39,120
General Assembly shall not pass local or
specific laws in any of the following

405
00:30:36,799 --> 00:30:45,120
enumerated cases."
That is to say, regulating county and

406
00:30:42,720 --> 00:30:49,120
township affairs.
What we're doing here tonight is most

407
00:30:46,720 --> 00:30:53,279
certainly a township affair, as all the
people in Plano are also in the

408
00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:57,919
township. Therefore, any state statute
that attempts to regulate the business

409
00:30:55,600 --> 00:31:02,799
within the township, which would include
this commercial solar project, is

410
00:30:59,919 --> 00:31:07,120
expressly prohibited in the 1870
constitution.

411
00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:12,080
Providing for the election of members of
the board of supervisors in township.

412
00:31:10,399 --> 00:31:16,399
This means that the general assembly
can't tell counties and townships how to

413
00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:20,240
elect their board of supervisors. Do you
recall what I explained before that our

414
00:31:18,320 --> 00:31:27,399
Kendall County board used to consist of
supervisor form from each township, not

415
00:31:23,360 --> 00:31:27,399
separately elected persons?

416
00:31:28,159 --> 00:31:36,720
The state cannot grant to any
corporation, association, or individual

417
00:31:33,840 --> 00:31:41,679
any special or exclusive privilege,
immunity, or franchise whatsoever. This

418
00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:47,279
means that the state general assembly
cannot force any township, county, or

419
00:31:44,240 --> 00:31:51,600
city to allow any special privilege to
conduct business. And that is exactly

420
00:31:49,919 --> 00:31:56,000
where you have been deliberating over
these hearings because corporate

421
00:31:53,679 --> 00:32:00,399
entities are not the same as people and
their private property. The moment

422
00:31:58,159 --> 00:32:04,159
someone wants to use utilize their
private property for commercial

423
00:32:02,159 --> 00:32:09,279
purposes, in this case for commercial
solar, they have to get permission from

424
00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:14,480
the people via their government. It is a
privilege to utilize property for

425
00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:18,320
commercial prop purposes, not a right.
Now, I know what you're thinking. Yeah,

426
00:32:16,159 --> 00:32:23,200
but that's the 1870 Constitution, and
we're now using the 1970 Constitution.

427
00:32:21,600 --> 00:32:28,000
So, let me read you a little known part
of the current 1970 Constitution called

428
00:32:25,760 --> 00:32:32,320
the transition schedule. It's at the
very end of the Constitution, and nobody

429
00:32:30,399 --> 00:32:35,679
paid attention to it until we discovered
it.

430
00:32:33,600 --> 00:32:40,880
The preamble of the transition schedule
says, "The following schedule provisions

431
00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:46,159
shall remain part of this constitution
until their terms have been executed.

432
00:32:43,600 --> 00:32:50,320
Once each year, the attorney general
shall review the following provisions

433
00:32:48,159 --> 00:32:56,559
and certify to the Secretary of State
which, if any, have been executed. Any

434
00:32:53,600 --> 00:33:01,760
provisions so certified shall thereafter
be removed from the schedule and no

435
00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:05,200
longer published as part of this 1970
constitution.

436
00:33:03,440 --> 00:33:09,360
That means that any of the 10 provisions
in the transition schedule remain. They

437
00:33:07,120 --> 00:33:15,399
aren't removed. Well, section five is
not removed.

438
00:33:11,120 --> 00:33:15,399
Also, section 9 remains.

439
00:33:16,240 --> 00:33:22,559
Section 5C says, "Townships in existence
on the effective date of this

440
00:33:20,320 --> 00:33:26,880
constitution are continued until
consolidated, merged, divided, or

441
00:33:25,039 --> 00:33:33,200
dissolved in accordance with section
five of article 7. That provision

442
00:33:30,640 --> 00:33:37,679
expressly sets that a referendum must be
used to change the township and the main

443
00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:44,399
body of the constitution." Article 7,
section B3B says, "The General Assembly

444
00:33:41,600 --> 00:33:49,360
by law shall provide methods available
to all counties for the election of

445
00:33:46,399 --> 00:33:54,399
county board members. No county other
than Cook County may change its method

446
00:33:51,840 --> 00:34:01,600
of electing board members except as
approved by countywide referendum.

447
00:33:58,720 --> 00:34:04,960
This means that in 1971 when the state
general assembly wrote statutes that

448
00:34:03,519 --> 00:34:10,240
made the Kendall County Board of
Supervisors believe they had to change

449
00:34:07,760 --> 00:34:14,560
form away from a county under township
form, it was unconstitutional.

450
00:34:12,560 --> 00:34:19,280
There was no referendum and our local
government just changed itself without

451
00:34:16,320 --> 00:34:24,800
the expressed will of the people. Now
back to the transition schedule for one

452
00:34:22,079 --> 00:34:31,040
very important point.
Text of section 9, general transition.

453
00:34:29,440 --> 00:34:34,800
The rights and duties of all public
bodies shall remain as if this

454
00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:39,040
constitution had not been adopted with
the exception of such changes that are

455
00:34:36,639 --> 00:34:45,280
contained in this constitution. All
laws, ordinances, regulations, and rules

456
00:34:41,839 --> 00:34:50,879
of court not contrary to or inconsistent
with the pro provisions of this

457
00:34:47,440 --> 00:34:54,399
constitution shall remain in force until
they shall expire by their own

458
00:34:52,399 --> 00:35:01,119
limitation or shall be altered or
repealed pursuant to this constitution.

459
00:34:57,839 --> 00:35:05,680
All officers filing any filling any
office by election or appointment shall

460
00:35:03,359 --> 00:35:09,920
continue to exercise the duties thereof
until their offices have been abolished

461
00:35:07,680 --> 00:35:15,200
or their successors selected and
qualified in accordance with this

462
00:35:12,240 --> 00:35:21,680
constitution or laws enact enacted
pursuant to what does that mean? It

463
00:35:18,800 --> 00:35:27,119
means if the current 1970 constitution
didn't expressly abolish or change

464
00:35:24,160 --> 00:35:32,480
something then the 1870 constitutions
provisions remain. Now remember when I

465
00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:36,880
said to bookmark that the 1818
constitution was abolished. That's

466
00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:42,720
because constitutions have expressed
provisions. The text says what it wants

467
00:35:39,520 --> 00:35:46,320
what it says and it means what it means.
Now, you're probably wondering why I

468
00:35:44,079 --> 00:35:50,480
just gave that constitutional
history lesson and how it applies to

469
00:35:48,720 --> 00:35:54,560
tonight's hearing. So, please allow me
to explain the connection.

470
00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:59,440
After the people discovered that the
existing county form of government is

471
00:35:56,960 --> 00:36:02,960
wrong, we also discovered that the
people who are the creators of

472
00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:06,880
government, by the way, can call a
special township meeting. In this type

473
00:36:05,040 --> 00:36:12,880
of meeting, it bypasses our elected
servants altogether. Picture it just

474
00:36:09,760 --> 00:36:17,200
simply like a company board. Sure, the
owner of a company can let his employees

475
00:36:15,520 --> 00:36:22,720
have meetings and handle business for
it. But if he owns the thing, just like

476
00:36:19,760 --> 00:36:26,960
the people own our government,
his employ if employees aren't doing

477
00:36:24,880 --> 00:36:31,760
what he wants or what he's told him to
do, he can bypass them and take care of

478
00:36:28,800 --> 00:36:35,839
it. Now connect that concept to a county
under township form because with a

479
00:36:34,079 --> 00:36:41,280
county under township the township
supervisors sit also as the county board

480
00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:46,560
of supervisors. This brings the entire
county directly amanable to the people

481
00:36:44,240 --> 00:36:50,480
immediately if the people simply call
for a special meeting to handle their

482
00:36:48,320 --> 00:36:56,560
business directly rather than going
through their servant representatives.

483
00:36:53,119 --> 00:37:00,400
On June 26th, 2025, the people of Little
Rock Township held a lawful special

484
00:36:58,400 --> 00:37:04,359
meeting and passed resolution and
ordinance number 2025-06-26.

485
00:37:04,800 --> 00:37:11,359
That ordinance does one clear thing. It
prohibits commercial wind and solar

486
00:37:08,800 --> 00:37:15,599
energy facilities on public and
commercial property inside this

487
00:37:13,040 --> 00:37:20,400
township. It does not touch a homeowner
who wants to put panels on his own roof

488
00:37:17,920 --> 00:37:24,000
for his own house. The ordinance says
the Illinois Constitution protects

489
00:37:22,240 --> 00:37:27,920
private installations on private
property from government regulation, but

490
00:37:26,320 --> 00:37:31,920
it's clearly for commercial
installations such as this one that

491
00:37:30,079 --> 00:37:37,119
you've been deliberating.
The people voted 45 to1. The ordinance

492
00:37:35,040 --> 00:37:40,880
is effective immediately. It declares
that any prior zoning approvals by the

493
00:37:39,280 --> 00:37:44,960
Kendall County Board for commercial
energy facilities are void from the

494
00:37:43,200 --> 00:37:50,480
beginning.
void ab initio due to their prop

495
00:37:47,760 --> 00:37:54,320
improper form. It closes by reminding
every government agent that they are

496
00:37:52,079 --> 00:37:58,720
servants and trustees accountable to the
people and that the township stands

497
00:37:56,480 --> 00:38:03,200
ready to defend its constitutional
autonomy.

498
00:38:01,520 --> 00:38:06,640
Because the people already enacted this
prohibition, the city of Plano has no

499
00:38:04,960 --> 00:38:11,119
authority to consider or approve this
project. The city of Plano is a

500
00:38:09,280 --> 00:38:15,359
municipal service provider. It is not
the same as the body politic of the

501
00:38:13,119 --> 00:38:18,880
people of the township, which again, all
of you on this board are people of

502
00:38:17,200 --> 00:38:23,440
Little Rock Township, whether you live
inside the city limits or not.

503
00:38:21,760 --> 00:38:27,200
Sure, there's been some nuances of
things such as roads. The city takes

504
00:38:25,599 --> 00:38:31,119
care of city roads and the township
takes care of township roads, but that's

505
00:38:29,200 --> 00:38:35,839
why the township roads department is
distinct from the township board.

506
00:38:33,920 --> 00:38:39,359
The correct and only lawful action is to
deny it on the specific grounds of

507
00:38:37,760 --> 00:38:42,359
Little Rock Township Ordinance
2025-06-26.

508
00:38:42,640 --> 00:38:48,480
That is the cleanest, safest, and
strongest ground available to this

509
00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:52,960
board. You do not have to invent new
reasons or take any personal risks. You

510
00:38:50,480 --> 00:38:56,960
are all protected by what the people of
the township did at the special meeting.

511
00:38:55,119 --> 00:39:01,599
You simply recognize the law the people
already made. If you don't believe that,

512
00:38:59,599 --> 00:39:07,040
then ask one any one of your attorneys
to swear by affidavit where the people

513
00:39:03,760 --> 00:39:13,359
are wrong. They won't do it. I guarantee
it. They can't because we only use the

514
00:39:09,920 --> 00:39:18,160
highest law, the constitutions, and with
maxims. We actually hope someone is

515
00:39:16,160 --> 00:39:22,480
arrogant enough to try to take this
before a judge because judges will

516
00:39:20,079 --> 00:39:26,000
understand what we have done. And
whether you know it or not, the city,

517
00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:31,280
the county, and the state already agree
with us because we sent them official

518
00:39:28,400 --> 00:39:36,960
notices and affidavit and the ordinance
itself, and none have rebutted it, which

519
00:39:34,079 --> 00:39:39,839
means they agree with us. I understand
that most of you on this zoning board

520
00:39:38,400 --> 00:39:43,599
are regular people trying to do a
different difficult job. You are not

521
00:39:42,000 --> 00:39:49,280
constitutional scholars. You are not
career attorneys. You rely on the advice

522
00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:53,520
you are given. I am not here to attack
you. I'm here to offer you protection.

523
00:39:51,119 --> 00:39:57,280
The safest place for any public serv
servant right now is under the people's

524
00:39:55,359 --> 00:40:02,240
enactment which was done with
constitutional authority.

525
00:39:59,680 --> 00:40:06,000
We urge you to stand on the township
ordinance and recommend denial because

526
00:40:04,240 --> 00:40:10,160
the people of Little Rock Township have
already prohibited commercial solar on

527
00:40:08,079 --> 00:40:14,400
commercial property.
That single ground shields you and keeps

528
00:40:12,480 --> 00:40:19,359
immunity for you. It puts the burden
where it belongs on anyone who wants to

529
00:40:16,560 --> 00:40:23,920
challenge the people's act. And we are
inviting that challenge. The people of

530
00:40:21,359 --> 00:40:28,079
Little Rock Township dare the county,
the solar companies, the city, or the

531
00:40:25,760 --> 00:40:32,560
state of Illinois to take this to court
because if they do, they will be waring

532
00:40:30,000 --> 00:40:37,359
against the people and the Constitution.
Again, that's something a righteous

533
00:40:35,040 --> 00:40:41,680
judge will be unwilling to do. We
welcome it. We did everything lawfully

534
00:40:39,839 --> 00:40:45,359
and peacefully and out in the open. We
sent notices, affidavit, and cease and

535
00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:50,560
desist letters all the way to
Springfield and the governor's office.

536
00:40:48,240 --> 00:40:55,680
We received zero responses, zero
challenges, zero rebuttals. That silence

537
00:40:53,520 --> 00:41:01,040
is acquiescence. The people have spoken
and no public servant has even bothered

538
00:40:58,240 --> 00:41:06,160
to answer. This case is done before it
even starts if they were to attempt a

539
00:41:02,960 --> 00:41:09,599
suit. This is about far more than solar
fields. This strikes at the heart of

540
00:41:07,680 --> 00:41:13,839
centralized power that the governor and
Springfield now claim over every local

541
00:41:12,240 --> 00:41:19,920
decision that has given way to
government tyranny. That power was never

542
00:41:16,640 --> 00:41:23,680
supposed to exist in this form.
All political power in this nation

543
00:41:21,920 --> 00:41:27,440
begins with the people. The people
created the state. The people created

544
00:41:25,359 --> 00:41:32,240
the township. Then the people throughout
the 1870 Illinois constitution blocked

545
00:41:29,920 --> 00:41:38,240
the general assembly from meddling in
county and township affairs. Article 4,

546
00:41:35,119 --> 00:41:42,800
section 22 of the 1870 Constitution
says, "The General Assembly shall not

547
00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:47,400
pass local or special laws regulating
county and township affairs."

548
00:41:47,440 --> 00:41:53,599
That prohibition did not disappear.
Elements of the 1870 Constitution remain

549
00:41:51,760 --> 00:41:58,560
alive through the transition schedule of
the 1970 Constitution. The flow of power

550
00:41:56,640 --> 00:42:02,800
is simple. The people are the supreme
lawgivers in this nation and state.

551
00:42:00,800 --> 00:42:07,440
Everything else is downstream and the
city of Plano is subject to the township

552
00:42:05,040 --> 00:42:12,400
in this county. Although we recognize
nobody has known that for 70 years.

553
00:42:10,560 --> 00:42:16,240
Under the proper form of government in
Kendall County, the county under

554
00:42:13,760 --> 00:42:20,319
township form, each township elects a
supervisor and those supervisors form

555
00:42:18,079 --> 00:42:23,280
the county board of supervisors. That is
how local government was designed to

556
00:42:21,839 --> 00:42:29,119
work after the people adopted the
township organization in 1849.

557
00:42:26,720 --> 00:42:33,280
The change that happened around 1970 and
1971 was never put to a proper

558
00:42:31,359 --> 00:42:37,599
referendum of the people as the
constitution required. The structure was

559
00:42:35,839 --> 00:42:41,359
altered without the people's consent and
is therefore void. That is why the

560
00:42:39,760 --> 00:42:46,079
township's authority still stands
superior in these matters.

561
00:42:44,000 --> 00:42:49,599
This is not fringe theory. Following the
fundamental law and the constitutions of

562
00:42:47,920 --> 00:42:53,920
Illinois and the United States is not
fringe. It is the law of the land. The

563
00:42:52,319 --> 00:42:59,040
United States Supreme Court has been
saying the same thing out loud. In 2024,

564
00:42:57,040 --> 00:43:03,359
court overturned the Chevron doctrine.
For 40 years, lawyers and agencies were

565
00:43:01,440 --> 00:43:08,400
taught that courts must defer to
whatever novel interpretation the

566
00:43:05,760 --> 00:43:13,119
administrative state invented. That era
is over and Illinois is being restored

567
00:43:11,119 --> 00:43:19,040
and Little Rock Township appears to be
ground zero. Courts must now decide what

568
00:43:16,160 --> 00:43:23,839
the law actually says. Justice Gorsuch
has been clear. We have allowed these

569
00:43:21,839 --> 00:43:27,760
novel theories for far too long and we
are returning all the way back to the

570
00:43:25,839 --> 00:43:31,520
Constitution
is what he said a couple of weeks ago in

571
00:43:29,839 --> 00:43:35,680
one of the most recent Supreme Court
decisions. What the people of Little

572
00:43:33,520 --> 00:43:40,319
Rock Township did is simply the same
return to first principles.

573
00:43:38,319 --> 00:43:44,079
This principle reaches everything.
Property taxes, school funding, zoning,

574
00:43:42,319 --> 00:43:48,960
and yes, even the ridiculous COVID
lockdowns that treated free people like

575
00:43:46,000 --> 00:43:54,079
subjects. When local self-government is
hollowed out, every decision migrates

576
00:43:51,520 --> 00:43:58,960
upward to Springfield and beyond. That
is the real issue here. Solar is only

577
00:43:56,720 --> 00:44:02,640
the current battlefield.
I'm happy to sit down one-on-one with

578
00:44:00,800 --> 00:44:07,280
any member of this board, any alderman
or any county official along with your

579
00:44:04,480 --> 00:44:13,119
attorneys who want a calm, detailed
explanation of how the 1870 provisions

580
00:44:10,640 --> 00:44:16,560
remain operative and why the flow of
power still runs from the people

581
00:44:14,720 --> 00:44:20,640
outward. There is nothing mysterious
about it once you follow the document.

582
00:44:18,480 --> 00:44:24,800
The plain language of the text cannot be
refuted.

583
00:44:23,119 --> 00:44:30,160
We've already done what needed to be
done lawfully, openly, and peacefully.

584
00:44:28,000 --> 00:44:34,079
The people enacted the prohibition. The
people put everyone on notice. Now, the

585
00:44:32,160 --> 00:44:37,599
choice is simple. This board should
recommend denial tonight, and it should

586
00:44:35,760 --> 00:44:41,640
do so on the clear ground of Little Rock
Township Ordinance 2025-06-26.

587
00:44:42,400 --> 00:44:49,440
Then the alderman will decide whether
they will uphold the people's law or

588
00:44:46,400 --> 00:44:52,880
knowingly set it aside. There is a vast
difference between breaking the law in

589
00:44:51,200 --> 00:44:58,000
ignorance and doing it after clear
notice while holding a position of

590
00:44:54,880 --> 00:45:02,319
public trust. That is malice.
We the people still own this township,

591
00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:05,520
this city, this county, and this state.
Not the solar companies, not the

592
00:45:03,839 --> 00:45:11,680
bureaucrats, not the attorneys who've
been trained for decades in a system the

593
00:45:08,640 --> 00:45:17,760
Supreme Court itself is dismantling. The
people are taking back peacefully

594
00:45:14,720 --> 00:45:23,040
what we have and we have already taken
the first lawful step. Vote to deny this

595
00:45:21,520 --> 00:45:27,760
project based on the township's
ordinance. That is the right action, the

596
00:45:25,520 --> 00:45:33,280
safe action, the only action consistent
with the fundamental law. Then put the

597
00:45:30,560 --> 00:45:37,359
pressure back on to the city council to
vote this down based on the same. They

598
00:45:35,599 --> 00:45:42,720
should have never taken this up in the
first place. We say this all in peace

599
00:45:40,560 --> 00:45:47,359
and the love of Christ that you may do
good works worthy of service. And we've

600
00:45:45,440 --> 00:45:52,079
extended as much grace as possible to
help you all understand and to guide you

601
00:45:49,760 --> 00:45:56,240
to the correct conclusion. We are not
threatening. We are simply giving notice

602
00:45:54,319 --> 00:46:01,520
so you are no longer confused by the
legal system that has been constructed

603
00:45:58,560 --> 00:46:04,800
contrary to the constitutions. So the
real question is who is willing to go

604
00:46:03,280 --> 00:46:10,736
against the people and the
constitutions? Thank you.

605
00:46:08,716 --> 00:46:10,736
» [applause]

606
00:46:15,040 --> 00:46:22,960
» Commission members, any comments or
questions from supernet?

607
00:46:21,119 --> 00:46:28,720
I [snorts] personally really thank you.
I have been sitting here um oftentimes

608
00:46:26,640 --> 00:46:33,200
in public hearing because of the
cross-examination and the procedures and

609
00:46:31,200 --> 00:46:38,480
the steps that we're taking as a
commission to make the meetings run

610
00:46:34,560 --> 00:46:41,920
smooth. it inhibits us to where normally
we would ask questions and be able to

611
00:46:40,079 --> 00:46:45,520
dialogue back and forth. So there have
been a lot of questions that I've had

612
00:46:43,680 --> 00:46:51,359
when you guys have spoke. So I really
really appreciate the time and energy in

613
00:46:48,319 --> 00:46:56,079
producing this document for us to read
um because oftentimes we don't you know

614
00:46:54,000 --> 00:47:01,200
in this particular step of the process
are able to dialogue um to keep the

615
00:46:59,359 --> 00:47:05,880
public hearing going. So I do I do
really appreciate that. Um,

616
00:47:06,079 --> 00:47:12,000
and I I do if I do have some questions,
I would I wouldn't mind reaching out,

617
00:47:10,160 --> 00:47:18,960
you know, and asking you.
>> I made some notes on here and so um

618
00:47:16,560 --> 00:47:26,200
that is very helpful. So, thank you very
much for your presentation.

619
00:47:22,560 --> 00:47:26,200
Any further comments,

620
00:47:26,400 --> 00:47:31,599
» Savian? Any comments for Mr. Bernett?
>> No questions.

621
00:47:30,560 --> 00:47:36,542
Thank you for your time.
>> Okay. Thank you.

622
00:47:34,522 --> 00:47:36,542
[applause]

623
00:47:40,079 --> 00:47:47,240
» The next individual on the interested
party registration sheet is Marcy

624
00:47:44,240 --> 00:47:47,240
Bernett.

625
00:47:51,680 --> 00:47:55,359
» Can you state your name, please?
>> Marcy Bernett.

626
00:47:54,079 --> 00:47:59,280
» Can you spell your last name?
>> B U R N E T.

627
00:47:57,200 --> 00:48:02,319
» Can you raise your right hand? Do you
solemnly swear or affirm that the

628
00:48:00,800 --> 00:48:04,880
testimony you're about to give will be
the truth, the whole truth, and nothing

629
00:48:04,000 --> 00:48:08,319
about the truth?
>> I do.

630
00:48:05,599 --> 00:48:10,400
» Are you an adjacent property owner to
the project?

631
00:48:09,920 --> 00:48:14,160
» Yes.
>> Okay. And your address?

632
00:48:11,920 --> 00:48:16,560
» 14247 Sears Road.
>> Thank you.

633
00:48:15,040 --> 00:48:21,280
» Okay.
I said I'd like to start by saying that

634
00:48:18,720 --> 00:48:26,000
we are a proud union home with most of
our children in local trades. What I am

635
00:48:24,079 --> 00:48:31,280
about to say has nothing to do with
keeping work from unions. This is about

636
00:48:28,800 --> 00:48:36,240
our home, family, and peace, not a
18-month job. Once mentioned in a

637
00:48:34,319 --> 00:48:40,880
meeting, someone said, "This project
will bring revenue from the workers at

638
00:48:38,640 --> 00:48:45,280
local businesses. Most trade workers
bring a lunch. There is nothing but

639
00:48:42,720 --> 00:48:50,240
empty promises and hope. We bought our
home seven years ago. We put a lot into

640
00:48:47,680 --> 00:48:54,079
our property to make it a home place
where our children want to bring their

641
00:48:52,000 --> 00:48:59,119
children that is not their childhood
home, but rather grand the grandparents

642
00:48:56,400 --> 00:49:04,640
home. Our grandchildren love it. We're
expecting our fifth and sixth as we

643
00:49:01,040 --> 00:49:10,240
speak. They all live in society. They
can wander, explore, measure themselves

644
00:49:07,920 --> 00:49:15,760
against the corn, look at the grain bins
across the fields, and see the best

645
00:49:12,880 --> 00:49:20,480
sunsets ever. Never a visit passes that
someone does not mention how peaceful it

646
00:49:17,680 --> 00:49:25,839
is to be at our home, away from it all.
I challenge one of the people who spoke

647
00:49:22,559 --> 00:49:32,400
at one of the meetings on wildlife
um from Savon playing it down. We have

648
00:49:28,800 --> 00:49:37,119
deer, fox, squirrels, frogs, tree frogs,
etc. And there are fish in the waterway

649
00:49:34,960 --> 00:49:44,400
that goes through the field, a natural
habitat. We cannot let this build happen

650
00:49:41,440 --> 00:49:50,160
as that will all go away, die, and be
gone from the area for generations.

651
00:49:47,359 --> 00:49:55,280
Never has someone gotten excited, well
not somebody normal, about solar fields

652
00:49:52,880 --> 00:50:00,160
or concrete buildings in fencing in the
middle of a corn field, but you will

653
00:49:57,680 --> 00:50:04,559
notice people talking about the crops
growing. Look at how tall the corn is.

654
00:50:02,800 --> 00:50:10,000
Oh, there's beans in that field this
year. It is refreshing. Someone spoke

655
00:50:08,079 --> 00:50:15,520
during the public time at the first
meeting and made mention of growth and

656
00:50:12,720 --> 00:50:21,520
it is what we need, meaning the solar
farm. wrong. Growth would be building

657
00:50:18,319 --> 00:50:26,720
the luxury estate homes that most of the
area in question is already zoned for.

658
00:50:24,079 --> 00:50:32,000
That would be growth, life, and property
taxes for many more years. A project

659
00:50:29,920 --> 00:50:37,680
like this will deter people from moving
out this way due to an unhealthy eyesore

660
00:50:35,280 --> 00:50:43,040
to look at driving home after a long
day. Shame on the land owner for trying

661
00:50:40,800 --> 00:50:47,440
to make a buck at the other people's
expense.

662
00:50:44,800 --> 00:50:52,800
All the responses from Savon are so
vague, if they even answer. Dancing

663
00:50:50,559 --> 00:50:58,240
around an answer that they know if they
spoke the truth would add fuel to the

664
00:50:55,200 --> 00:51:04,240
fire. This is the absolute wrong project
in our area, our fields, and in Plano.

665
00:51:02,400 --> 00:51:09,839
We are the people of Little Rock
Township and we are strong and we will

666
00:51:06,800 --> 00:51:15,040
not allow this project. I ask that Plano
not falter on the zoning and welcome a

667
00:51:12,960 --> 00:51:21,520
high-end developer to build nice homes
in Plano to bring the proper revenues in

668
00:51:18,079 --> 00:51:27,800
to continue healthy growth. Please
reject the requests of Savon and Black

669
00:51:24,480 --> 00:51:27,800
Dirt Farms.

670
00:51:29,015 --> 00:51:31,035
[applause]

671
00:51:32,559 --> 00:51:38,599
Commission members again any questions
for Mrs. Barnett?

672
00:51:42,000 --> 00:51:48,280
No questions.
>> Thank you very much.

673
00:51:49,320 --> 00:51:51,340
[applause]

674
00:51:51,920 --> 00:51:59,000
The next person on the interested party
registration sheet is Chris Wikes.

675
00:52:04,400 --> 00:52:08,800
Once you approach the microphone, can
you state your name, please? Spelling

676
00:52:07,599 --> 00:52:12,400
your last name.
>> Uh, W Y Kes.

677
00:52:11,440 --> 00:52:15,839
» Your first name,
>> Chris. Christine.

678
00:52:14,240 --> 00:52:19,520
» You raise your right hand, please. Do
you solemnly swear or affirm that the

679
00:52:17,520 --> 00:52:22,240
testimony you're about to give will be
the truth, the whole truth, and nothing

680
00:52:20,960 --> 00:52:25,040
but the truth?
>> Yes.

681
00:52:22,800 --> 00:52:26,319
» Uh, are you an adjacent property owner
to the project?

682
00:52:25,920 --> 00:52:31,200
» Yes.
>> And that address?

683
00:52:28,559 --> 00:52:34,880
14176 Sears Road.
>> Thank you.

684
00:52:32,480 --> 00:52:44,720
» I am only wanting to make a statement to
say that what Mike said is collectively

685
00:52:40,079 --> 00:52:50,000
spoke from all of us in the township.
And I just want to reiterate that we did

686
00:52:48,000 --> 00:52:56,720
what we thought was constitutionally
correct. We sent our affidavits. We were

687
00:52:52,720 --> 00:53:04,480
totally ignored. And when you totally
ignore it, then you're saying that what

688
00:53:00,559 --> 00:53:12,280
we are presenting is correct.
Uh so that is my only statement I want

689
00:53:09,119 --> 00:53:12,280
to make.

690
00:53:17,200 --> 00:53:22,319
» Commission members questions for Mrs.
Weiss.

691
00:53:20,559 --> 00:53:26,240
» No,
>> I do have one question. Uh, you

692
00:53:24,319 --> 00:53:30,079
mentioned affidavit. Were any of those
reviewed? Uh,

693
00:53:28,240 --> 00:53:35,680
» you you mentioned affidavit. Were any of
those reviewed or taken to legal counsel

694
00:53:32,559 --> 00:53:42,960
or a judge or anything like that?
>> We sent our affidavits to the city

695
00:53:39,839 --> 00:53:51,040
council. I know you, the zoning board,
did not receive it, but the city council

696
00:53:46,160 --> 00:53:58,319
all received it and uh
we're just, you know, acting upon what

697
00:53:54,559 --> 00:54:03,200
we understand the constitution say.
>> And did anyone reach out in response at

698
00:54:01,359 --> 00:54:05,760
any point?
>> I I I

699
00:54:04,160 --> 00:54:08,240
» Oh, I'm sorry. Did anyone reach out in
response to any point to any

700
00:54:07,119 --> 00:54:12,880
documentation sent?
>> No one has reached out. no response

701
00:54:10,640 --> 00:54:17,000
whatsoever and ours were certified
letters. So,

702
00:54:17,760 --> 00:54:28,240
in regards to the township and some of
the I

703
00:54:24,559 --> 00:54:32,079
there was some um dialogue stated for
any commercial installations, not

704
00:54:30,160 --> 00:54:38,559
private, but any commercial
installations. Is that based on like a

705
00:54:34,480 --> 00:54:43,359
zoning or a size of solar that you guys
are fighting against or you know

706
00:54:40,160 --> 00:54:47,200
petitioning against?
I'm sorry I forgot my hearing aids at

707
00:54:45,359 --> 00:54:55,680
home and I really can't you know
understand everything you're saying but

708
00:54:50,559 --> 00:55:00,079
you know this is 1500 acres of prime
farm ground. Probably the best farm

709
00:54:58,160 --> 00:55:04,000
ground you're going to ever find in the
whole United States.

710
00:55:02,559 --> 00:55:08,720
And they're saying it's still going to
be protected by drilling these posts 8

711
00:55:06,800 --> 00:55:14,319
foot down into the ground when you know
any farmer knows that when you disrupt

712
00:55:11,040 --> 00:55:21,440
farm ground it's affected for a while
and you know who knows what we're going

713
00:55:17,200 --> 00:55:28,240
to have. uh they keep assuring us that
these are totally safe but

714
00:55:24,720 --> 00:55:31,240
I question it and uh it's new
technology.

715
00:55:38,000 --> 00:55:44,079
» Well, thank you Mrs. Wikes.
>> Thank you.

716
00:55:42,503 --> 00:55:50,240
[applause]
>> Yeah, no questions. Okay. Uh let's just

717
00:55:48,160 --> 00:55:56,880
uh let the record reflect that Savon
indicated they had no questions of Miss

718
00:55:52,640 --> 00:56:06,280
Wes. Um next interested party on the
registration sheet is Will Statman.

719
00:56:02,079 --> 00:56:06,280
» There's one more interested party.

720
00:56:08,000 --> 00:56:12,640
» Yes. Hi. Hello again.
>> Please state your name. Spell your last

721
00:56:10,960 --> 00:56:16,960
name for the court reporter, please.
>> Will Statman. That's S T A T M.

722
00:56:15,680 --> 00:56:20,720
» Mr. Mr. Tman, can you raise your right
hand? Uh, do you solemnly swear or

723
00:56:19,119 --> 00:56:23,760
affirm that the testimony you're about
to give will be the truth, the whole

724
00:56:22,240 --> 00:56:27,040
truth, and nothing but the truth?
>> I do.

725
00:56:24,480 --> 00:56:33,040
» And, uh, your interested party entity
is, uh, Black Dirt Farms LLC, Plano

726
00:56:30,640 --> 00:56:35,760
Farms LLC, and Crescent City Land
Company LLC.

727
00:56:34,160 --> 00:56:40,480
» Thank you.
>> Uh, so just to say it again, uh, my name

728
00:56:38,079 --> 00:56:45,359
is Will Statman. I represent the three
LLC's in question where this project is

729
00:56:43,040 --> 00:56:49,599
located. Uh but we're not a big
corporation. We're a family real estate

730
00:56:47,599 --> 00:56:53,920
business. There are just a few of us.
And I'm here to share our perspective

731
00:56:51,920 --> 00:56:59,200
with you tonight.
Uh for a little background on me, I

732
00:56:56,160 --> 00:57:05,520
started my career as an architect before
I got into real estate. And I am a lead

733
00:57:03,520 --> 00:57:10,559
accredited professional. I've worked on
many sustainable buildings and I care a

734
00:57:08,400 --> 00:57:14,720
lot about the environment and
sustainability

735
00:57:12,480 --> 00:57:19,200
and building this solar project will be
a dream come true for me. It's something

736
00:57:16,559 --> 00:57:24,319
that I really believe in.
My family bought our first farm north of

737
00:57:21,440 --> 00:57:29,200
Plano about 15 years ago, and we have
bought several more adjacent farms in

738
00:57:26,640 --> 00:57:35,359
the city and county since then.
Some of the land was approved to be

739
00:57:31,680 --> 00:57:39,920
developed into more than 1,600 houses
approximately 20 years ago. But since

740
00:57:37,839 --> 00:57:43,839
residential growth has been limited and
no one has shown much interest in

741
00:57:42,000 --> 00:57:49,680
developing residential since we bought
the land, we think solar is a better use

742
00:57:46,880 --> 00:57:54,720
for many reasons. We agreed to partner
with Savion on this project about seven

743
00:57:52,319 --> 00:57:59,760
years ago because we think that utility
scale solar is the highest and best use

744
00:57:57,119 --> 00:58:05,200
of our land. We also think it's a good
thing for the city of Plano, the

745
00:58:01,839 --> 00:58:09,839
taxpayers, the school district, the
other taxing bodies, and the labor

746
00:58:07,520 --> 00:58:14,400
unions.
I've gotten to know Plano over the

747
00:58:11,839 --> 00:58:19,680
years, and it's a community that I think
will benefit from the economic activity,

748
00:58:17,440 --> 00:58:23,760
jobs, and tax revenue created by the
project.

749
00:58:21,040 --> 00:58:29,440
The annexation will expand the city by
more than a thousand acres, which is uh

750
00:58:27,119 --> 00:58:35,119
nearly two square miles, which is
incredible. It will invest several

751
00:58:32,240 --> 00:58:39,760
hundred million dollars in the city,
create hundreds of well-paying union

752
00:58:36,960 --> 00:58:46,960
jobs, and generate tens of millions of
dollars in property taxes. It will be a

753
00:58:42,720 --> 00:58:51,040
huge net positive for the city.
I personally want the annexation to

754
00:58:49,119 --> 00:58:55,760
happen so the city will get the full
benefits from the project, not just

755
00:58:53,200 --> 00:58:59,680
Kendall County.
I have to say it's been really awesome

756
00:58:57,680 --> 00:59:04,160
to see so many people from the union
support the project and listening to

757
00:59:02,240 --> 00:59:08,240
their personal statements has been
really heartwarming. It makes me happy

758
00:59:06,559 --> 00:59:14,799
that we can help them make a good
living. Uh we need to keep creating good

759
00:59:12,160 --> 00:59:20,640
jobs for both Illinois and Plano to
prosper.

760
00:59:17,440 --> 00:59:25,440
Uh in America now we are currently in
the middle of a new industrial

761
00:59:22,799 --> 00:59:32,799
revolution and it's powered by clean
American energy and technology.

762
00:59:29,520 --> 00:59:39,760
The Plano Skies Energy Center is an
opportunity for the city to participate

763
00:59:36,000 --> 00:59:43,920
in this economy of the future.
The project will diversify the tax base

764
00:59:41,839 --> 00:59:49,359
and take pressure off the residential
taxpayers in the city by bringing in

765
00:59:46,480 --> 00:59:54,559
commercial property tax dollars. Unlike
new homes, the solar project will not

766
00:59:52,000 --> 00:59:57,559
strain the school district and city
services.

767
00:59:58,559 --> 01:00:04,880
Uh, from the numbers I've seen, the
Plano School District will get

768
01:00:02,240 --> 01:00:10,559
approximately $1 million per year from
Plano Skies, or about $35 million over

769
01:00:08,000 --> 01:00:14,880
the life of the project. This money can
be used to hire more teachers and

770
01:00:12,240 --> 01:00:20,480
improve the facilities. The project will
be helping students as soon as it is up

771
01:00:17,520 --> 01:00:25,040
and running. Funding like this makes a
real difference in graduation rates and

772
01:00:22,880 --> 01:00:29,200
lifetime success for students, and I
know it'll make Plano a better

773
01:00:26,400 --> 01:00:34,400
community.
When it's built, the solar project will

774
01:00:31,280 --> 01:00:37,920
be a clean and quiet neighbor. Plano
spent about a year on its solar

775
01:00:35,920 --> 01:00:42,720
ordinance to make sure the project won't
be loud or pollute the soil. The land

776
01:00:40,559 --> 01:00:47,599
has been farmed continuously for about
two centuries, and letting the ground

777
01:00:45,040 --> 01:00:53,280
rest for several decades will actually
be great for the soil's fertility.

778
01:00:50,880 --> 01:00:57,520
Scientists have extensively tested the
impacts of solar panels on their

779
01:00:54,880 --> 01:01:02,960
surroundings and have repeatedly
concluded the same thing that there are

780
01:01:00,559 --> 01:01:07,280
no chemicals from any component of a
solar energy system that will leech into

781
01:01:05,200 --> 01:01:13,119
the soil. And I really think we should
trust the scientists here.

782
01:01:10,880 --> 01:01:16,640
Solar is ultimately one of the cleanest
land uses and forms of energy that we

783
01:01:15,119 --> 01:01:21,920
have.
Personally, I would have no problems

784
01:01:18,559 --> 01:01:25,839
living next to a solar farm. Uh, this
project has many benefits over housing

785
01:01:23,839 --> 01:01:30,960
and farming, including using less
pesticides and herbicides, and it won't

786
01:01:28,160 --> 01:01:35,839
cause more noise or traffic.
I would like you all to keep in mind

787
01:01:32,720 --> 01:01:40,400
that my family plans to own the land for
the entire life of the project, and we

788
01:01:38,559 --> 01:01:45,680
wouldn't do solar here if we thought the
land would be harmed or if we thought

789
01:01:42,079 --> 01:01:49,839
there was a better use.
Over the past four years in

790
01:01:47,680 --> 01:01:55,119
collaboration with Savon, we have put a
lot of work into mitigating the impacts

791
01:01:52,160 --> 01:02:00,000
of the project for our tenants and the
neighbors. After listening to community

792
01:01:57,920 --> 01:02:06,160
feedback, Savon redesigned the project
multiple times. They also listened to my

793
01:02:03,119 --> 01:02:10,880
concerns as a land owner.
I think the most important change that

794
01:02:07,839 --> 01:02:15,760
was made to the project was to keep it
entirely north of the existing KMED

795
01:02:13,359 --> 01:02:20,319
transmission line. While this made the
project a funny shape, it allows us to

796
01:02:18,400 --> 01:02:25,920
reserve several hundred acres of our
land for future residential expansion if

797
01:02:23,599 --> 01:02:30,160
the city wants it and if there is market
demand for it.

798
01:02:28,000 --> 01:02:36,160
We're doing everything we can to reduce
the impact on our tenants. And of the

799
01:02:32,799 --> 01:02:41,760
five farm houses on our land, no one is
going to have to move for this project,

800
01:02:38,240 --> 01:02:45,359
which I am very, very proud of. I take
this sort of thing really seriously and

801
01:02:43,520 --> 01:02:50,240
I don't want to disrupt anyone's life
just for my business.

802
01:02:48,400 --> 01:02:55,760
I also want to mention that as land
owners, we would prefer not to have any

803
01:02:52,319 --> 01:03:00,160
BMS. The land drains very well right now
and we don't want to mess up the

804
01:02:57,440 --> 01:03:05,680
drainage and we don't want 40,000
truckloads of clay coming in from who

805
01:03:02,640 --> 01:03:10,720
knows where. The small visual difference
just doesn't seem worth the tradeoff.

806
01:03:08,799 --> 01:03:16,000
Part of why Savon asked for the burm
variance was actually a direct request

807
01:03:13,440 --> 01:03:19,920
from us.
Uh we really care about the health of

808
01:03:17,760 --> 01:03:24,400
our land and the ability to return it to
farming in several decades.

809
01:03:22,640 --> 01:03:28,319
Uh I also know the Rose and Winkles
neighbors to the project uh to the north

810
01:03:26,559 --> 01:03:32,799
have requested not to have a burm as
well in their application letter.

811
01:03:31,359 --> 01:03:36,960
Ultimately we want to be the best
neighbors we can. So I look forward to

812
01:03:34,559 --> 01:03:41,760
working with the city and Savon to
perfect the vegetative screening and

813
01:03:39,039 --> 01:03:47,359
community benefits to make this as nice
a project as possible for everyone.

814
01:03:44,880 --> 01:03:51,839
In conclusion, I wouldn't give Savon the
time of day if I didn't think it was a

815
01:03:49,599 --> 01:03:57,039
great thing for the city, the school
district, the taxpayers, and anyone who

816
01:03:54,960 --> 01:04:02,400
likes having affordable electricity in
their homes. I want to thank everyone

817
01:03:59,920 --> 01:04:06,400
with the city and plan commission for
your hard work, and I'm happy to stay at

818
01:04:04,480 --> 01:04:10,760
the microphone to answer any questions
you all may have. Thank you.

819
01:04:10,789 --> 01:04:12,809
[applause]

820
01:04:18,000 --> 01:04:22,680
Commission members, questions for Mr.
Stratman.

821
01:04:25,119 --> 01:04:35,119
I have a question. Uh, you mentioned
that you want to return the land to

822
01:04:32,240 --> 01:04:39,680
farming when it's done. Uh but you had
mentioned previously

823
01:04:37,039 --> 01:04:43,280
20 years ago you wanted to build 1,600
homes on it.

824
01:04:40,960 --> 01:04:48,240
» Uh we did not own the land uh 20 years
ago. It was owned by Lakewood and uh

825
01:04:46,079 --> 01:04:51,880
that was the plan at the time.
>> Okay. Thanks.

826
01:04:58,480 --> 01:05:04,799
Is all the land
you own all the land in the proposed

827
01:05:03,760 --> 01:05:10,079
area?
>> Yes. Uh all the land Savon is proposing

828
01:05:07,760 --> 01:05:13,319
to use is uh in our three LLC's.
>> Thank you.

829
01:05:17,359 --> 01:05:26,160
» With the with the BMS, could you go a
little more in depth as to your negative

830
01:05:22,559 --> 01:05:30,079
thoughts? um on the BMS just a little
bit more. Is it you you mentioned clay

831
01:05:28,720 --> 01:05:38,240
» or could you go a little more in depth
on your stance behind that particularly

832
01:05:35,760 --> 01:05:43,280
um
the negative opinion of that?

833
01:05:40,799 --> 01:05:49,039
» Yeah. So, uh like I said, the land
drains really well right now. Uh it's

834
01:05:45,520 --> 01:05:54,000
generally a north to south drainage and
uh putting berms around uh some of these

835
01:05:52,160 --> 01:06:01,680
huge parcels could essentially turn it
into a lake uh and it could impact uh

836
01:05:58,960 --> 01:06:08,160
some of the neighbors. It could uh
contaminate the soil if it eventually

837
01:06:04,160 --> 01:06:12,960
becomes farming again. um you know
having a burm I don't think is a a very

838
01:06:10,960 --> 01:06:17,760
big visual difference from just having
good vegetative screening and like I

839
01:06:15,839 --> 01:06:23,359
said this would be outside soil coming
in and uh the soil that's out there

840
01:06:20,400 --> 01:06:28,039
right now is really high quality and so
uh we don't want to contaminate it.

841
01:06:29,359 --> 01:06:34,640
» Was there at any time any other solar
companies that you looked at or have you

842
01:06:32,960 --> 01:06:38,240
always worked with Savon originally? I
know that's where the petition came

843
01:06:36,000 --> 01:06:41,520
from, but in previous
>> history, were there any other companies

844
01:06:39,920 --> 01:06:45,440
that you worked with or was Savian the
one from the beginning? I think you said

845
01:06:43,520 --> 01:06:52,559
seven seven years ago.
>> So, uh I'm going to estimate that uh we

846
01:06:49,520 --> 01:06:59,359
had between 300 and 500 different solar
companies reach out to us because this

847
01:06:55,039 --> 01:07:03,359
is a really good site for solar. Uh
pretty much everyone agrees uh there

848
01:07:01,359 --> 01:07:08,079
aren't many good sites left for solar
projects and this is a phenomenal site.

849
01:07:05,680 --> 01:07:12,000
Uh we probably
had

850
01:07:09,599 --> 01:07:20,240
more intense dialogue with about a dozen
solar firms. Um and uh we decided to

851
01:07:17,280 --> 01:07:25,760
work with Savon because they were very
reasonable people. Uh they're honest. uh

852
01:07:23,280 --> 01:07:33,799
they were willing to
uh work with us uh basically to make

853
01:07:29,680 --> 01:07:33,799
something that was good for everyone.

854
01:07:33,839 --> 01:07:42,799
» As a land owner, do you have concerns if
Savon was to turn around and sell it and

855
01:07:39,760 --> 01:07:46,880
you'd be dealing with another developer?
Would you have any personal interest in

856
01:07:44,640 --> 01:07:52,640
a relationship with a future developer
who purchased the lease?

857
01:07:50,400 --> 01:07:57,839
Yeah, I like I said, we're planning to
own the land for the life of the project

858
01:07:54,559 --> 01:08:04,000
and I'll interface with whoever ends up
owning it. Uh I'm not worried about a

859
01:08:01,680 --> 01:08:08,160
different company hijacking this or
anything like that because there are all

860
01:08:05,920 --> 01:08:15,920
sorts of rules in place. I mean, AMA is
very strict and also uh we already have

861
01:08:11,920 --> 01:08:19,040
a a draft lease in place and uh I don't
think anyone's going to pull a fast one.

862
01:08:17,600 --> 01:08:22,040
think this is pretty tight and
reasonable.

863
01:08:24,719 --> 01:08:32,640
» Uh just to clarify, why did you have an
end date to the project? Solar panels

864
01:08:29,759 --> 01:08:38,159
can certainly be upgraded as the years
pass. Uh why an end date to the project

865
01:08:35,120 --> 01:08:42,560
and why a decommission and what does
that mean in the end of this project for

866
01:08:40,480 --> 01:08:47,199
you? What is your plan for it after
that?

867
01:08:44,000 --> 01:08:52,000
» Yeah. So I
I guess the the life of a solar project

868
01:08:49,279 --> 01:08:59,279
is really a solar industry thing. Uh
it's pretty standard for these things to

869
01:08:54,159 --> 01:09:04,480
be planned for 30 35 40 years. Um you
know one of the big requirements with

870
01:09:01,279 --> 01:09:10,960
AMA the agricultural mitigation impact
uh state policy is that uh it's supposed

871
01:09:08,560 --> 01:09:18,159
to make sure solar doesn't tarnish good
farmland. And in 35 years, if it makes

872
01:09:15,040 --> 01:09:23,120
sense to resume farming, then that's
what we want to do. And we really think

873
01:09:20,719 --> 01:09:28,480
the land will be bet in better shape
after this native vegetation has been on

874
01:09:25,440 --> 01:09:34,319
it for 35 years. I mean, like I said, uh
this land has been farmed for about two

875
01:09:30,799 --> 01:09:39,120
centuries. And that means uh annual
crops and tons of fertilizers and

876
01:09:36,719 --> 01:09:45,120
pesticides. and having it essentially
like a wild meadow is going to do really

877
01:09:41,040 --> 01:09:51,120
good things for the soil. Um, it it's
actually kind of funny and overwhelming

878
01:09:47,759 --> 01:09:58,159
to me that uh 35 years from now will be
the end of my career and this will be

879
01:09:54,000 --> 01:10:04,000
something that I I work with before I
retire and Plano in the US will be a

880
01:10:01,360 --> 01:10:09,520
very different place. Right? 35 years
doesn't seem like a huge number, but it

881
01:10:05,600 --> 01:10:16,560
it is a lifetime. And I will want to
have a conversation with the city and

882
01:10:13,760 --> 01:10:20,719
the planners and see what the highest
best and best use of the land is then

883
01:10:18,560 --> 01:10:25,000
and it may be farming, it may be
housing, it may be something else.

884
01:10:25,199 --> 01:10:31,199
» I have one more question for you. Uh, do
you live around the area? Do you live on

885
01:10:29,360 --> 01:10:34,480
this property or where do you live?
>> Uh, I do not. I currently live in

886
01:10:32,960 --> 01:10:37,480
Boston, Massachusetts.
>> Okay.

887
01:10:43,679 --> 01:10:48,440
» Commission members, any other questions
for Will

888
01:10:53,440 --> 01:10:59,000
» Savian.
>> No questions here.

889
01:10:59,440 --> 01:11:03,360
» Thank you for speaking.

890
01:11:04,099 --> 01:11:06,119
» [applause]

891
01:11:08,880 --> 01:11:15,400
» Next individual on an interested party
registration sheet, Andrew Kano.

892
01:11:19,440 --> 01:11:22,560
» Um, please state and spell your last
name, please.

893
01:11:21,760 --> 01:11:27,520
» Sure.
>> Andrew, last name is Kano. C A N O.

894
01:11:25,360 --> 01:11:31,440
» Mr. Kano, can you raise your right hand?
Yep. Do you solemnly swear or affirm

895
01:11:29,760 --> 01:11:34,480
that the testimony you're about to give
will be the truth, the whole truth, and

896
01:11:33,280 --> 01:11:38,800
nothing but the truth?
>> Yes.

897
01:11:35,920 --> 01:11:41,440
» Um, are you an owner of adjacent land to
this uh project, Mr.

898
01:11:40,560 --> 01:11:43,520
» Right across the street?
>> Yeah. And what is that uh what does that

899
01:11:42,800 --> 01:11:47,520
address?
>> 15115 Miller Road.

900
01:11:45,440 --> 01:11:52,400
» Thank you.
>> Okay. So, this question is for the the

901
01:11:50,239 --> 01:11:57,280
committee. Are you is everybody on the
board or the committee aware of the

902
01:11:54,239 --> 01:12:01,199
public act 102-1123
that was signed into law by Governor

903
01:11:58,800 --> 01:12:04,880
Prrisker in 2023?
>> Well versed on that.

904
01:12:02,800 --> 01:12:07,600
» I have heard about it. If
>> okay

905
01:12:05,199 --> 01:12:11,280
» if you have any further information
though we would love to hear it.

906
01:12:08,880 --> 01:12:15,199
» Okay. Well the further information I had
sounds is is this pretty simple and I'm

907
01:12:13,840 --> 01:12:19,360
going to address everybody out here
because a lot of you don't know. I know

908
01:12:17,120 --> 01:12:26,480
a lot of we've we've signed the petition
back in I believe 24. Um Little Rock

909
01:12:23,120 --> 01:12:32,560
Township did basically restricting the
wind and solar fields. Well, this law

910
01:12:29,760 --> 01:12:37,280
prohibits us from doing it.
Our hands are tied. I don't know if any

911
01:12:35,199 --> 01:12:40,800
of you know that they are. It's
happening no matter what.

912
01:12:40,239 --> 01:12:44,320
» Well,
>> not true.

913
01:12:41,520 --> 01:12:49,520
» Not true. So, that's my biggest thing
with this thing. is nobody. I I get it.

914
01:12:48,239 --> 01:12:54,159
I'm not against progress.
>> Not to interrupt. Can you write that or

915
01:12:52,640 --> 01:12:58,520
can you repeat the law really fast? I'd
like to write it down.

916
01:12:54,800 --> 01:12:58,520
» Public act 102112-1123

917
01:12:59,040 --> 01:13:03,280
signed into law in 2023 by Governor
Prrisker.

918
01:13:02,320 --> 01:13:09,360
» One,
>> right? 1123.

919
01:13:05,920 --> 01:13:14,080
» 1123. I just I I do take notes. I know
sometimes it seems like we are quiet up

920
01:13:11,440 --> 01:13:18,400
here as a commission. We do take notes
and and do research. So, sorry. Thanks.

921
01:13:16,640 --> 01:13:22,560
» And and there's there's a subsequent act
to that called the Clean and Reliable

922
01:13:20,719 --> 01:13:25,920
Grid Act affordability act. That's
public act 104-0458.

923
01:13:25,360 --> 01:13:29,760
» I have
>> you need to check into that too.

924
01:13:27,840 --> 01:13:33,199
Basically, what my understanding and
read through it pretty good is the

925
01:13:31,280 --> 01:13:37,600
elimination of local bands restricting
construction of solar facilities is

926
01:13:35,199 --> 01:13:40,800
basically what it is. So, our hands are
kind of tied. We can say no, but then

927
01:13:39,520 --> 01:13:47,120
they're just going to circumvent the
system and do it anyway.

928
01:13:43,120 --> 01:13:51,760
Okay. So, I can't I don't have any uh
other questions than that. That was what

929
01:13:49,360 --> 01:13:55,600
I was really wanted to point out to
everybody so that everybody was aware of

930
01:13:53,280 --> 01:13:59,280
that. I think it's in our best interest
if since that's the situation.

931
01:13:58,239 --> 01:14:02,880
Everybody's looking at a little
different. I'm for the good of the

932
01:14:00,400 --> 01:14:06,960
group. I I'm I'm affected by it. It's
going to be right across the street from

933
01:14:04,000 --> 01:14:12,640
my house. But if the city of Plano and
Little Rock Township can benefit from it

934
01:14:09,600 --> 01:14:15,679
from a tax standpoint without the state
circling around and I don't know what

935
01:14:14,400 --> 01:14:20,080
happened with the Menard's thing and
that whole deal, but I don't want to see

936
01:14:17,840 --> 01:14:25,199
it happen again. So from a tax
standpoint, yeah, it's good. No one

937
01:14:22,960 --> 01:14:29,360
wants it. But if we don't have any other
choice, kind of makes the decision

938
01:14:27,600 --> 01:14:32,880
pretty simple if you ask me. I don't
have the ability to directly address Mr.

939
01:14:31,600 --> 01:14:36,480
strapment. But if you do want to live
across the street from one, I got a spot

940
01:14:35,360 --> 01:14:39,651
for you.
>> Thank you, [applause]

941
01:14:44,080 --> 01:14:50,120
» Mr. uh commission. Any questions for Mr.
Kano?

942
01:14:52,000 --> 01:14:58,800
I am familiar with the law partially. I
will be writing and looking both of

943
01:14:57,360 --> 01:15:04,080
those up.
um

944
01:15:01,760 --> 01:15:07,840
and as well as other legal cases going
along the state of Illinois. I know that

945
01:15:06,080 --> 01:15:13,280
we're not the only community facing
this. We are not the only community, the

946
01:15:10,000 --> 01:15:17,440
only county. There is a lot of hearsay
of deanexation and going to the county

947
01:15:15,920 --> 01:15:21,679
and what the county would do and what
our Kendall County, this relies heavily

948
01:15:19,520 --> 01:15:26,800
on what Kendall County would be doing if
this was to turn away from Plano. I do

949
01:15:24,159 --> 01:15:32,640
think that that's a very uh important
piece of the puzzle, but I will uh

950
01:15:30,320 --> 01:15:37,920
we will as a commission be looking those
up uh prior to our discussions um at the

951
01:15:36,000 --> 01:15:42,880
next step once the public hearing is
closed.

952
01:15:40,800 --> 01:15:46,199
Savian, any questions for Mr. Kano?
>> No questions.

953
01:15:48,239 --> 01:15:54,600
» Uh that completes the uh interested
party registration.

954
01:16:08,960 --> 01:16:18,880
typically we would take a recess. Um,
how this is going to move is this is

955
01:16:15,840 --> 01:16:24,400
going to go on to a continuation of
public hearing. Uh, location to be

956
01:16:21,440 --> 01:16:28,320
determined. Um,
date that we're looking at would be

957
01:16:26,640 --> 01:16:31,120
September
8th.

958
01:16:30,080 --> 01:16:36,400
Am I correct on that?
>> I believe September 8th is the next

959
01:16:33,360 --> 01:16:40,159
regularly scheduled plan commission uh
date.

960
01:16:37,920 --> 01:16:43,600
And how this is going to work is right
now currently we were in the testify

961
01:16:42,000 --> 01:16:48,800
portion where all interested parties had
the opportunity with a wide latitude to

962
01:16:46,080 --> 01:16:55,360
be able to speak um their mind and
present data um much like Mr. Bernett

963
01:16:51,600 --> 01:17:00,320
did that we can um look into and
research and um do our due diligence as

964
01:16:58,719 --> 01:17:05,280
commission members and public servants
as Mr. Bernett pointed out earlier. So

965
01:17:03,440 --> 01:17:09,440
now the next step is we will continue
the public hearing and then we'll be

966
01:17:07,280 --> 01:17:14,640
moving to close it. Once it goes into
close session that does not mean that

967
01:17:11,760 --> 01:17:18,239
it's closed in private. Um everyone is
still welcome to attend it. They still

968
01:17:16,560 --> 01:17:22,719
probably I'm assuming I don't have a
confirmation but will be filmed to some

969
01:17:19,840 --> 01:17:25,840
extent. Um you still will be able to
have public comment. It's just the

970
01:17:24,239 --> 01:17:29,280
portion of the public hearing where the
interested parties have the right to

971
01:17:27,600 --> 01:17:34,080
testify and present evidence and
cross-examine will be closed. We'll then

972
01:17:31,920 --> 01:17:39,120
as a commission go into discussion
openly um asking questions to the

973
01:17:36,800 --> 01:17:42,320
petitioner, thoughts, gathering all the
information that we've received during

974
01:17:40,800 --> 01:17:48,320
this public hearing as well as on our
own time. And then we will compile our

975
01:17:45,360 --> 01:17:53,040
thoughts and publicly discuss and vote
for a positive recommendation or a not

976
01:17:51,440 --> 01:17:57,520
positive recommendation. That will then
go in writing to city council. Then we

977
01:17:55,440 --> 01:18:00,480
will restart some of the same process
without the public hearing portion, but

978
01:17:58,960 --> 01:18:05,040
the city council and alderman will have
their own set of questions, their own

979
01:18:02,719 --> 01:18:09,840
parameters that they're looking into.
Um, but they will be moving forward with

980
01:18:06,960 --> 01:18:14,080
our written recommendation. However,
that so goes in the next couple

981
01:18:11,600 --> 01:18:19,760
meetings. We have been doing every first
and third Monday um while Savian was

982
01:18:18,080 --> 01:18:23,440
presenting just because it was a lot of
information and to give them uh some

983
01:18:21,600 --> 01:18:27,440
time to get all through all of that.
Otherwise, we would be here for another

984
01:18:24,880 --> 01:18:31,280
year. So, we did speed up the process.
We now will be moving this public

985
01:18:28,960 --> 01:18:34,719
hearing to our regular scheduled
meetings, which are the first Mondays of

986
01:18:32,880 --> 01:18:40,080
every month. Because it's a holiday and
it's Labor Day, we'll be doing it Monday

987
01:18:37,360 --> 01:18:47,280
or I'm sorry, Tuesday,
September 8th from 6 to 9 preferably.

988
01:18:44,800 --> 01:18:52,159
And location to be determined. Um, we
have not secured this location as of

989
01:18:49,199 --> 01:18:56,880
yet. Um, so we are looking into some
other venues. Um, city hall is always an

990
01:18:54,640 --> 01:19:00,080
option, but uh, due to the amount of
people that come to these, we would like

991
01:18:58,560 --> 01:19:03,760
to have a place where everyone can sit
comfortably and be able to hear and

992
01:19:02,159 --> 01:19:06,800
listen. I don't want anyone leaving
feeling that they were shunned or

993
01:19:05,040 --> 01:19:11,840
didn't, you know, hear what was going
on. So, with that being said, just so

994
01:19:10,080 --> 01:19:18,719
everyone's aware of how this is going to
be moving through the chains um, of uh,

995
01:19:16,239 --> 01:19:22,960
politics here. So, we will be making a
motion to continue the public hearing,

996
01:19:20,719 --> 01:19:28,159
which will then be continued on to
September 8th. So, I would need a motion

997
01:19:25,120 --> 01:19:33,040
to continue the public hearing.
>> I'll make a motion to continue to the

998
01:19:29,840 --> 01:19:35,360
public hearing on September 8th at 6:00
p.m.

999
01:19:34,080 --> 01:19:39,040
» Location to be determined.
>> Location to be determined.

1000
01:19:36,960 --> 01:19:42,480
» And I would need uh I need a motion by
Mr. Router. I need a second.

1001
01:19:41,760 --> 01:19:47,199
» Second.
>> Seconded by Mr. Roderick. Discussion.

1002
01:19:44,960 --> 01:19:52,239
Everyone's good with that?
Then we need a roll call.

1003
01:19:50,000 --> 01:19:54,480
» Roder,
>> yes.

1004
01:19:53,120 --> 01:19:55,920
» Rodri,
>> yes.

1005
01:19:55,040 --> 01:19:58,480
» Brauml,
>> yes.

1006
01:19:57,600 --> 01:20:00,480
» Carter,
>> yes.

1007
01:19:59,520 --> 01:20:03,440
» Riddle,
>> yes.

1008
01:20:02,000 --> 01:20:08,239
» Motion carries. So, our public hearing
will be continued. Now, I usually

1009
01:20:05,760 --> 01:20:14,640
typically take a recess. Um, my
commission members seem to say, let's

1010
01:20:10,480 --> 01:20:17,920
keep moving forward. So, at this point,
unless anyone else needs a recess up

1011
01:20:16,480 --> 01:20:20,920
here or we can move right into public
comment.

1012
01:20:21,600 --> 01:20:25,920
» Good. You good, Bill?
>> Yep.

1013
01:20:24,785 --> 01:20:30,000
[laughter]
>> Uh, then we will just move right into

1014
01:20:27,520 --> 01:20:33,760
public comment. Um, I'm going to read a
little policy here and rules in place

1015
01:20:31,920 --> 01:20:37,760
that we have for public comment. If
you've been lucky enough to spend every

1016
01:20:36,000 --> 01:20:41,760
first and third Monday, you have
definitely heard these a few times. But

1017
01:20:40,320 --> 01:20:46,960
for any new people wishing to speak
tonight, I will be reading the policy.

1018
01:20:45,280 --> 01:20:50,400
Persons wishing to speak tonight may do
so after being recognized for that

1019
01:20:48,480 --> 01:20:54,080
purpose by the chairperson. Only one
person may address the plan commission

1020
01:20:51,920 --> 01:20:58,880
at a time. Comments will be limited to
three minutes per person and no longer

1021
01:20:55,920 --> 01:21:02,640
for 30 minutes in total. We'll be using
a running clock located over here on my

1022
01:21:00,719 --> 01:21:05,920
right so that speakers can see how much
time they have remaining to speak. I'll

1023
01:21:04,640 --> 01:21:09,679
be asking you at the end of three
minutes to please wrap up your last

1024
01:21:07,360 --> 01:21:13,520
sentence and finish. Any person's unused
time may not be traded, utilized, or

1025
01:21:11,360 --> 01:21:18,080
added to another person's comment time.
In other words, you may not yield time

1026
01:21:15,280 --> 01:21:21,520
in order to talk longer. The plan
commission at any time without creating

1027
01:21:19,760 --> 01:21:25,440
precedent can expand the numbers of
those permitted to speak. Meaning, if we

1028
01:21:23,760 --> 01:21:30,239
have a lot of public comment, I have no
problem going past the 30 minutes. Um,

1029
01:21:28,159 --> 01:21:34,640
I'm not going to cut speakers off. I
would like everyone to have the

1030
01:21:31,360 --> 01:21:38,560
opportunity to speak if if possible.
Persons addressing the plan commission

1031
01:21:36,159 --> 01:21:42,960
shall identify themselves for the record
and the plan commission and members of

1032
01:21:40,320 --> 01:21:46,320
the public also attending the meeting.
Persons addressing the plan commission

1033
01:21:44,560 --> 01:21:50,159
will offer comments in a courteous and
professional manner and refrain from

1034
01:21:48,239 --> 01:21:54,400
using inappropriate or offensive
language. The plan commission will not

1035
01:21:52,560 --> 01:21:58,320
respond or engage in debate or
discussion relating to the comments

1036
01:21:55,920 --> 01:22:02,480
offered. The public comment period is
intended to let members of the public

1037
01:22:00,639 --> 01:22:06,800
have an opportunity to express their
views to the plan commission and the

1038
01:22:04,320 --> 01:22:10,239
plan commission takes all those comments
by its speakers under its advisement.

1039
01:22:08,880 --> 01:22:16,639
Meaning that if you were to ask a
question or engage in dialogue um that's

1040
01:22:14,080 --> 01:22:19,280
really you know we you might not get an
answer but we are taking notes. We're

1041
01:22:18,239 --> 01:22:23,280
always taking into account what
everybody is saying. So I want everyone

1042
01:22:20,880 --> 01:22:27,120
to feel that they have the right to
speak.

1043
01:22:25,440 --> 01:22:30,000
If you have signed up tonight to speak
and you did not get a chance to talk

1044
01:22:28,719 --> 01:22:32,480
tonight, then we'll keep your name on
the list in the order that it was

1045
01:22:31,199 --> 01:22:36,800
written and you'll have an opportunity
to speak at the next meeting, which

1046
01:22:34,400 --> 01:22:40,800
would be September 8th, if you wish to
do so. In the event that you are on the

1047
01:22:38,880 --> 01:22:43,679
list and cannot attend the next meeting,
then you would need to resign up and

1048
01:22:42,239 --> 01:22:49,199
speak at the next meeting that you can
attend.

1049
01:22:45,360 --> 01:22:54,000
With that being said, I will uh let our
Mr. Thomas appoint the first speaker.

1050
01:22:52,000 --> 01:22:58,440
Uh, first person on the public comment
signup sheet is Karen Henry.

1051
01:22:59,920 --> 01:23:07,040
» Also, just as a chair note, I really
don't like to cut people off. I really

1052
01:23:04,159 --> 01:23:12,000
try not to do that. Um,
we everyone has been very very well and

1053
01:23:10,480 --> 01:23:16,239
good at keeping it within the three
minutes. I have to do that not because I

1054
01:23:14,480 --> 01:23:23,120
don't want to hear what everyone has to
say. It's just an order and a structure

1055
01:23:20,880 --> 01:23:27,600
thing and to be fair to both sides of
the fence and both people talking at the

1056
01:23:25,280 --> 01:23:31,040
microphone. So just if I do do that, it
is only because I have to follow rules,

1057
01:23:29,520 --> 01:23:34,960
not because I personally don't want to
hear anyone speaking. So just as a

1058
01:23:32,880 --> 01:23:38,880
disclaimer before we start, I ran into
that a little bit last meeting where I

1059
01:23:36,639 --> 01:23:42,320
felt um compelled to cut someone off
from speaking and I really don't like to

1060
01:23:40,320 --> 01:23:48,719
do that. So just as a heads up. All
right. Uh first up, Mrs. Henry.

1061
01:23:46,239 --> 01:23:53,920
» Okay. I'd just like to start off with uh
reading an article that appeared in the

1062
01:23:51,120 --> 01:23:59,120
Sandwich Fair newspaper.
Illinois agriculture is more than crops

1063
01:23:56,560 --> 01:24:05,440
and livestock. It's a heartbeat for
local economies, powering a vast network

1064
01:24:02,320 --> 01:24:12,000
of businesses across the state. Farming
and related sectors account for roughly

1065
01:24:08,320 --> 01:24:16,560
13% of the state's GDP,
adding up to $120 billion dollar

1066
01:24:15,040 --> 01:24:22,960
annually.
and support over 400,000 jobs from feed

1067
01:24:19,920 --> 01:24:29,199
mills to processing plants, logistics
providers and equipment dealers.

1068
01:24:26,239 --> 01:24:36,639
Agriculture supports nearly 6% of all
jobs in Illinois, over 480,000

1069
01:24:33,120 --> 01:24:42,239
positions, including more than 2,600
food manufacturing companies and

1070
01:24:39,440 --> 01:24:48,320
thousands of specialty crop farms.
transforming harvest into products that

1071
01:24:45,040 --> 01:24:52,719
reach tables across the nation.
Every time a tractor rolls into a feed

1072
01:24:50,480 --> 01:24:58,080
store, a grain truck heads for the
elevator, or a barn uses local services,

1073
01:24:55,920 --> 01:25:02,400
it's another farm friendly business
riding the wave of the harvest. And

1074
01:25:00,560 --> 01:25:07,679
that's the kind of community strength
that keeps Illinois strong generation

1075
01:25:04,880 --> 01:25:12,159
after generation.
Now I would like to bring your attention

1076
01:25:10,239 --> 01:25:16,320
to a couple things that are being
overlooked when considering the Plano

1077
01:25:14,080 --> 01:25:22,000
skies project and that is the
Constitution and the law. You have heard

1078
01:25:19,840 --> 01:25:26,800
testimony from Mike Bernett, an
interested party that explains how the

1079
01:25:24,400 --> 01:25:31,520
Little Rock Township Ordinance of 2025
was enacted by the people according to

1080
01:25:29,280 --> 01:25:37,280
the Constitution. The Illinois
Constitution of 1870, Article 4, Section

1081
01:25:34,239 --> 01:25:42,800
22, prohibits the General Assembly from
interfering in township affairs. This is

1082
01:25:40,400 --> 01:25:47,120
critically important because the county
is then directly immunable to the people

1083
01:25:45,199 --> 01:25:51,360
through their township supervisors and
the people can enact local law at the

1084
01:25:49,360 --> 01:25:56,880
township meeting.
The Little Rock Township Board is to uh

1085
01:25:54,159 --> 01:26:00,800
is directed to enforce our local
ordinance through all lawful and legal

1086
01:25:59,600 --> 01:26:06,320
means.
The citizens of Little Rock Township

1087
01:26:02,800 --> 01:26:09,920
does not want Plano skies here. You do
not have any granted power in the

1088
01:26:08,159 --> 01:26:14,719
Constitution to give corporate
privileges that trespass the people's

1089
01:26:12,080 --> 01:26:19,600
right and property. Enforce the law the
people have already made. If you ignore

1090
01:26:17,120 --> 01:26:25,040
it and act on your own, you step outside
immunity and become privately exposed.

1091
01:26:22,400 --> 01:26:29,600
The Plato City Council swore an oath to
the Constitution and the people which

1092
01:26:26,880 --> 01:26:33,320
created it, not the solar companies.
Thank you for your time.

1093
01:26:33,554 --> 01:26:35,574
[applause]

1094
01:26:37,840 --> 01:26:42,440
Uh, next is Ed Culture.

1095
01:26:46,560 --> 01:26:54,760
Thank you. Do I need to spell my name?
Yeah. K U L C H A.

1096
01:26:57,199 --> 01:27:04,400
I just wanted to start by saying thank
you to the board and the petitioner. Um

1097
01:27:02,400 --> 01:27:09,840
been here for the whole process and I
think it's been handled with uh

1098
01:27:06,719 --> 01:27:13,920
thoroughess, inclusion and patience and
I wish more things were handled in such

1099
01:27:11,679 --> 01:27:17,440
a way and that's not rushed. So thank
you.

1100
01:27:15,600 --> 01:27:21,520
Um just want to say myself and my
colleagues have been here throughout

1101
01:27:18,719 --> 01:27:24,880
this uh process and we've highlighted
many of the benefits of this project

1102
01:27:23,199 --> 01:27:30,159
including to the local economy, the
workers and their families uh the

1103
01:27:27,360 --> 01:27:35,120
environment and tax benefits. I'm not
going to rehash all that stuff, but just

1104
01:27:32,159 --> 01:27:39,280
to say for the for the people that uh
are here that aren't happy that I'm

1105
01:27:36,960 --> 01:27:42,159
here. I just want you to know that we're
some of the guys that are getting the

1106
01:27:40,480 --> 01:27:45,440
calls from people that have been out of
work for a couple months and are don't

1107
01:27:43,920 --> 01:27:48,400
want to lose their houses and are having
hard time feeding their families. So,

1108
01:27:46,800 --> 01:27:54,639
that's the reason we fight so hard for
stuff like this. [snorts]

1109
01:27:50,400 --> 01:27:57,840
Uh just quickly finish up by saying
um

1110
01:27:56,159 --> 01:28:01,520
I mean so on behalf of myself, my
colleagues, the tens of thousands of

1111
01:27:59,920 --> 01:28:05,199
hardworking union laborers we have the
honor to represent, all the other union

1112
01:28:03,760 --> 01:28:08,800
workers, including operators and
electricians, and the families of these

1113
01:28:06,800 --> 01:28:12,400
workers that will greatly benefit from
this project. Uh we wholeheartedly

1114
01:28:10,800 --> 01:28:16,840
support it and urge you to vote yes and
not miss this opportunity. Thank you.

1115
01:28:17,046 --> 01:28:19,066
» [applause]

1116
01:28:20,560 --> 01:28:24,600
» Next is John Wikes.

1117
01:28:27,120 --> 01:28:30,520
» Mike Bernett.

1118
01:28:38,239 --> 01:28:48,239
I'll keep it very brief this time. Um,
my name is Mike Bernett.

1119
01:28:45,280 --> 01:28:50,960
So sworn, all that good stuff. Someone
just stood up here and said that uh

1120
01:28:49,679 --> 01:28:54,639
there's nothing in the panels that's
going to leech into the soil and we

1121
01:28:52,320 --> 01:28:58,639
should trust the science.
I don't know. In 1950, the science was

1122
01:28:56,880 --> 01:29:04,320
that radium was okay to put into
breakfast cereal toys.

1123
01:29:01,440 --> 01:29:09,440
Um mercuric chrome was put all over our
kids because it was the science.

1124
01:29:07,120 --> 01:29:15,679
The science was nine out of 10 doctors
recommended Marorrow.

1125
01:29:12,239 --> 01:29:20,639
And now the science was get your
vaccine. CO's a thing. Wear a mask. I

1126
01:29:19,120 --> 01:29:26,531
think we've all figured out that the
science is bought and paid for.

1127
01:29:24,511 --> 01:29:26,531
[applause]

1128
01:29:30,159 --> 01:29:34,360
» Next up is Chris Wikes.

1129
01:29:35,600 --> 01:29:39,639
» Dennis Statman.

1130
01:29:42,800 --> 01:29:46,199
Chris Chilris.

1131
01:29:51,280 --> 01:30:00,560
» Hi, thanks again for your time. Uh just
here really to echo Mr. Cono's uh

1132
01:29:58,480 --> 01:30:04,080
statement.
Again, you guys have done a great job

1133
01:30:01,920 --> 01:30:08,639
here. Everyone's voice has been heard
and uh you know, I think that's a good

1134
01:30:05,679 --> 01:30:14,239
thing. What concerns me here, and it
really concerns me, is the state of

1135
01:30:11,840 --> 01:30:19,120
Illinois has taken some of the rights
away of the people of the city of Plano

1136
01:30:17,199 --> 01:30:24,880
in the area.
They've said that if the project meets

1137
01:30:21,840 --> 01:30:28,560
the state standard, it will be built and
can be built. And I know I'm h so happy

1138
01:30:27,199 --> 01:30:32,800
to hear you guys are going to look into
that.

1139
01:30:30,880 --> 01:30:38,239
The choice before you tonight, it is it
it is a tough one, but acting in the

1140
01:30:35,520 --> 01:30:41,920
best interest of the residents of Plano
on whether solar can be built or not has

1141
01:30:40,480 --> 01:30:46,320
already been decided by the state of
Illinois.

1142
01:30:43,520 --> 01:30:50,400
If you vote to approve the Plano skies
project, you keep control, and that's

1143
01:30:48,960 --> 01:30:55,520
really the most important thing. They've
taken your control, but if you keep it

1144
01:30:52,400 --> 01:30:59,520
here, you keep some of that control.
You secure the financial commitments in

1145
01:30:57,920 --> 01:31:04,080
the form of a community benefits
agreement. You expand the physical

1146
01:31:02,080 --> 01:31:10,000
footprint of the city by over a thousand
acres. You create and support union

1147
01:31:06,719 --> 01:31:15,120
jobs. You bring in approximately $52
million of additional tax revenue. A lot

1148
01:31:12,880 --> 01:31:20,159
of it which stays in the city, most of
it, of course, we know goes to the

1149
01:31:16,560 --> 01:31:25,199
schools. Or you can say no. But it's
important to understand what happens if

1150
01:31:21,679 --> 01:31:29,760
you say no. A no vote doesn't stop it.
Under the Illinois law, the project goes

1151
01:31:27,280 --> 01:31:35,120
to the county where the county's
authority is limited. Yours is not. The

1152
01:31:33,199 --> 01:31:38,800
project meets the state requirements and
as a result, the county must approve it.

1153
01:31:36,960 --> 01:31:43,840
The project
that's been tested in Will County and

1154
01:31:41,120 --> 01:31:49,920
it's been tested in Grundy County. Both
of which the court said the state rights

1155
01:31:46,560 --> 01:31:55,760
and the state's law is upheld.
When that happened, Plano loses control.

1156
01:31:52,880 --> 01:32:01,199
It loses a seat at the table. It loses
the opportunity to negotiate the project

1157
01:31:58,480 --> 01:32:05,920
with specific requirements. Plano loses
a community benefits agreement. The

1158
01:32:03,600 --> 01:32:11,040
city's share of the project revenue goes
away.

1159
01:32:07,679 --> 01:32:15,679
You could lose part of your city.
Plano's ability to shape the project

1160
01:32:13,199 --> 01:32:19,280
goes away. And that's a big concern. I
would want control, and I would hope

1161
01:32:17,280 --> 01:32:23,840
these residents would want control. They
may not want a solar project, but let's

1162
01:32:21,280 --> 01:32:28,239
keep the control here. They're going to
invest about $350 million in this

1163
01:32:26,239 --> 01:32:32,560
project.
And to talk about how they've changed

1164
01:32:30,480 --> 01:32:37,920
and how the project has changed, it has
changed. The project's changed because

1165
01:32:35,600 --> 01:32:43,360
they heard you didn't want battery, they
removed it. They heard you didn't want a

1166
01:32:40,639 --> 01:32:47,920
data center, they removed it. They heard
you wanted it moved away from the

1167
01:32:44,880 --> 01:32:53,120
residents, they shrunk the project.
That's local control working exactly the

1168
01:32:50,239 --> 01:32:59,199
way it ought to work. So my ask is
simple. Keep control, keep Plano in

1169
01:32:56,880 --> 01:33:04,000
control of this project. Keep the tax
revenue, the community benefits, keep

1170
01:33:01,040 --> 01:33:09,889
the union jobs, and approve Plano skies
so you guys remain in control. Thank you

1171
01:33:06,159 --> 01:33:09,889
very much. Appreciate it. [applause]

1172
01:33:12,320 --> 01:33:16,600
» Next up is Cameron Mueller.

1173
01:33:30,320 --> 01:33:33,480
I'm sorry.

1174
01:33:42,480 --> 01:33:48,880
Good evening, council. And again, thank
you for listening to everybody from both

1175
01:33:47,360 --> 01:33:54,159
sides.
I'd like to start by saying that I am

1176
01:33:51,280 --> 01:33:59,600
not against solar. Uh I think it is a
great and amazing alternative energy for

1177
01:33:56,719 --> 01:34:05,360
individuals and small businesses. I am
against large national corporations

1178
01:34:02,639 --> 01:34:11,040
using green energy as the new age land
grab and quick cash cow. In most of

1179
01:34:08,560 --> 01:34:16,880
these meetings, Savon or their
representatives had have had to repeat

1180
01:34:13,679 --> 01:34:21,840
over and over again if Savon is still
the owner. I take that language as

1181
01:34:19,679 --> 01:34:27,040
meaning there are pl they are planning
to take what they can from the land and

1182
01:34:24,880 --> 01:34:32,000
will give us back nothing or the bare
minimum to the people or of this

1183
01:34:29,840 --> 01:34:37,920
community.
Uh, no one that has spoken in the

1184
01:34:34,800 --> 01:34:42,639
positive for this project lives in our
community or our town.

1185
01:34:40,800 --> 01:34:48,000
Uh,
uh, and they will not have to live here

1186
01:34:44,960 --> 01:34:54,800
to see the consequences or repercussions
of replacing 1500 acres of the best

1187
01:34:50,880 --> 01:35:00,480
farmland in the world with a field of
corporate greed that is built out of

1188
01:34:57,199 --> 01:35:08,560
steel and glass. and the future growth
uh and prosperity of our town with no

1189
01:35:04,239 --> 01:35:15,239
hope of reclaiming it uh any bit of
seeing that or reclaiming it or seeing

1190
01:35:10,960 --> 01:35:15,239
any of that future ever again.

1191
01:35:16,320 --> 01:35:24,800
As stated earlier tonight, there is a
new industrial revolution in which very

1192
01:35:22,320 --> 01:35:30,719
ultra rich wealthy millionaire land
owners and individual or industrial

1193
01:35:27,600 --> 01:35:36,239
corporations owned by Shell Oil get to
dictate and shape the future of Plano

1194
01:35:33,280 --> 01:35:41,040
for the next 35 years.
In summation, I would like to ask the

1195
01:35:38,080 --> 01:35:48,560
council this question. Is what little
Savon has promised with this solar field

1196
01:35:44,639 --> 01:35:54,896
enough? Or is the future and prosperity
of our town worth much much more than

1197
01:35:51,520 --> 01:35:56,916
what is offered? Thank you.
[applause]

1198
01:36:01,199 --> 01:36:04,760
Nicole Diaz,

1199
01:36:06,639 --> 01:36:10,600
» Lydia Simra,

1200
01:36:16,480 --> 01:36:25,600
» do you need me to do you need me to
spell that for you? S I M R A Y H.

1201
01:36:22,480 --> 01:36:29,440
Um, give me one second. Uh, good evening
members of the commission. My name is

1202
01:36:27,360 --> 01:36:34,239
Lydia Simray and I'm here on behalf of
the Indiana Illinois Iowa Foundation for

1203
01:36:31,920 --> 01:36:39,120
Affair Contracting. Um, more commonly
known as the Triple I FFC.

1204
01:36:36,960 --> 01:36:43,920
We are a labor management cooperation
committee that works to promote

1205
01:36:41,120 --> 01:36:47,360
responsible contracting practices, fair
competition, and high quality

1206
01:36:45,920 --> 01:36:52,560
construction throughout Illinois,
Indiana, and Iowa. And I'm here tonight

1207
01:36:50,400 --> 01:36:58,080
in support of the proposed Plano Sky
Solar Project. From the triple I FFC's

1208
01:36:55,840 --> 01:37:01,920
perspective, this project represents the
kind of economic development that can

1209
01:36:59,840 --> 01:37:06,400
benefit both the local community and the
broader region. Utility scale solar

1210
01:37:04,880 --> 01:37:12,480
facilities require significant
investment, extensive site preparation,

1211
01:37:09,760 --> 01:37:16,480
and a skilled construction workforce.
That means jobs for construction

1212
01:37:14,080 --> 01:37:21,280
workers, opportunities for contractors
and suppliers, and economic activity

1213
01:37:19,119 --> 01:37:25,760
that extend that extends well beyond the
project site itself.

1214
01:37:23,440 --> 01:37:29,840
When projects of this size move forward,
the benefits ripple throughout the local

1215
01:37:27,520 --> 01:37:33,760
economy. Construction workers spend
money at local restaurants, gas

1216
01:37:31,760 --> 01:37:38,239
stations, grocery stores, and small
businesses. Contractors purchase

1217
01:37:36,080 --> 01:37:43,679
materials, equipment, fuel, and
services. Hotels, trucking companies,

1218
01:37:41,440 --> 01:37:48,000
and equipment dealers all see increased
activity. These are tangible economic

1219
01:37:46,159 --> 01:37:51,760
benefits that communities experience
during construction.

1220
01:37:50,000 --> 01:37:56,239
Equally important is how these projects
are built. The triple I FFC supports

1221
01:37:54,639 --> 01:38:00,400
development that is performed by skilled
workers, responsible contractors, and

1222
01:37:58,800 --> 01:38:04,560
companies that invest in workforce
training. Illinois has one of the most

1223
01:38:02,800 --> 01:38:08,320
highly trained construction workforces
in the country, supported by registered

1224
01:38:06,880 --> 01:38:12,080
apprentichip programs that prepare
workers to safely and efficiently

1225
01:38:10,400 --> 01:38:16,400
complete complex infrastructure
projects. Those training programs ensure

1226
01:38:14,639 --> 01:38:20,400
that projects are completed to a high
standard while creating career pathways

1227
01:38:18,560 --> 01:38:24,000
for the next generation of construction
professionals.

1228
01:38:22,239 --> 01:38:28,000
As demand for energy infrastructure
continues to grow, projects like Plano

1229
01:38:26,320 --> 01:38:32,719
Skies provide an opportunity to put
those skills to work while helping meet

1230
01:38:30,080 --> 01:38:35,760
Illinois's future energy needs. The
question before the commission is not

1231
01:38:34,159 --> 01:38:39,600
simply whether solar energy should play
a role in our state's future. It's

1232
01:38:38,000 --> 01:38:44,480
whether the community should participate
in the investment, jobs, and economic

1233
01:38:41,679 --> 01:38:48,960
activity associated with that growth. We
believe the answer is yes. The FFC also

1234
01:38:47,199 --> 01:38:52,639
believes economic development and strong
labor standards are not competing

1235
01:38:50,560 --> 01:38:57,119
interests. In fact, they work best
together. Communities benefit when

1236
01:38:54,960 --> 01:39:02,000
projects are built safely. Workers are
properly trained and compensated, and

1237
01:38:59,360 --> 01:39:06,560
contractors comp compete on quality and
performance rather than cutting corners.

1238
01:39:04,239 --> 01:39:10,000
The Plano Sky Solar Project offers an
opportunity to advance those goals while

1239
01:39:08,639 --> 01:39:15,520
bringing meaningful construction
investment to the county. For those

1240
01:39:13,280 --> 01:39:18,880
reasons, we respectfully encourage the
commission to approve this project.

1241
01:39:17,840 --> 01:39:22,080
Thank you for your time and
consideration and I appreciate the

1242
01:39:20,719 --> 01:39:25,119
opportunity to be able to speak this
evening.

1243
01:39:24,498 --> 01:39:28,280
[applause]
>> Thank you.

1244
01:39:28,320 --> 01:39:31,800
» Joel Pile.

1245
01:39:38,000 --> 01:39:45,199
This will be short because I lost my
speech somehow. Uh but um first of all

1246
01:39:43,119 --> 01:39:52,639
uh my name is Joe Pile. I represent the
IBW and the electrical workers that live

1247
01:39:48,960 --> 01:39:57,840
here in Plano and Kendall County. Um,
and I know we have had a member or two

1248
01:39:55,920 --> 01:40:03,520
that have spoken that live here in the
town as well on behalf of this project.

1249
01:40:01,040 --> 01:40:09,119
I want to thank the planning commission
for your hard work. You've done a good

1250
01:40:05,360 --> 01:40:14,560
job uh keeping this this uh um group
together and listening to everybody's

1251
01:40:11,679 --> 01:40:18,880
thoughts and comments. Um, I know that's
hard sometimes because I sit on a

1252
01:40:16,480 --> 01:40:26,080
planning commission in a town just down
the road.

1253
01:40:21,760 --> 01:40:31,199
Um, as far as Savon goes, Savon has has
been working on this thing since at

1254
01:40:27,679 --> 01:40:35,760
least 2023 when I first got involved.
Um, it has changed a few times. I

1255
01:40:33,840 --> 01:40:40,800
believe they're trying to do what's
right and best for its neighbors, trying

1256
01:40:38,159 --> 01:40:46,320
to be a good neighbor. I think they've,
um, done a good job with that. I know

1257
01:40:43,360 --> 01:40:54,960
not everybody likes that. Um, you know,
and we and we hear that nobody likes it,

1258
01:40:49,280 --> 01:40:59,600
but Plano is bigger than the uh um 50
people here in the room. Um same 50

1259
01:40:57,920 --> 01:41:03,920
people that's been here for about five
meetings. And I know that cuz I've been

1260
01:41:01,199 --> 01:41:09,360
here for five meetings in this in this
auditorium here. And I just want to say

1261
01:41:06,639 --> 01:41:13,440
this is a good project. Savon has done
their due diligence. They've reached out

1262
01:41:11,040 --> 01:41:18,080
to the building trades. Um they're going
to do do it with the building trades. If

1263
01:41:15,679 --> 01:41:22,880
this project gets approved
um all over the state Illinois, these

1264
01:41:19,920 --> 01:41:28,159
jobs are being done from out of state uh
developers and they bring in out of

1265
01:41:24,800 --> 01:41:32,480
state workers that work here, leave and
spend their money back at home,

1266
01:41:30,000 --> 01:41:37,440
different states all over the country. I
I know that because we track all of

1267
01:41:34,320 --> 01:41:42,560
these and and it's going on everywhere.
They've made a promise to the building

1268
01:41:39,199 --> 01:41:47,199
trades, me, IBW, my brothers, and the
laborers and the 150 operators behind

1269
01:41:44,880 --> 01:41:51,360
me. Um, they've made a promise to us
that they're going to do it the right

1270
01:41:48,480 --> 01:41:56,080
way. And with union labor, we employ
people from this town. We employ we we

1271
01:41:54,080 --> 01:42:00,960
bring into our apprenticeships kids from
these towns. We do we do um craft fairs

1272
01:41:59,520 --> 01:42:04,800
and all kinds of things. We do them
right here in this school, you know, to

1273
01:42:03,040 --> 01:42:09,600
try and promote the building trades and
try to try to get these kids and in the

1274
01:42:07,679 --> 01:42:14,480
trades and and and working and making a
good living. But I want to thank you all

1275
01:42:12,080 --> 01:42:20,159
for for listening to me. I thank you all
for your time. Do the right thing. Pass

1276
01:42:17,119 --> 01:42:24,719
this pass this to the city city board
and let them make the decision and

1277
01:42:22,320 --> 01:42:28,480
hopefully that'll be to build this the
Plano skies project. Thank you.

1278
01:42:27,900 --> 01:42:31,440
[applause]
>> Thank you.

1279
01:42:31,840 --> 01:42:35,320
Herb Walton,

1280
01:42:43,440 --> 01:42:47,000
RJ Pollock.

1281
01:43:09,520 --> 01:43:19,199
My name is R.J. Pollock. Um, I live on
Sweetbrier right on the corner.

1282
01:43:16,560 --> 01:43:24,560
I moved in in 2009. drove right down
that street on uh Big Rock Boulevard,

1283
01:43:22,480 --> 01:43:29,600
past that big empty field, and see off
to the west the setting sun as I came

1284
01:43:27,440 --> 01:43:32,600
out to examine what might be my new
home.

1285
01:43:34,080 --> 01:43:43,280
It pains me to think about this,
in my opinion, monstrosity that's going

1286
01:43:39,920 --> 01:43:48,639
to be built just north of my home. Don't
want it. Don't need it. Not a fan of

1287
01:43:46,480 --> 01:43:51,440
solar.
But I have sat here through these

1288
01:43:50,159 --> 01:43:56,480
meetings and listened to all the
testimony.

1289
01:43:53,360 --> 01:44:02,239
My background from college is community
and regional planning. I have a BS

1290
01:43:59,360 --> 01:44:06,480
bachelor of science in that.
So this whole operation has intrigued me

1291
01:44:04,480 --> 01:44:12,159
greatly because it's an opportunity to
kind of practice my craft. And thank

1292
01:44:09,119 --> 01:44:17,199
goodness I found something else to do um
when I graduated just before just after

1293
01:44:14,480 --> 01:44:22,600
911 because I don't have to sit in the
seat that you're in up there and make

1294
01:44:19,040 --> 01:44:22,600
these kind of decisions.

1295
01:44:23,040 --> 01:44:28,960
I started doing some research trying to
figure out

1296
01:44:27,119 --> 01:44:33,360
how can I find out how horrible this
company is that's trying to build this

1297
01:44:30,480 --> 01:44:37,679
solar farm so I can put an end to it.
And I couldn't find much.

1298
01:44:35,920 --> 01:44:41,679
Unfortunately, it seems like they're
fairly reputable company by their

1299
01:44:39,360 --> 01:44:46,000
reputation.
I've listened to

1300
01:44:44,080 --> 01:44:51,679
testimony about things that happened in
1870.

1301
01:44:48,719 --> 01:44:55,440
All I can say is if you have the will,
take it all the way to the end. If you

1302
01:44:54,080 --> 01:45:00,572
have the will to do it, take it where it
can go.

1303
01:44:58,552 --> 01:45:00,572
» [applause]

1304
01:45:00,800 --> 01:45:07,040
» But please don't make any rules about
banning alcohol or dancing or anything

1305
01:45:04,880 --> 01:45:09,679
else like that
because if you have that kind of power,

1306
01:45:08,639 --> 01:45:15,000
I feel like that's a little bit
dangerous.

1307
01:45:12,000 --> 01:45:15,000
Um,

1308
01:45:15,040 --> 01:45:22,400
I have greater concerns about what
happens after this.

1309
01:45:20,800 --> 01:45:27,520
I get the sense that this is already
bought and paid for. I think it's

1310
01:45:24,960 --> 01:45:31,440
happening whether I like it or not. I
think we're checking boxes sitting in

1311
01:45:29,119 --> 01:45:36,239
these meetings. I'd like to think that
that's not the case, but I think that's

1312
01:45:33,760 --> 01:45:40,960
what's true.
Um,

1313
01:45:39,199 --> 01:45:45,199
I look at the land that's to the north
of me and I looked at the comprehensive

1314
01:45:42,960 --> 01:45:49,840
plan from a couple years ago. It was
approved on 2025, August 11th, my

1315
01:45:48,159 --> 01:45:54,000
birthday.
And there's nothing but residential

1316
01:45:51,520 --> 01:45:59,239
houses as far as the eye can see. House
farms. I've built a lot of them.

1317
01:45:59,679 --> 01:46:04,000
There's two options moving forward as
far as how they're going to develop that

1318
01:46:02,639 --> 01:46:07,440
land. It's either going to be this solar
farm, which based on my research isn't

1319
01:46:06,080 --> 01:46:13,440
going to do a whole heck of a lot other
than put this land in sustainable stasis

1320
01:46:10,239 --> 01:46:18,719
for the next 30 years or so. But I don't
want anything horrible immediately north

1321
01:46:15,840 --> 01:46:24,560
of me. So, I hope you guys have a plan.
I hope this fits in some kind of plan

1322
01:46:22,639 --> 01:46:31,000
because right now I don't see one and
that worries me.

1323
01:46:26,639 --> 01:46:31,000
» Sorry I went over time. Thank you.

1324
01:46:31,600 --> 01:46:38,400
» Thank you.
>> And that concludes those signed up.

1325
01:46:36,639 --> 01:46:43,600
» There's at least one more person that
wants to talk.

1326
01:46:40,880 --> 01:46:48,440
» Was there another individual? Mr. Wikes.
Sure. Mr. Wes and

1327
01:46:50,159 --> 01:47:02,080
Well, I appreciate what Mike and uh our
uh township representative had to say

1328
01:46:56,159 --> 01:47:07,199
tonight and uh I would say uh let Plano
take a stand with us and let's take this

1329
01:47:04,560 --> 01:47:11,360
thing all the way to Pritchard
because I don't like the state running

1330
01:47:09,440 --> 01:47:18,719
my life
and uh I don't uh

1331
01:47:14,719 --> 01:47:23,440
uh like I said, "I I can't see taking
such good land and doing this with it."

1332
01:47:21,840 --> 01:47:30,239
And I don't want to beat beat beat that
to death, but uh I'm glad Mike I thought

1333
01:47:26,960 --> 01:47:35,520
he did a good job explaining this. And
uh uh we need to keep moving forward

1334
01:47:32,800 --> 01:47:38,760
with it and uh we don't want to be run
by Springfield.

1335
01:47:39,029 --> 01:47:41,049
[applause]

1336
01:47:42,320 --> 01:47:49,080
Was there another individual raised
their hand like to make public comment?

1337
01:47:45,600 --> 01:47:49,080
Sure. Come on.

1338
01:47:52,960 --> 01:47:57,520
» And just so I could add this to the
list, please, could you uh restate your

1339
01:47:56,639 --> 01:48:00,560
name?
>> It's Jonathan Henderson.

1340
01:47:58,880 --> 01:48:04,639
» Thank you.
>> Um I'll make this one more brief than

1341
01:48:02,400 --> 01:48:07,440
before, but
I know the commission has said, you

1342
01:48:06,320 --> 01:48:10,880
know, they don't want people leaving it
with questions and be able to be heard.

1343
01:48:09,199 --> 01:48:15,119
So, I just wanted to clarify some things
that some people made mention of tonight

1344
01:48:13,520 --> 01:48:19,040
just so everybody's kind of clear on the
subject.

1345
01:48:16,800 --> 01:48:23,840
A portion what I read earlier, um the
Black's Law definition, which for those

1346
01:48:22,159 --> 01:48:29,920
that don't know is the undisputed gold
standard of law dictionaries, it's

1347
01:48:26,000 --> 01:48:34,000
what's most cited worldwide for law.
says, "The Constitution and American

1348
01:48:32,239 --> 01:48:37,920
laws, the written instrument agreed upon
by the people of the Union or a

1349
01:48:35,920 --> 01:48:42,080
particular state as the absolute rule of
action and decision for all departments

1350
01:48:40,239 --> 01:48:46,480
and officers of the government in
respect to all the points covered by it.

1351
01:48:44,800 --> 01:48:50,719
I know there's been mention of a couple
statutes and acts that were passed in

1352
01:48:48,560 --> 01:48:55,440
2023.
Um, please feel free to go look at those

1353
01:48:53,360 --> 01:48:59,440
if you'd like, but those bow at the feet
of the Constitution."

1354
01:48:57,679 --> 01:49:04,960
There's a landmark case of Marberry vers
Madison from 1803. It's wildly cited all

1355
01:49:02,560 --> 01:49:09,280
over because there's a lot of gems in
it. But at the conclusion of that, Chief

1356
01:49:07,679 --> 01:49:13,679
Justice John Marshall wrote that a law
repugnant to the Constitution is void.

1357
01:49:11,760 --> 01:49:17,360
He asserted that any statute conflicting
with the Constitution is invalid and

1358
01:49:15,520 --> 01:49:19,920
lacks legal authority. So all those
statutes and acts that may have been

1359
01:49:18,639 --> 01:49:24,800
passed by the state, the general
assembly, they have no authority. The

1360
01:49:22,880 --> 01:49:30,435
Constitution holds all and it was
created by the people. Thank you.

1361
01:49:28,415 --> 01:49:30,435
[applause]

1362
01:49:34,000 --> 01:49:39,880
» I think that exhausts the list of the
people signed up for public comment.

1363
01:49:40,800 --> 01:49:47,760
Thank you everyone for coming tonight.
We will be I have repeated that but I

1364
01:49:46,480 --> 01:49:52,560
will repeat it again just so everyone's
aware. Uh location to be determined

1365
01:49:50,320 --> 01:49:58,400
September 8th after uh the Labor Day
holiday which is a Tuesday. Um

1366
01:49:56,560 --> 01:50:02,639
the city offices will be closed on
Monday so that uh officially makes our

1367
01:50:00,480 --> 01:50:06,719
meetings on Tuesday. Location to be
determined. Um we will make sure that

1368
01:50:04,880 --> 01:50:12,800
that is posted so that everyone knows
where and we will keep the time at 6 pm.

1369
01:50:10,080 --> 01:50:17,639
Members comments. Anyone here wishing to
state anything as a commission?

1370
01:50:20,400 --> 01:50:27,520
I will just briefly uh I'd just like to
thank everybody for coming to this uh

1371
01:50:25,840 --> 01:50:32,400
the it's not just the commission up
here. It's the township and uh the

1372
01:50:30,000 --> 01:50:36,960
people of this city that really bring
value to this and allow us to make a a

1373
01:50:34,960 --> 01:50:40,400
comprehensive decision on this. So I
just want to thank everybody for your

1374
01:50:38,400 --> 01:50:45,040
time the last five meetings. It's it's
been a good

1375
01:50:42,480 --> 01:50:49,760
u amount of information for us to digest
and for us to continue to to ask in in

1376
01:50:48,000 --> 01:50:53,159
subsequent meetings here. So, thank you
all very much.

1377
01:50:57,119 --> 01:51:04,040
» I second that. Um, with that being said,
I would need a motion to adjourn.

1378
01:51:05,600 --> 01:51:13,080
» Make a motion we adjourn the meeting.
>> Motion by Ed Carter. I need a second.

1379
01:51:13,199 --> 01:51:18,880
» Second.
>> Seconded by Mr. Riddle. Roll call vote.

1380
01:51:18,000 --> 01:51:20,639
Carter,
>> yes.

1381
01:51:19,840 --> 01:51:22,400
» Riddle,
>> yes.

1382
01:51:21,440 --> 01:51:26,560
» Braum,
>> yes.

1383
01:51:25,119 --> 01:51:28,320
» Uh, Router,
>> yes.

1384
01:51:27,280 --> 01:51:31,520
» Rodri,
>> yes.

1385
01:51:29,840 --> 01:51:38,040
» Motion carries. Meeting adjourned till
September 8th.

1386
01:51:34,080 --> 01:51:38,040
» Thank you everyone for coming tonight.