[0:06] here.
>> Road
[0:08] » here.
>> We have a quorum. Thank you very much.
[0:20] We now will be continuing our public
hearing from where we left off on July
[0:23] 20th. As stated in our last meeting, one
of the duties of the plan commission is
[0:27] to conduct public hearings in order to
listen to and record the testimony of
[0:31] the public whenever the city considers
requests, including a zoning map
[0:36] amendment, otherwise known as resoning,
approval of a special use, and variance
[0:41] requests. For everyone in the room
tonight, so we understand exactly how
[0:45] the process works, the citizens on the
planning and zoning board, which are the
[0:49] individuals on the stage to my right,
are appointed positions. We are not
[0:54] elected officials. We are appointed
recommendation board that conducts
[0:57] public hearings for the city of Plano.
Once we've conducted the public hearing
[1:02] of this subject, we will then make a
recommendation to the city of Plano
[1:06] council which is comprised of elected
alderman and the mayor. They will have
[1:10] the final vote for or against the
petitioner's request regarding this
[1:14] public hearing tonight.
Tonight we'll begin with the testimony
[1:18] portion of our public hearing. Plano
Skies has respectfully ended their
[1:23] overall presentation and we have
cross-examined their representatives and
[1:27] experts. We now will start tonight with
the interested parties and their
[1:31] testimony. All interested parties are
invited to approach and speak tonight
[1:36] and provide testimony or witnesses or
documents on their behalf in support of
[1:41] or against the Plano Sky application.
All taxing bodies here tonight that wish
[1:48] to speak as interested parties may also
do so, but we do ask that you provide
[1:53] one representative to provide the
testimony on your behalf of your entity.
[1:57] If you wish to speak tonight during the
public hearing as an interested party,
[2:01] you must first sign up at the public
hearing interested party registration
[2:06] sheet which is located on the on the
table outside the auditorium doors.
[2:11] Interested parties are defined as all
owners of record within 250 ft in each
[2:16] direction of the location in which the
property is located and who have
[2:21] received a certified letter about this
hearing. Also, that includes any taxing
[2:25] bodies or units of local government
including school districts in which the
[2:30] subject property is located and the
owners and occupants of the other
[2:33] property in which may be affected and
are invited to attend by the planning
[2:37] commission. If you wish to speak tonight
and have not yet registered on the sheet
[2:41] outside the door, please do so while I
continue to describe the procedure for
[2:45] tonight.
Additionally, the last half an hour of
[2:48] each scheduled session has been set
aside for comments by the general public
[2:53] of up to three minutes per speaker. This
part of the evening will be open to
[2:57] anyone who wishes to approach the podium
to speak to the commission. We will have
[3:01] guidelines and procedures in place for
public comment portion of our evening
[3:06] and I'll be reading those closer to the
time before we begin that portion of the
[3:10] evening. We encourage you also to sign
up for the public comment signup sheet
[3:14] if you wish to speak during public
comment and we'll call for those
[3:18] comments in order that you signed up.
With the completion of the Plano Sky
[3:22] full proposal, we now tonight will move
into the testimony of the interested
[3:28] parties both for and against the
petition. They will be able to come up
[3:32] and speak up here in front to the
microphones in the order based upon
[3:37] those signed up on the interested
registration sheet.
[3:42] Following testimony by interested
parties, the Plano Skies petitioner and
[3:46] the commission may also ask members of
the interested parties at the
[3:49] microphone.
Upon completion of the evidence and
[3:53] testimony by the interested parties,
Plano's Guys may have the opportunity to
[3:58] rebuttal any testimony in opposition
subject subject again to
[4:03] cross-examination by the interested
parties and back and forth. So, um,
[4:08] we will, you know, get through that as
we go depending on how many people are
[4:12] speaking. When there is no further
testimony, the hearing will then be
[4:17] moved to close. Once the public hearing
is officially closed, whether tonight or
[4:22] at a future date, the city staff and
consultants will offer their comments
[4:26] based on the testimony that we've heard
over the last few weeks at these
[4:29] meetings and consider the comments of
other entities such as other units of
[4:34] local government. and then we'll proceed
to discuss and vote on the
[4:38] representative items sought by Plano
Skies. The commission will discuss and
[4:44] take its vote in recommendation in and
take its recommendation to writing to
[4:49] the city council. Although the public
hearing portion will eventually be
[4:53] closed, we will always let you know when
the next meeting is and the location.
[4:57] And even with the public hearing closed,
you're more than welcome to attend our
[5:00] meetings to hear the discussions and
decisions of the plan commission. We
[5:04] always offer a 30 minute public comment
at the end of all of our meetings,
[5:08] regardless if it's a public hearing or
not.
[5:12] Please be concise in your testimony
tonight. If your point has already been
[5:16] made during the hearing, it is not
necessary to repeat it. Each item
[5:19] addressed and each point made is
recorded and considered as the
[5:22] commission makes its findings and
recommendations on this matter. When it
[5:27] is your turn to testify, please approach
the front aisle and speak directly into
[5:31] the microphone so that you may be heard
for the record. State your name and
[5:35] spell your last name for the reporter
and indicate if you're representing an
[5:39] entity and also please give your
address. If you speak after your initial
[5:44] testimony, please give your name each
time for the record. This is the only
[5:48] public hearing this evening on the
agenda which addresses petitions for
[5:52] reszoning of properties currently in
Plano. annexation and reszoning of
[5:57] properties outside of Plano, special use
permitting for a groundmounted solar
[6:02] farm energy system, and variances to our
existing city codes. With that being
[6:08] said, my goal every time we meet is to
ensure that everybody feels like they
[6:12] have the opportunity to be heard and I
respectfully ask that all parties
[6:16] respect my commission members and
guidelines that we've put in place for
[6:19] this public hearing. I will not tolerate
any disrespectful behavior and will be
[6:24] asked to leave if necessary. I do need a
motion on the floor to reopen the public
[6:29] hearing.
[6:33] » So moved.
>> Uh motion by Mr. Routder to reopen the
[6:37] public hearing. I need a second.
>> Second.
[6:40] » Seconded by Mr. Carter. Roll call.
>> Router.
[6:44] » Yes.
>> Carter.
[6:47] » Yes.
>> Brauml.
[6:49] » Yes. Riddle,
>> yes.
[6:52] » Rodrig,
>> yes.
[6:54] » Okay, public hearing is reopened. Um, as
I explained earlier, this will begin the
[7:00] testimony portion of our interested
parties, which I do see that we have a
[7:04] list here. Um,
before we start that, we are good with
[7:09] moving on to testimony. Yep. Okay.
[7:15] I've been provided with uh this
evening's signup sheet for interested
[7:19] party registration. Uh I'll note that um
for one entity, there are two
[7:25] individuals signed up specifically for
Little Rock Township. I believe that
[7:30] Trusty Henderson and Trusty Light have
both signed up um for purposes of
[7:36] brevity. Could that be accomplished
through one of you if you're
[7:39] representing the same entity?
>> Representing the same entity. You're not
[7:44] representing the same entity. Okay, then
I'll I'll I'll start with the first name
[7:48] on the list, Jonathan Henderson.
[8:02] » Please uh approach the microphone and
state your name, please.
[8:08] » Jonathan Henderson.
>> Mr. Henderson, can you raise your right
[8:10] hand and repeat after me? Do you s or do
you solemnly swear or affirm uh that the
[8:16] testimony that you're about to give will
be the truth, the whole truth, and
[8:19] nothing but the truth?
>> Yes, sir.
[8:21] » Um and which entity are you representing
this evening?
[8:24] » Little Rock Township.
>> Okay. And you are a currently elected
[8:28] trustee of the township?
>> Yes, sir.
[8:30] » Okay. Thank you.
>> Good evening, everybody. Uh as a fellow
[8:36] public servant, I'd like to address this
board and the city of Plano alderman
[8:39] during this time of testimony. We as
public servants must remember who we
[8:44] serve. The people. We don't serve
attorneys. We don't even serve other
[8:48] government. We serve the people. Our
founding fathers set this nation up in a
[8:52] very particular manner. The basis of it
is this. The people have all political
[8:57] power and us as public servants need to
understand that the people are our
[9:01] masters. I didn't get elected to make
decisions for the people. I got elected
[9:05] to carry out their wishes. You likewise
have been appointed to this commission
[9:09] and the same is true for you. With that
said, I'd like to review two very
[9:13] important words with their proper
definition. The first word is
[9:16] constitution. The Black's Law
Dictionary, fourth edition, defines
[9:20] constitution as follows. Constitution in
American law, the written instrument
[9:25] agreed upon by the people of the union
or of a particular state, as the
[9:28] absolute rule of action and decision for
all departments and officers of the
[9:32] government in respect to all the points
covered by it, which must control until
[9:36] it shall be changed by the authority
which established it, and an opposition
[9:40] to which any act or ordinance of any
such department or officer is null and
[9:44] void. I hope you can see how important
this definition is. First of all, you
[9:49] are convened as an appointed public
board. Right now, you're acting as
[9:52] public servants in an office of public
trust. You have a duty to uphold and
[9:56] defend the Constitution of this state
above any attorney's council or even
[10:00] what the mayor or alderman may tell you.
It's an obligation and duty. Notice what
[10:05] this definition says. Quote, "It is the
absolute rule of action." End quote. For
[10:10] all points covered by it, which must
control your decision-making process.
[10:14] Now, let's pause there for a moment. The
Illinois Constitution's preamble in
[10:18] Article 1, Section 1 clearly outline
that the entire purpose of government is
[10:21] to protect the people's rights,
property, and their community.
[10:24] Therefore, in spite of whatever any
solar company may tell you or an
[10:28] attorney may tell you, your decision
must be determined by the Constitution
[10:31] first. Before you even entertain what a
state statute may or may not say, the
[10:36] Constitution controls your
decision-making. Remember, the people
[10:39] don't elect or appoint public servants
to be their rulers or to make decisions
[10:42] for them. We as public servants must
first consider the text of the
[10:46] constitution as being the people's
expressed will and the people have
[10:49] clearly expressed that their rights and
property are paramount for the entire
[10:53] existence of government. Now let's look
at the second part of that definition.
[10:57] It is the duty and obligation of every
public servant from the dog catcher to
[11:00] the governor in any department of
government that would be you and this
[11:03] board to stand in opposition to any act
that is contrary to the constitution.
[11:08] This shouldn't be confusing for even the
most basic things in law. As you've
[11:12] heard multiple times, the people of
Plano are the same people of Little Rock
[11:15] Township. Those people are our masters.
You and I both have committed volunteer
[11:20] voluntarily to serve those masters in
that capacity. So, I encourage you all
[11:24] to stand strong for the people which you
are obligated to serve. They expressed
[11:28] their will with the township's ordinance
prohibition for commercial solar
[11:32] projects. I encourage you all to reject
this proposal based upon that very
[11:35] ordinance because the people express
their collective will with that
[11:38] ordinance. And if there is any court
case or litigation that comes from this
[11:42] situation, your own defense lies within
that very ordinance. As government has
[11:47] so often used this statement for its own
benefit instead of the people's benefit,
[11:50] your hands are tied. There's nothing you
can or should do but simply state,
[11:55] quote, "based upon the Little Rock
Township ordinance prohibiting
[11:58] commercial solar installations within
the township, our hands are tied and we
[12:02] must reject this proposal and vote no."
End quote. You see how simple that is?
[12:06] The people already protected and
empowered you to say no. And it's your
[12:09] duty and obligation as you sit in a seat
of public trust as a servant of the
[12:13] people. No need to talk about BMS or
screening or economic impact. None of
[12:17] that matters. Only the people's will
matters. And they've already expressed
[12:20] in both in this constitution and have
doubled down with the township
[12:23] ordinance. Truth be told, they shouldn't
have even had to make the ordinance in
[12:27] the first place since, as I stated
before, the entire purpose of government
[12:30] expressed right in Article 1, Section 1
plainly tells us it is to protect the
[12:34] people's property. If we simply return
to the first principles of the
[12:37] constitutional principles, these
hearings wouldn't have been necessary in
[12:40] the first place. Finally, I'd like to
define another important word, which is
[12:44] amendable. The Black Law Dictionary
defines it as subject to answer to the
[12:48] law, accountable, responsible, liable to
punishment, also means tractable that
[12:53] may easily be led or governed. So, what
the law is, the highest law, which us
[12:59] public servants are accountable to. It's
the state constitution. We are liable to
[13:03] punishment if we don't follow it. We
don't need an attorney or judge to tell
[13:06] us what it is. We read it. We obey it.
And if there's a time of accountability
[13:10] that comes upon any of us for our
actions, that's the very document that
[13:14] protects or condemns us. But don't miss
the second part that we are to be easily
[13:18] led or governed. Remember, in this
nation of America, the people are not
[13:22] governed. It's us, the public servants,
which are governed and which are
[13:25] amendable to the people, not the other
way around. That word amenable is a
[13:29] compound word. It's the word amen, which
is a Bible term that means let it be so.
[13:33] And the word able, which means we as
public servants are pre-authorized or
[13:37] able to follow the people's will. The
people have empowered us to be quickly
[13:40] in agreement with them, not corporations
or attorneys council. Remember, in each
[13:45] court case, there's an attorney that
ends up being proven right and one
[13:48] that's proven wrong. The people of this
community have spoken to you and me.
[13:52] First through our written constitution,
secondly through the township ordinance
[13:56] prohibition, and thirdly here with
multiple public testimonies. Your duty
[14:00] is not to be amenable to attorneys, to
unions, to corporate entities, or even
[14:04] to the state government. Your duty and
sole purpose is to be amenable to the
[14:09] people of this community, which includes
the township and the ordinance which the
[14:13] people enacted. So unless or until that
ordinance gets challenged in a court of
[14:16] law and overturned, we as public
servants must obey it. It was written by
[14:21] the people, enacted by the people, and
it's our duty and obligation as public
[14:24] servants to be amenable to do it.
And I'd like to have this recorded in
[14:29] the meeting minutes for perpetual
memorial.
[14:34] Can I give this to somebody up here?
>> Sure. Um, actually, well, as far if we
[14:41] commission members have any questions
Oh, sure.
[14:43] » to uh engage with. Um, and we'll kind of
work through this testimony part because
[14:48] there are no tame there are no like time
lengths for you. This is your time as
[14:53] interested parties to approach us. Yeah.
>> And then ask questions. So
[14:58] » before you're uh sitting down. Yeah.
Anything commission members to ask or
[15:04] » questions regarding
that testimony?
[15:18] Savian, same question to you. As part of
the process here and how we're going to
[15:22] do this is you also have an opportunity
to then uh cross-examine or rebuttal to
[15:27] the interested party's testimony. And at
this time, do you have anything that you
[15:31] wish to add?
>> We we have no questions for this
[15:36] witness. I mean, as far as rebuttal, I
think we would like to wait until all
[15:40] the interested parties have testified
before we determine whether any rebuttal
[15:44] is necessary.
>> I can we can do one rebuttal at the end
[15:48] if you so wish after all interested
parties speak. Is that what I'm prefer?
[15:51] Yes.
>> Okay.
[15:52] » Um,
>> Mr. Henderson, were you were you asking
[15:56] to provide us with your your written
comments to be part of part of the
[16:00] meeting minutes? We can do that.
>> Okay. Should I leave them with somebody
[16:04] or Yep.
>> Okay.
[16:12] Mr. Henderson, is there anything else
that you wish to speak or
[16:16] » say, questions or anything else?
>> Okay. All right. Well, I thank you for
[16:21] uh speaking tonight.
[16:25] [applause]
[16:28] » Next on the interested uh party
registration sheet is Eric Light.
[16:44] Mr. Light, when you approach the uh the
microphone, please can you state your
[16:48] name?
>> Yep. Eric Light.
[16:50] » You spell your last name, please.
>> L I G HT.
[16:53] » And Mr. Light, which interested party do
you represent?
[16:56] » Myself.
>> Are you an adjacent property owner?
[17:00] » I am.
>> To the to the project?
[17:02] » I am. And what is that address?
>> 15540 Miller Road.
[17:06] » Thank you.
>> Yep. [clears throat]
[17:09] Um, we are still able to ask just some
clarifying questions. Correct.
[17:13] » I'm sorry, what was that?
>> I am able to still ask some clarifying
[17:16] questions of Savon.
>> This is your opportunity to present your
[17:20] own uh either testimony or
uh evidence.
[17:26] Uh it's not
>> I won't speak for them.
[17:30] » Yep.
>> Yeah. They might not answer, but for my
[17:33] personal commission opinion, I would
like to still have you ask questions
[17:37] because it's still something that we as
a commission will still be writing down
[17:40] when we have time to be able to approach
the petitioner. So, any questions that
[17:45] are during your testimony, even though
they might not answer, I still would
[17:48] like to have them on the record just for
our own uh commission
[17:53] notes.
>> Fair enough. And some of them I one of
[17:57] them in particular I think may have been
asked before but I want to clarify it.
[18:01] Um projects in Illinois. How many
projects do you have in Illinois and
[18:06] have had?
[18:13] The second piece of that is how many of
those projects
[18:19] that you built or constructed are you
still managing
[18:32] and then how many of those are in
Illinois?
[18:40] Those are the only questions I had.
reason I clarify these again and one of
[18:46] the largest issues that I have with this
entire project
[18:51] is the investment in our community.
I understand business-wise, corporate
[18:57] wise, you have to decide what you know
what you're going to do to to make
[19:01] money.
But when you're the person that brings
[19:04] that to the table,
it's very important that there's an
[19:08] investment in the community beyond a
monetary promise down the road. those
[19:12] types of things. There's been other
projects over the years that have come
[19:16] to this community.
I My wife grew up here.
[19:22] Uh we've been together over 30 years. We
did enough to decide to come back and
[19:27] live in this community. We've been here
over 20 years now. But I remember other
[19:32] projects that were in here.
[clears throat] Menards, you know, great
[19:36] for the community. There was opposition
for that. Lots of jobs to our community.
[19:41] tax base. I think they're the highest if
I remember correctly from one of the
[19:47] experts. There's a a large buyin to our
community with Menard's. I'm going to
[19:53] contrast that with another project.
Years and years ago in the 90s, they
[19:57] wanted to put a racetrack out here. A
lot of individuals that live here,
[20:01] you'll remember that. That that project
ended up getting pushed out of our town
[20:06] and it went down to Juliet.
it it was supposed to be one of the
[20:12] largest NASCAR racetracks. All of this
money for the community, all these
[20:15] things, that project down there, that
that business is still there from my
[20:21] understanding is a shell of what it used
to be. Um the the number of events that
[20:27] they do at that facility is
substantially less from my understanding
[20:31] of what it was going to be.
[20:36] this is, you know, 30 years down the
road from when that project was talked
[20:40] about, you know, and I think a lot of
people are glad that it didn't end up
[20:43] here, especially for the amount of
ground that it was going to take from
[20:47] our community.
Um, I am not against solar.
[20:52] I'm an electrician. I support our, you
know, our our laborers. I support our
[20:59] electricians. I support our uh excavate
excavators, you know. Uh
[21:05] they're a huge part of our community.
They've helped me build my life. But it
[21:10] is they helped me build my life to be
able to choose the type of community
[21:13] that I wanted to live in. And that
community is should be driven by the
[21:18] people who live in that community and
not by outside sources. It's great.
[21:24] Bring something to the table. We decide
if it benefits our community or not, not
[21:29] outside places. So, I just um
I am not in support of the project
[21:37] um
for a lot of the the reasons that I just
[21:41] talked about. Um I'm concerned about the
return on the investment and the future
[21:46] of our community and also the ability
for the people of our community to help
[21:51] drive what happens in this town uh and
in this township. Uh we talked Yeah,
[21:58] I'll leave it at that. Thank you very
much.
[22:02] » Thank you, Eric. [applause] Um,
commission members, any questions or
[22:10] comments for Mr. Le?
[22:15] » Same to petitioner.
>> We don't have any questions.
[22:20] » Thank you.
>> Thank you so much.
[22:25] Uh next party interested party signing
on the registration sheet is John Wikes.
[22:31] » I'm going to pass u
speak tonight.
[22:39] » You are also if you do feel inclined to
speak later at the public comment is
[22:43] also an option or at the end of the list
of interested parties.
[22:49] » Uh next on the list is Mike Bernett.
[22:57] Please come to the uh microphone and
state your name, please.
[23:01] » Michael Bernett.
>> Can you spell your last name, please?
[23:04] » B U R N T.
>> And Mr. Bernett, your address?
[23:08] » 14247 Sears Road.
>> And that's a property that's immediately
[23:12] adjacent to the project.
>> Yes, it is.
[23:14] » Thank you.
>> Um, thank you for your time tonight. I
[23:18] do have a lot of stuff to cover. So I
printed off my complete statement for
[23:23] all of you if I may approach.
[23:43] So, as I already said, my name is Mike
Bernett and I live in Little Rock
[23:48] Township, not within the city limits,
but my property abuts the proposed solar
[23:53] project and it will cause injury to my
private property.
[23:57] All people who live inside the city of
Plano also live in Little Rock Township.
[24:02] We are the same people. We share the
same streets, the same schools, the same
[24:06] farms, and the same future.
We are at a watershed moment, not only
[24:12] for this city, this township, but also
for this nation.
[24:17] I've been to some of these hearings.
I've heard some of your questions. I can
[24:20] tell many of you are concerned about how
these solar projects will affect this
[24:24] community. But I want to offer hope to
you and the people of this community.
[24:29] We all feel it. Something just isn't
right in America anymore. This isn't the
[24:34] nation or the state we grow up in.
Something is a miss. Instead of being
[24:40] a nation of freedom and liberty, we
become a nation that has been overrun by
[24:44] corporate interests and bureaucrats who
have centralized power. Something our
[24:49] founding fathers warned us about. Yet
here we are celebrating 250 years as a
[24:54] great republic. But it's on the brink of
falling into tyranny.
[24:59] Thankfully, our founding fathers when
they divorced England had the wisdom to
[25:02] institute written instruments called
constitutions
[25:06] that are the highest law of the land.
Yet, these instruments don't stand
[25:10] alone. They're based upon something
called the fundamental principles of law
[25:15] which many of us people have been
learning because for many generations
[25:19] now they have been not been taught to us
but we have found them and we have
[25:23] recurred to them just as our Illinois
constitution warns about in article 1
[25:29] section 23 and I quote a frequent
recurrence to the fundamental principles
[25:34] of civil government is necessary to
preserve the blessings of liberty. These
[25:39] blessings cannot endure unless the
people recognize their corresponding
[25:43] individual obligations and
responsibilities.
[25:47] Allow me to explain. Liberty is the
defining term of this nation. Liberty
[25:52] means to be free free from external
control. In order to maintain that
[25:57] liberty which has been slowly eroded for
many decades now, there must be a
[26:02] frequent recurrence to the fundamental
principles of law. What are those
[26:06] fundamental principles? They are the
substructure of our constitutions. They
[26:11] are the maxims that are [clears throat]
the foundation of our constitutions,
[26:14] both state and federal. Yet for many
years now, attorneys and legislators
[26:19] have been taught how to hide or ignore
those principles, skipping right past
[26:23] them to statutes. Yet, a statute is not
the fundamental law of this nation, nor
[26:28] this state.
Now, I'm willing to bet that you've had
[26:33] some attorneys give you counsel. I will
also bet that with any of that council,
[26:38] they have only cited statutes to you,
but likely they haven't cited any
[26:42] Illinois constitutional articles to you.
And I'll guarantee they haven't cited
[26:46] any maximums of law to you. Why is that?
It is because at least a generation now,
[26:52] the law schools no longer teach the
constitutions nor the fundamental maxims
[26:56] of law. They may briefly go over the US
Constitution, then get right into
[27:01] statutes. Thank God our Supreme Court is
now correcting these decades long
[27:06] errors. So I'm going to cite some very
important principles and constitutional
[27:10] articles to you right now. Illinois
constitutional article one section one
[27:16] the very first statement in our
constitution apart from the preamble.
[27:20] All men are by nature free and
independent and have certain inherent
[27:24] and inalienable rights among which are
life, liberty and the pursuit of
[27:28] happiness. To secure these rights and
the protection of property, governments
[27:33] are instituted among men, deriving their
just powers from the consent of the
[27:37] governed.
What does that mean? It means no matter
[27:41] what any attorney tells you, we are free
people with rights that are guaranteed.
[27:45] And the whole purpose of government is
to protect our rights and our property.
[27:50] Book that in your mind. Bookmark that in
your mind for a moment. Now, what is
[27:54] this hearing about? It's about property
and commercial land use. But please
[28:00] understand that commercial land use is
public not private and our private
[28:05] properties are the entire basis of
governmental existence. Private property
[28:10] rights were the primary of many reasons
of our founding fathers decided to
[28:15] divorce England. That's why in every
state constit constitution you'll see
[28:19] similar statement in article one or two.
It is paramount.
[28:24] We the people learned this, but we have
learned and discovered so much more of
[28:28] why our state is in absolute disarray.
Way back in 1848,
[28:34] our ancestors adopted a new Illinois
constitution, abolishing the original
[28:39] 1818 constitution. That's important to
remember. They abolished the 1818
[28:45] constitution. The main focus of the new
constitution was to institute each
[28:51] county to be able to choose its form of
government. And in 1849,
[28:56] Kendall County chose a county under
township form of government. And Little
[29:02] Rock Township was formed. That was prior
to the establishment of the city of
[29:06] Plano.
This is important to understand because
[29:09] that fundamentally changed how Kendall
County functioned.
[29:14] Instead of having a board of three
county commissioners with this new
[29:18] county under township form, it
eliminated those county commissioners
[29:21] and instead the county was made up a
board of supervisors. The supervisor
[29:26] elected from each of the nine townships
made up the county board of supervisors.
[29:30] This is important an important point
that I will come back to in a moment.
[29:37] Then in 1870 after the Civil War,
Illinois adopted a new constitution
[29:42] without abolishing the 1848 one, but
rather they continued certain aspects of
[29:48] it, namely the townships and county
under township form. But in this new 187
[29:55] 1870 constitution, which was our third,
the people adopted a very important
[29:59] article. It's in the legislative section
about the state general assembly. I'm
[30:04] not going to read the whole section, but
point to a couple of relevant parts.
[30:09] Now, don't dismiss this just because it
is the 1870 Constitution because right
[30:13] after I'm going to show you the
expressed text of our current 1970
[30:18] Constitution that continues these
provisions. They're still relevant.
[30:23] The Illinois 1870 Constitution, Article
4, Section 22, it says in part, "The
[30:30] General Assembly shall not pass local or
specific laws in any of the following
[30:36] enumerated cases."
That is to say, regulating county and
[30:42] township affairs.
What we're doing here tonight is most
[30:46] certainly a township affair, as all the
people in Plano are also in the
[30:50] township. Therefore, any state statute
that attempts to regulate the business
[30:55] within the township, which would include
this commercial solar project, is
[30:59] expressly prohibited in the 1870
constitution.
[31:05] Providing for the election of members of
the board of supervisors in township.
[31:10] This means that the general assembly
can't tell counties and townships how to
[31:14] elect their board of supervisors. Do you
recall what I explained before that our
[31:18] Kendall County board used to consist of
supervisor form from each township, not
[31:23] separately elected persons?
[31:28] The state cannot grant to any
corporation, association, or individual
[31:33] any special or exclusive privilege,
immunity, or franchise whatsoever. This
[31:39] means that the state general assembly
cannot force any township, county, or
[31:44] city to allow any special privilege to
conduct business. And that is exactly
[31:49] where you have been deliberating over
these hearings because corporate
[31:53] entities are not the same as people and
their private property. The moment
[31:58] someone wants to use utilize their
private property for commercial
[32:02] purposes, in this case for commercial
solar, they have to get permission from
[32:06] the people via their government. It is a
privilege to utilize property for
[32:10] commercial prop purposes, not a right.
Now, I know what you're thinking. Yeah,
[32:16] but that's the 1870 Constitution, and
we're now using the 1970 Constitution.
[32:21] So, let me read you a little known part
of the current 1970 Constitution called
[32:25] the transition schedule. It's at the
very end of the Constitution, and nobody
[32:30] paid attention to it until we discovered
it.
[32:33] The preamble of the transition schedule
says, "The following schedule provisions
[32:38] shall remain part of this constitution
until their terms have been executed.
[32:43] Once each year, the attorney general
shall review the following provisions
[32:48] and certify to the Secretary of State
which, if any, have been executed. Any
[32:53] provisions so certified shall thereafter
be removed from the schedule and no
[32:58] longer published as part of this 1970
constitution.
[33:03] That means that any of the 10 provisions
in the transition schedule remain. They
[33:07] aren't removed. Well, section five is
not removed.
[33:11] Also, section 9 remains.
[33:16] Section 5C says, "Townships in existence
on the effective date of this
[33:20] constitution are continued until
consolidated, merged, divided, or
[33:25] dissolved in accordance with section
five of article 7. That provision
[33:30] expressly sets that a referendum must be
used to change the township and the main
[33:35] body of the constitution." Article 7,
section B3B says, "The General Assembly
[33:41] by law shall provide methods available
to all counties for the election of
[33:46] county board members. No county other
than Cook County may change its method
[33:51] of electing board members except as
approved by countywide referendum.
[33:58] This means that in 1971 when the state
general assembly wrote statutes that
[34:03] made the Kendall County Board of
Supervisors believe they had to change
[34:07] form away from a county under township
form, it was unconstitutional.
[34:12] There was no referendum and our local
government just changed itself without
[34:16] the expressed will of the people. Now
back to the transition schedule for one
[34:22] very important point.
Text of section 9, general transition.
[34:29] The rights and duties of all public
bodies shall remain as if this
[34:32] constitution had not been adopted with
the exception of such changes that are
[34:36] contained in this constitution. All
laws, ordinances, regulations, and rules
[34:41] of court not contrary to or inconsistent
with the pro provisions of this
[34:47] constitution shall remain in force until
they shall expire by their own
[34:52] limitation or shall be altered or
repealed pursuant to this constitution.
[34:57] All officers filing any filling any
office by election or appointment shall
[35:03] continue to exercise the duties thereof
until their offices have been abolished
[35:07] or their successors selected and
qualified in accordance with this
[35:12] constitution or laws enact enacted
pursuant to what does that mean? It
[35:18] means if the current 1970 constitution
didn't expressly abolish or change
[35:24] something then the 1870 constitutions
provisions remain. Now remember when I
[35:30] said to bookmark that the 1818
constitution was abolished. That's
[35:34] because constitutions have expressed
provisions. The text says what it wants
[35:39] what it says and it means what it means.
Now, you're probably wondering why I
[35:44] just gave that constitutional
history lesson and how it applies to
[35:48] tonight's hearing. So, please allow me
to explain the connection.
[35:52] After the people discovered that the
existing county form of government is
[35:56] wrong, we also discovered that the
people who are the creators of
[36:00] government, by the way, can call a
special township meeting. In this type
[36:05] of meeting, it bypasses our elected
servants altogether. Picture it just
[36:09] simply like a company board. Sure, the
owner of a company can let his employees
[36:15] have meetings and handle business for
it. But if he owns the thing, just like
[36:19] the people own our government,
his employ if employees aren't doing
[36:24] what he wants or what he's told him to
do, he can bypass them and take care of
[36:28] it. Now connect that concept to a county
under township form because with a
[36:34] county under township the township
supervisors sit also as the county board
[36:38] of supervisors. This brings the entire
county directly amanable to the people
[36:44] immediately if the people simply call
for a special meeting to handle their
[36:48] business directly rather than going
through their servant representatives.
[36:53] On June 26th, 2025, the people of Little
Rock Township held a lawful special
[36:58] meeting and passed resolution and
ordinance number 2025-06-26.
[37:04] That ordinance does one clear thing. It
prohibits commercial wind and solar
[37:08] energy facilities on public and
commercial property inside this
[37:13] township. It does not touch a homeowner
who wants to put panels on his own roof
[37:17] for his own house. The ordinance says
the Illinois Constitution protects
[37:22] private installations on private
property from government regulation, but
[37:26] it's clearly for commercial
installations such as this one that
[37:30] you've been deliberating.
The people voted 45 to1. The ordinance
[37:35] is effective immediately. It declares
that any prior zoning approvals by the
[37:39] Kendall County Board for commercial
energy facilities are void from the
[37:43] beginning.
void ab initio due to their prop
[37:47] improper form. It closes by reminding
every government agent that they are
[37:52] servants and trustees accountable to the
people and that the township stands
[37:56] ready to defend its constitutional
autonomy.
[38:01] Because the people already enacted this
prohibition, the city of Plano has no
[38:04] authority to consider or approve this
project. The city of Plano is a
[38:09] municipal service provider. It is not
the same as the body politic of the
[38:13] people of the township, which again, all
of you on this board are people of
[38:17] Little Rock Township, whether you live
inside the city limits or not.
[38:21] Sure, there's been some nuances of
things such as roads. The city takes
[38:25] care of city roads and the township
takes care of township roads, but that's
[38:29] why the township roads department is
distinct from the township board.
[38:33] The correct and only lawful action is to
deny it on the specific grounds of
[38:37] Little Rock Township Ordinance
2025-06-26.
[38:42] That is the cleanest, safest, and
strongest ground available to this
[38:46] board. You do not have to invent new
reasons or take any personal risks. You
[38:50] are all protected by what the people of
the township did at the special meeting.
[38:55] You simply recognize the law the people
already made. If you don't believe that,
[38:59] then ask one any one of your attorneys
to swear by affidavit where the people
[39:03] are wrong. They won't do it. I guarantee
it. They can't because we only use the
[39:09] highest law, the constitutions, and with
maxims. We actually hope someone is
[39:16] arrogant enough to try to take this
before a judge because judges will
[39:20] understand what we have done. And
whether you know it or not, the city,
[39:24] the county, and the state already agree
with us because we sent them official
[39:28] notices and affidavit and the ordinance
itself, and none have rebutted it, which
[39:34] means they agree with us. I understand
that most of you on this zoning board
[39:38] are regular people trying to do a
different difficult job. You are not
[39:42] constitutional scholars. You are not
career attorneys. You rely on the advice
[39:46] you are given. I am not here to attack
you. I'm here to offer you protection.
[39:51] The safest place for any public serv
servant right now is under the people's
[39:55] enactment which was done with
constitutional authority.
[39:59] We urge you to stand on the township
ordinance and recommend denial because
[40:04] the people of Little Rock Township have
already prohibited commercial solar on
[40:08] commercial property.
That single ground shields you and keeps
[40:12] immunity for you. It puts the burden
where it belongs on anyone who wants to
[40:16] challenge the people's act. And we are
inviting that challenge. The people of
[40:21] Little Rock Township dare the county,
the solar companies, the city, or the
[40:25] state of Illinois to take this to court
because if they do, they will be waring
[40:30] against the people and the Constitution.
Again, that's something a righteous
[40:35] judge will be unwilling to do. We
welcome it. We did everything lawfully
[40:39] and peacefully and out in the open. We
sent notices, affidavit, and cease and
[40:44] desist letters all the way to
Springfield and the governor's office.
[40:48] We received zero responses, zero
challenges, zero rebuttals. That silence
[40:53] is acquiescence. The people have spoken
and no public servant has even bothered
[40:58] to answer. This case is done before it
even starts if they were to attempt a
[41:02] suit. This is about far more than solar
fields. This strikes at the heart of
[41:07] centralized power that the governor and
Springfield now claim over every local
[41:12] decision that has given way to
government tyranny. That power was never
[41:16] supposed to exist in this form.
All political power in this nation
[41:21] begins with the people. The people
created the state. The people created
[41:25] the township. Then the people throughout
the 1870 Illinois constitution blocked
[41:29] the general assembly from meddling in
county and township affairs. Article 4,
[41:35] section 22 of the 1870 Constitution
says, "The General Assembly shall not
[41:40] pass local or special laws regulating
county and township affairs."
[41:47] That prohibition did not disappear.
Elements of the 1870 Constitution remain
[41:51] alive through the transition schedule of
the 1970 Constitution. The flow of power
[41:56] is simple. The people are the supreme
lawgivers in this nation and state.
[42:00] Everything else is downstream and the
city of Plano is subject to the township
[42:05] in this county. Although we recognize
nobody has known that for 70 years.
[42:10] Under the proper form of government in
Kendall County, the county under
[42:13] township form, each township elects a
supervisor and those supervisors form
[42:18] the county board of supervisors. That is
how local government was designed to
[42:21] work after the people adopted the
township organization in 1849.
[42:26] The change that happened around 1970 and
1971 was never put to a proper
[42:31] referendum of the people as the
constitution required. The structure was
[42:35] altered without the people's consent and
is therefore void. That is why the
[42:39] township's authority still stands
superior in these matters.
[42:44] This is not fringe theory. Following the
fundamental law and the constitutions of
[42:47] Illinois and the United States is not
fringe. It is the law of the land. The
[42:52] United States Supreme Court has been
saying the same thing out loud. In 2024,
[42:57] court overturned the Chevron doctrine.
For 40 years, lawyers and agencies were
[43:01] taught that courts must defer to
whatever novel interpretation the
[43:05] administrative state invented. That era
is over and Illinois is being restored
[43:11] and Little Rock Township appears to be
ground zero. Courts must now decide what
[43:16] the law actually says. Justice Gorsuch
has been clear. We have allowed these
[43:21] novel theories for far too long and we
are returning all the way back to the
[43:25] Constitution
is what he said a couple of weeks ago in
[43:29] one of the most recent Supreme Court
decisions. What the people of Little
[43:33] Rock Township did is simply the same
return to first principles.
[43:38] This principle reaches everything.
Property taxes, school funding, zoning,
[43:42] and yes, even the ridiculous COVID
lockdowns that treated free people like
[43:46] subjects. When local self-government is
hollowed out, every decision migrates
[43:51] upward to Springfield and beyond. That
is the real issue here. Solar is only
[43:56] the current battlefield.
I'm happy to sit down one-on-one with
[44:00] any member of this board, any alderman
or any county official along with your
[44:04] attorneys who want a calm, detailed
explanation of how the 1870 provisions
[44:10] remain operative and why the flow of
power still runs from the people
[44:14] outward. There is nothing mysterious
about it once you follow the document.
[44:18] The plain language of the text cannot be
refuted.
[44:23] We've already done what needed to be
done lawfully, openly, and peacefully.
[44:28] The people enacted the prohibition. The
people put everyone on notice. Now, the
[44:32] choice is simple. This board should
recommend denial tonight, and it should
[44:35] do so on the clear ground of Little Rock
Township Ordinance 2025-06-26.
[44:42] Then the alderman will decide whether
they will uphold the people's law or
[44:46] knowingly set it aside. There is a vast
difference between breaking the law in
[44:51] ignorance and doing it after clear
notice while holding a position of
[44:54] public trust. That is malice.
We the people still own this township,
[45:00] this city, this county, and this state.
Not the solar companies, not the
[45:03] bureaucrats, not the attorneys who've
been trained for decades in a system the
[45:08] Supreme Court itself is dismantling. The
people are taking back peacefully
[45:14] what we have and we have already taken
the first lawful step. Vote to deny this
[45:21] project based on the township's
ordinance. That is the right action, the
[45:25] safe action, the only action consistent
with the fundamental law. Then put the
[45:30] pressure back on to the city council to
vote this down based on the same. They
[45:35] should have never taken this up in the
first place. We say this all in peace
[45:40] and the love of Christ that you may do
good works worthy of service. And we've
[45:45] extended as much grace as possible to
help you all understand and to guide you
[45:49] to the correct conclusion. We are not
threatening. We are simply giving notice
[45:54] so you are no longer confused by the
legal system that has been constructed
[45:58] contrary to the constitutions. So the
real question is who is willing to go
[46:03] against the people and the
constitutions? Thank you.
[46:08] » [applause]
[46:15] » Commission members, any comments or
questions from supernet?
[46:21] I [snorts] personally really thank you.
I have been sitting here um oftentimes
[46:26] in public hearing because of the
cross-examination and the procedures and
[46:31] the steps that we're taking as a
commission to make the meetings run
[46:34] smooth. it inhibits us to where normally
we would ask questions and be able to
[46:40] dialogue back and forth. So there have
been a lot of questions that I've had
[46:43] when you guys have spoke. So I really
really appreciate the time and energy in
[46:48] producing this document for us to read
um because oftentimes we don't you know
[46:54] in this particular step of the process
are able to dialogue um to keep the
[46:59] public hearing going. So I do I do
really appreciate that. Um,
[47:06] and I I do if I do have some questions,
I would I wouldn't mind reaching out,
[47:10] you know, and asking you.
>> I made some notes on here and so um
[47:16] that is very helpful. So, thank you very
much for your presentation.
[47:22] Any further comments,
[47:26] » Savian? Any comments for Mr. Bernett?
>> No questions.
[47:30] Thank you for your time.
>> Okay. Thank you.
[47:34] [applause]
[47:40] » The next individual on the interested
party registration sheet is Marcy
[47:44] Bernett.
[47:51] » Can you state your name, please?
>> Marcy Bernett.
[47:54] » Can you spell your last name?
>> B U R N E T.
[47:57] » Can you raise your right hand? Do you
solemnly swear or affirm that the
[48:00] testimony you're about to give will be
the truth, the whole truth, and nothing
[48:04] about the truth?
>> I do.
[48:05] » Are you an adjacent property owner to
the project?
[48:09] » Yes.
>> Okay. And your address?
[48:11] » 14247 Sears Road.
>> Thank you.
[48:15] » Okay.
I said I'd like to start by saying that
[48:18] we are a proud union home with most of
our children in local trades. What I am
[48:24] about to say has nothing to do with
keeping work from unions. This is about
[48:28] our home, family, and peace, not a
18-month job. Once mentioned in a
[48:34] meeting, someone said, "This project
will bring revenue from the workers at
[48:38] local businesses. Most trade workers
bring a lunch. There is nothing but
[48:42] empty promises and hope. We bought our
home seven years ago. We put a lot into
[48:47] our property to make it a home place
where our children want to bring their
[48:52] children that is not their childhood
home, but rather grand the grandparents
[48:56] home. Our grandchildren love it. We're
expecting our fifth and sixth as we
[49:01] speak. They all live in society. They
can wander, explore, measure themselves
[49:07] against the corn, look at the grain bins
across the fields, and see the best
[49:12] sunsets ever. Never a visit passes that
someone does not mention how peaceful it
[49:17] is to be at our home, away from it all.
I challenge one of the people who spoke
[49:22] at one of the meetings on wildlife
um from Savon playing it down. We have
[49:28] deer, fox, squirrels, frogs, tree frogs,
etc. And there are fish in the waterway
[49:34] that goes through the field, a natural
habitat. We cannot let this build happen
[49:41] as that will all go away, die, and be
gone from the area for generations.
[49:47] Never has someone gotten excited, well
not somebody normal, about solar fields
[49:52] or concrete buildings in fencing in the
middle of a corn field, but you will
[49:57] notice people talking about the crops
growing. Look at how tall the corn is.
[50:02] Oh, there's beans in that field this
year. It is refreshing. Someone spoke
[50:08] during the public time at the first
meeting and made mention of growth and
[50:12] it is what we need, meaning the solar
farm. wrong. Growth would be building
[50:18] the luxury estate homes that most of the
area in question is already zoned for.
[50:24] That would be growth, life, and property
taxes for many more years. A project
[50:29] like this will deter people from moving
out this way due to an unhealthy eyesore
[50:35] to look at driving home after a long
day. Shame on the land owner for trying
[50:40] to make a buck at the other people's
expense.
[50:44] All the responses from Savon are so
vague, if they even answer. Dancing
[50:50] around an answer that they know if they
spoke the truth would add fuel to the
[50:55] fire. This is the absolute wrong project
in our area, our fields, and in Plano.
[51:02] We are the people of Little Rock
Township and we are strong and we will
[51:06] not allow this project. I ask that Plano
not falter on the zoning and welcome a
[51:12] high-end developer to build nice homes
in Plano to bring the proper revenues in
[51:18] to continue healthy growth. Please
reject the requests of Savon and Black
[51:24] Dirt Farms.
[51:29] [applause]
[51:32] Commission members again any questions
for Mrs. Barnett?
[51:42] No questions.
>> Thank you very much.
[51:49] [applause]
[51:51] The next person on the interested party
registration sheet is Chris Wikes.
[52:04] Once you approach the microphone, can
you state your name, please? Spelling
[52:07] your last name.
>> Uh, W Y Kes.
[52:11] » Your first name,
>> Chris. Christine.
[52:14] » You raise your right hand, please. Do
you solemnly swear or affirm that the
[52:17] testimony you're about to give will be
the truth, the whole truth, and nothing
[52:20] but the truth?
>> Yes.
[52:22] » Uh, are you an adjacent property owner
to the project?
[52:25] » Yes.
>> And that address?
[52:28] 14176 Sears Road.
>> Thank you.
[52:32] » I am only wanting to make a statement to
say that what Mike said is collectively
[52:40] spoke from all of us in the township.
And I just want to reiterate that we did
[52:48] what we thought was constitutionally
correct. We sent our affidavits. We were
[52:52] totally ignored. And when you totally
ignore it, then you're saying that what
[53:00] we are presenting is correct.
Uh so that is my only statement I want
[53:09] to make.
[53:17] » Commission members questions for Mrs.
Weiss.
[53:20] » No,
>> I do have one question. Uh, you
[53:24] mentioned affidavit. Were any of those
reviewed? Uh,
[53:28] » you you mentioned affidavit. Were any of
those reviewed or taken to legal counsel
[53:32] or a judge or anything like that?
>> We sent our affidavits to the city
[53:39] council. I know you, the zoning board,
did not receive it, but the city council
[53:46] all received it and uh
we're just, you know, acting upon what
[53:54] we understand the constitution say.
>> And did anyone reach out in response at
[54:01] any point?
>> I I I
[54:04] » Oh, I'm sorry. Did anyone reach out in
response to any point to any
[54:07] documentation sent?
>> No one has reached out. no response
[54:10] whatsoever and ours were certified
letters. So,
[54:17] in regards to the township and some of
the I
[54:24] there was some um dialogue stated for
any commercial installations, not
[54:30] private, but any commercial
installations. Is that based on like a
[54:34] zoning or a size of solar that you guys
are fighting against or you know
[54:40] petitioning against?
I'm sorry I forgot my hearing aids at
[54:45] home and I really can't you know
understand everything you're saying but
[54:50] you know this is 1500 acres of prime
farm ground. Probably the best farm
[54:58] ground you're going to ever find in the
whole United States.
[55:02] And they're saying it's still going to
be protected by drilling these posts 8
[55:06] foot down into the ground when you know
any farmer knows that when you disrupt
[55:11] farm ground it's affected for a while
and you know who knows what we're going
[55:17] to have. uh they keep assuring us that
these are totally safe but
[55:24] I question it and uh it's new
technology.
[55:38] » Well, thank you Mrs. Wikes.
>> Thank you.
[55:42] [applause]
>> Yeah, no questions. Okay. Uh let's just
[55:48] uh let the record reflect that Savon
indicated they had no questions of Miss
[55:52] Wes. Um next interested party on the
registration sheet is Will Statman.
[56:02] » There's one more interested party.
[56:08] » Yes. Hi. Hello again.
>> Please state your name. Spell your last
[56:10] name for the court reporter, please.
>> Will Statman. That's S T A T M.
[56:15] » Mr. Mr. Tman, can you raise your right
hand? Uh, do you solemnly swear or
[56:19] affirm that the testimony you're about
to give will be the truth, the whole
[56:22] truth, and nothing but the truth?
>> I do.
[56:24] » And, uh, your interested party entity
is, uh, Black Dirt Farms LLC, Plano
[56:30] Farms LLC, and Crescent City Land
Company LLC.
[56:34] » Thank you.
>> Uh, so just to say it again, uh, my name
[56:38] is Will Statman. I represent the three
LLC's in question where this project is
[56:43] located. Uh but we're not a big
corporation. We're a family real estate
[56:47] business. There are just a few of us.
And I'm here to share our perspective
[56:51] with you tonight.
Uh for a little background on me, I
[56:56] started my career as an architect before
I got into real estate. And I am a lead
[57:03] accredited professional. I've worked on
many sustainable buildings and I care a
[57:08] lot about the environment and
sustainability
[57:12] and building this solar project will be
a dream come true for me. It's something
[57:16] that I really believe in.
My family bought our first farm north of
[57:21] Plano about 15 years ago, and we have
bought several more adjacent farms in
[57:26] the city and county since then.
Some of the land was approved to be
[57:31] developed into more than 1,600 houses
approximately 20 years ago. But since
[57:37] residential growth has been limited and
no one has shown much interest in
[57:42] developing residential since we bought
the land, we think solar is a better use
[57:46] for many reasons. We agreed to partner
with Savion on this project about seven
[57:52] years ago because we think that utility
scale solar is the highest and best use
[57:57] of our land. We also think it's a good
thing for the city of Plano, the
[58:01] taxpayers, the school district, the
other taxing bodies, and the labor
[58:07] unions.
I've gotten to know Plano over the
[58:11] years, and it's a community that I think
will benefit from the economic activity,
[58:17] jobs, and tax revenue created by the
project.
[58:21] The annexation will expand the city by
more than a thousand acres, which is uh
[58:27] nearly two square miles, which is
incredible. It will invest several
[58:32] hundred million dollars in the city,
create hundreds of well-paying union
[58:36] jobs, and generate tens of millions of
dollars in property taxes. It will be a
[58:42] huge net positive for the city.
I personally want the annexation to
[58:49] happen so the city will get the full
benefits from the project, not just
[58:53] Kendall County.
I have to say it's been really awesome
[58:57] to see so many people from the union
support the project and listening to
[59:02] their personal statements has been
really heartwarming. It makes me happy
[59:06] that we can help them make a good
living. Uh we need to keep creating good
[59:12] jobs for both Illinois and Plano to
prosper.
[59:17] Uh in America now we are currently in
the middle of a new industrial
[59:22] revolution and it's powered by clean
American energy and technology.
[59:29] The Plano Skies Energy Center is an
opportunity for the city to participate
[59:36] in this economy of the future.
The project will diversify the tax base
[59:41] and take pressure off the residential
taxpayers in the city by bringing in
[59:46] commercial property tax dollars. Unlike
new homes, the solar project will not
[59:52] strain the school district and city
services.
[59:58] Uh, from the numbers I've seen, the
Plano School District will get
[1:00:02] approximately $1 million per year from
Plano Skies, or about $35 million over
[1:00:08] the life of the project. This money can
be used to hire more teachers and
[1:00:12] improve the facilities. The project will
be helping students as soon as it is up
[1:00:17] and running. Funding like this makes a
real difference in graduation rates and
[1:00:22] lifetime success for students, and I
know it'll make Plano a better
[1:00:26] community.
When it's built, the solar project will
[1:00:31] be a clean and quiet neighbor. Plano
spent about a year on its solar
[1:00:35] ordinance to make sure the project won't
be loud or pollute the soil. The land
[1:00:40] has been farmed continuously for about
two centuries, and letting the ground
[1:00:45] rest for several decades will actually
be great for the soil's fertility.
[1:00:50] Scientists have extensively tested the
impacts of solar panels on their
[1:00:54] surroundings and have repeatedly
concluded the same thing that there are
[1:01:00] no chemicals from any component of a
solar energy system that will leech into
[1:01:05] the soil. And I really think we should
trust the scientists here.
[1:01:10] Solar is ultimately one of the cleanest
land uses and forms of energy that we
[1:01:15] have.
Personally, I would have no problems
[1:01:18] living next to a solar farm. Uh, this
project has many benefits over housing
[1:01:23] and farming, including using less
pesticides and herbicides, and it won't
[1:01:28] cause more noise or traffic.
I would like you all to keep in mind
[1:01:32] that my family plans to own the land for
the entire life of the project, and we
[1:01:38] wouldn't do solar here if we thought the
land would be harmed or if we thought
[1:01:42] there was a better use.
Over the past four years in
[1:01:47] collaboration with Savon, we have put a
lot of work into mitigating the impacts
[1:01:52] of the project for our tenants and the
neighbors. After listening to community
[1:01:57] feedback, Savon redesigned the project
multiple times. They also listened to my
[1:02:03] concerns as a land owner.
I think the most important change that
[1:02:07] was made to the project was to keep it
entirely north of the existing KMED
[1:02:13] transmission line. While this made the
project a funny shape, it allows us to
[1:02:18] reserve several hundred acres of our
land for future residential expansion if
[1:02:23] the city wants it and if there is market
demand for it.
[1:02:28] We're doing everything we can to reduce
the impact on our tenants. And of the
[1:02:32] five farm houses on our land, no one is
going to have to move for this project,
[1:02:38] which I am very, very proud of. I take
this sort of thing really seriously and
[1:02:43] I don't want to disrupt anyone's life
just for my business.
[1:02:48] I also want to mention that as land
owners, we would prefer not to have any
[1:02:52] BMS. The land drains very well right now
and we don't want to mess up the
[1:02:57] drainage and we don't want 40,000
truckloads of clay coming in from who
[1:03:02] knows where. The small visual difference
just doesn't seem worth the tradeoff.
[1:03:08] Part of why Savon asked for the burm
variance was actually a direct request
[1:03:13] from us.
Uh we really care about the health of
[1:03:17] our land and the ability to return it to
farming in several decades.
[1:03:22] Uh I also know the Rose and Winkles
neighbors to the project uh to the north
[1:03:26] have requested not to have a burm as
well in their application letter.
[1:03:31] Ultimately we want to be the best
neighbors we can. So I look forward to
[1:03:34] working with the city and Savon to
perfect the vegetative screening and
[1:03:39] community benefits to make this as nice
a project as possible for everyone.
[1:03:44] In conclusion, I wouldn't give Savon the
time of day if I didn't think it was a
[1:03:49] great thing for the city, the school
district, the taxpayers, and anyone who
[1:03:54] likes having affordable electricity in
their homes. I want to thank everyone
[1:03:59] with the city and plan commission for
your hard work, and I'm happy to stay at
[1:04:04] the microphone to answer any questions
you all may have. Thank you.
[1:04:10] [applause]
[1:04:18] Commission members, questions for Mr.
Stratman.
[1:04:25] I have a question. Uh, you mentioned
that you want to return the land to
[1:04:32] farming when it's done. Uh but you had
mentioned previously
[1:04:37] 20 years ago you wanted to build 1,600
homes on it.
[1:04:40] » Uh we did not own the land uh 20 years
ago. It was owned by Lakewood and uh
[1:04:46] that was the plan at the time.
>> Okay. Thanks.
[1:04:58] Is all the land
you own all the land in the proposed
[1:05:03] area?
>> Yes. Uh all the land Savon is proposing
[1:05:07] to use is uh in our three LLC's.
>> Thank you.
[1:05:17] » With the with the BMS, could you go a
little more in depth as to your negative
[1:05:22] thoughts? um on the BMS just a little
bit more. Is it you you mentioned clay
[1:05:28] » or could you go a little more in depth
on your stance behind that particularly
[1:05:35] um
the negative opinion of that?
[1:05:40] » Yeah. So, uh like I said, the land
drains really well right now. Uh it's
[1:05:45] generally a north to south drainage and
uh putting berms around uh some of these
[1:05:52] huge parcels could essentially turn it
into a lake uh and it could impact uh
[1:05:58] some of the neighbors. It could uh
contaminate the soil if it eventually
[1:06:04] becomes farming again. um you know
having a burm I don't think is a a very
[1:06:10] big visual difference from just having
good vegetative screening and like I
[1:06:15] said this would be outside soil coming
in and uh the soil that's out there
[1:06:20] right now is really high quality and so
uh we don't want to contaminate it.
[1:06:29] » Was there at any time any other solar
companies that you looked at or have you
[1:06:32] always worked with Savon originally? I
know that's where the petition came
[1:06:36] from, but in previous
>> history, were there any other companies
[1:06:39] that you worked with or was Savian the
one from the beginning? I think you said
[1:06:43] seven seven years ago.
>> So, uh I'm going to estimate that uh we
[1:06:49] had between 300 and 500 different solar
companies reach out to us because this
[1:06:55] is a really good site for solar. Uh
pretty much everyone agrees uh there
[1:07:01] aren't many good sites left for solar
projects and this is a phenomenal site.
[1:07:05] Uh we probably
had
[1:07:09] more intense dialogue with about a dozen
solar firms. Um and uh we decided to
[1:07:17] work with Savon because they were very
reasonable people. Uh they're honest. uh
[1:07:23] they were willing to
uh work with us uh basically to make
[1:07:29] something that was good for everyone.
[1:07:33] » As a land owner, do you have concerns if
Savon was to turn around and sell it and
[1:07:39] you'd be dealing with another developer?
Would you have any personal interest in
[1:07:44] a relationship with a future developer
who purchased the lease?
[1:07:50] Yeah, I like I said, we're planning to
own the land for the life of the project
[1:07:54] and I'll interface with whoever ends up
owning it. Uh I'm not worried about a
[1:08:01] different company hijacking this or
anything like that because there are all
[1:08:05] sorts of rules in place. I mean, AMA is
very strict and also uh we already have
[1:08:11] a a draft lease in place and uh I don't
think anyone's going to pull a fast one.
[1:08:17] think this is pretty tight and
reasonable.
[1:08:24] » Uh just to clarify, why did you have an
end date to the project? Solar panels
[1:08:29] can certainly be upgraded as the years
pass. Uh why an end date to the project
[1:08:35] and why a decommission and what does
that mean in the end of this project for
[1:08:40] you? What is your plan for it after
that?
[1:08:44] » Yeah. So I
I guess the the life of a solar project
[1:08:49] is really a solar industry thing. Uh
it's pretty standard for these things to
[1:08:54] be planned for 30 35 40 years. Um you
know one of the big requirements with
[1:09:01] AMA the agricultural mitigation impact
uh state policy is that uh it's supposed
[1:09:08] to make sure solar doesn't tarnish good
farmland. And in 35 years, if it makes
[1:09:15] sense to resume farming, then that's
what we want to do. And we really think
[1:09:20] the land will be bet in better shape
after this native vegetation has been on
[1:09:25] it for 35 years. I mean, like I said, uh
this land has been farmed for about two
[1:09:30] centuries. And that means uh annual
crops and tons of fertilizers and
[1:09:36] pesticides. and having it essentially
like a wild meadow is going to do really
[1:09:41] good things for the soil. Um, it it's
actually kind of funny and overwhelming
[1:09:47] to me that uh 35 years from now will be
the end of my career and this will be
[1:09:54] something that I I work with before I
retire and Plano in the US will be a
[1:10:01] very different place. Right? 35 years
doesn't seem like a huge number, but it
[1:10:05] it is a lifetime. And I will want to
have a conversation with the city and
[1:10:13] the planners and see what the highest
best and best use of the land is then
[1:10:18] and it may be farming, it may be
housing, it may be something else.
[1:10:25] » I have one more question for you. Uh, do
you live around the area? Do you live on
[1:10:29] this property or where do you live?
>> Uh, I do not. I currently live in
[1:10:32] Boston, Massachusetts.
>> Okay.
[1:10:43] » Commission members, any other questions
for Will
[1:10:53] » Savian.
>> No questions here.
[1:10:59] » Thank you for speaking.
[1:11:04] » [applause]
[1:11:08] » Next individual on an interested party
registration sheet, Andrew Kano.
[1:11:19] » Um, please state and spell your last
name, please.
[1:11:21] » Sure.
>> Andrew, last name is Kano. C A N O.
[1:11:25] » Mr. Kano, can you raise your right hand?
Yep. Do you solemnly swear or affirm
[1:11:29] that the testimony you're about to give
will be the truth, the whole truth, and
[1:11:33] nothing but the truth?
>> Yes.
[1:11:35] » Um, are you an owner of adjacent land to
this uh project, Mr.
[1:11:40] » Right across the street?
>> Yeah. And what is that uh what does that
[1:11:42] address?
>> 15115 Miller Road.
[1:11:45] » Thank you.
>> Okay. So, this question is for the the
[1:11:50] committee. Are you is everybody on the
board or the committee aware of the
[1:11:54] public act 102-1123
that was signed into law by Governor
[1:11:58] Prrisker in 2023?
>> Well versed on that.
[1:12:02] » I have heard about it. If
>> okay
[1:12:05] » if you have any further information
though we would love to hear it.
[1:12:08] » Okay. Well the further information I had
sounds is is this pretty simple and I'm
[1:12:13] going to address everybody out here
because a lot of you don't know. I know
[1:12:17] a lot of we've we've signed the petition
back in I believe 24. Um Little Rock
[1:12:23] Township did basically restricting the
wind and solar fields. Well, this law
[1:12:29] prohibits us from doing it.
Our hands are tied. I don't know if any
[1:12:35] of you know that they are. It's
happening no matter what.
[1:12:40] » Well,
>> not true.
[1:12:41] » Not true. So, that's my biggest thing
with this thing. is nobody. I I get it.
[1:12:48] I'm not against progress.
>> Not to interrupt. Can you write that or
[1:12:52] can you repeat the law really fast? I'd
like to write it down.
[1:12:54] » Public act 102112-1123
[1:12:59] signed into law in 2023 by Governor
Prrisker.
[1:13:02] » One,
>> right? 1123.
[1:13:05] » 1123. I just I I do take notes. I know
sometimes it seems like we are quiet up
[1:13:11] here as a commission. We do take notes
and and do research. So, sorry. Thanks.
[1:13:16] » And and there's there's a subsequent act
to that called the Clean and Reliable
[1:13:20] Grid Act affordability act. That's
public act 104-0458.
[1:13:25] » I have
>> you need to check into that too.
[1:13:27] Basically, what my understanding and
read through it pretty good is the
[1:13:31] elimination of local bands restricting
construction of solar facilities is
[1:13:35] basically what it is. So, our hands are
kind of tied. We can say no, but then
[1:13:39] they're just going to circumvent the
system and do it anyway.
[1:13:43] Okay. So, I can't I don't have any uh
other questions than that. That was what
[1:13:49] I was really wanted to point out to
everybody so that everybody was aware of
[1:13:53] that. I think it's in our best interest
if since that's the situation.
[1:13:58] Everybody's looking at a little
different. I'm for the good of the
[1:14:00] group. I I'm I'm affected by it. It's
going to be right across the street from
[1:14:04] my house. But if the city of Plano and
Little Rock Township can benefit from it
[1:14:09] from a tax standpoint without the state
circling around and I don't know what
[1:14:14] happened with the Menard's thing and
that whole deal, but I don't want to see
[1:14:17] it happen again. So from a tax
standpoint, yeah, it's good. No one
[1:14:22] wants it. But if we don't have any other
choice, kind of makes the decision
[1:14:27] pretty simple if you ask me. I don't
have the ability to directly address Mr.
[1:14:31] strapment. But if you do want to live
across the street from one, I got a spot
[1:14:35] for you.
>> Thank you, [applause]
[1:14:44] » Mr. uh commission. Any questions for Mr.
Kano?
[1:14:52] I am familiar with the law partially. I
will be writing and looking both of
[1:14:57] those up.
um
[1:15:01] and as well as other legal cases going
along the state of Illinois. I know that
[1:15:06] we're not the only community facing
this. We are not the only community, the
[1:15:10] only county. There is a lot of hearsay
of deanexation and going to the county
[1:15:15] and what the county would do and what
our Kendall County, this relies heavily
[1:15:19] on what Kendall County would be doing if
this was to turn away from Plano. I do
[1:15:24] think that that's a very uh important
piece of the puzzle, but I will uh
[1:15:30] we will as a commission be looking those
up uh prior to our discussions um at the
[1:15:36] next step once the public hearing is
closed.
[1:15:40] Savian, any questions for Mr. Kano?
>> No questions.
[1:15:48] » Uh that completes the uh interested
party registration.
[1:16:08] typically we would take a recess. Um,
how this is going to move is this is
[1:16:15] going to go on to a continuation of
public hearing. Uh, location to be
[1:16:21] determined. Um,
date that we're looking at would be
[1:16:26] September
8th.
[1:16:30] Am I correct on that?
>> I believe September 8th is the next
[1:16:33] regularly scheduled plan commission uh
date.
[1:16:37] And how this is going to work is right
now currently we were in the testify
[1:16:42] portion where all interested parties had
the opportunity with a wide latitude to
[1:16:46] be able to speak um their mind and
present data um much like Mr. Bernett
[1:16:51] did that we can um look into and
research and um do our due diligence as
[1:16:58] commission members and public servants
as Mr. Bernett pointed out earlier. So
[1:17:03] now the next step is we will continue
the public hearing and then we'll be
[1:17:07] moving to close it. Once it goes into
close session that does not mean that
[1:17:11] it's closed in private. Um everyone is
still welcome to attend it. They still
[1:17:16] probably I'm assuming I don't have a
confirmation but will be filmed to some
[1:17:19] extent. Um you still will be able to
have public comment. It's just the
[1:17:24] portion of the public hearing where the
interested parties have the right to
[1:17:27] testify and present evidence and
cross-examine will be closed. We'll then
[1:17:31] as a commission go into discussion
openly um asking questions to the
[1:17:36] petitioner, thoughts, gathering all the
information that we've received during
[1:17:40] this public hearing as well as on our
own time. And then we will compile our
[1:17:45] thoughts and publicly discuss and vote
for a positive recommendation or a not
[1:17:51] positive recommendation. That will then
go in writing to city council. Then we
[1:17:55] will restart some of the same process
without the public hearing portion, but
[1:17:58] the city council and alderman will have
their own set of questions, their own
[1:18:02] parameters that they're looking into.
Um, but they will be moving forward with
[1:18:06] our written recommendation. However,
that so goes in the next couple
[1:18:11] meetings. We have been doing every first
and third Monday um while Savian was
[1:18:18] presenting just because it was a lot of
information and to give them uh some
[1:18:21] time to get all through all of that.
Otherwise, we would be here for another
[1:18:24] year. So, we did speed up the process.
We now will be moving this public
[1:18:28] hearing to our regular scheduled
meetings, which are the first Mondays of
[1:18:32] every month. Because it's a holiday and
it's Labor Day, we'll be doing it Monday
[1:18:37] or I'm sorry, Tuesday,
September 8th from 6 to 9 preferably.
[1:18:44] And location to be determined. Um, we
have not secured this location as of
[1:18:49] yet. Um, so we are looking into some
other venues. Um, city hall is always an
[1:18:54] option, but uh, due to the amount of
people that come to these, we would like
[1:18:58] to have a place where everyone can sit
comfortably and be able to hear and
[1:19:02] listen. I don't want anyone leaving
feeling that they were shunned or
[1:19:05] didn't, you know, hear what was going
on. So, with that being said, just so
[1:19:10] everyone's aware of how this is going to
be moving through the chains um, of uh,
[1:19:16] politics here. So, we will be making a
motion to continue the public hearing,
[1:19:20] which will then be continued on to
September 8th. So, I would need a motion
[1:19:25] to continue the public hearing.
>> I'll make a motion to continue to the
[1:19:29] public hearing on September 8th at 6:00
p.m.
[1:19:34] » Location to be determined.
>> Location to be determined.
[1:19:36] » And I would need uh I need a motion by
Mr. Router. I need a second.
[1:19:41] » Second.
>> Seconded by Mr. Roderick. Discussion.
[1:19:44] Everyone's good with that?
Then we need a roll call.
[1:19:50] » Roder,
>> yes.
[1:19:53] » Rodri,
>> yes.
[1:19:55] » Brauml,
>> yes.
[1:19:57] » Carter,
>> yes.
[1:19:59] » Riddle,
>> yes.
[1:20:02] » Motion carries. So, our public hearing
will be continued. Now, I usually
[1:20:05] typically take a recess. Um, my
commission members seem to say, let's
[1:20:10] keep moving forward. So, at this point,
unless anyone else needs a recess up
[1:20:16] here or we can move right into public
comment.
[1:20:21] » Good. You good, Bill?
>> Yep.
[1:20:24] [laughter]
>> Uh, then we will just move right into
[1:20:27] public comment. Um, I'm going to read a
little policy here and rules in place
[1:20:31] that we have for public comment. If
you've been lucky enough to spend every
[1:20:36] first and third Monday, you have
definitely heard these a few times. But
[1:20:40] for any new people wishing to speak
tonight, I will be reading the policy.
[1:20:45] Persons wishing to speak tonight may do
so after being recognized for that
[1:20:48] purpose by the chairperson. Only one
person may address the plan commission
[1:20:51] at a time. Comments will be limited to
three minutes per person and no longer
[1:20:55] for 30 minutes in total. We'll be using
a running clock located over here on my
[1:21:00] right so that speakers can see how much
time they have remaining to speak. I'll
[1:21:04] be asking you at the end of three
minutes to please wrap up your last
[1:21:07] sentence and finish. Any person's unused
time may not be traded, utilized, or
[1:21:11] added to another person's comment time.
In other words, you may not yield time
[1:21:15] in order to talk longer. The plan
commission at any time without creating
[1:21:19] precedent can expand the numbers of
those permitted to speak. Meaning, if we
[1:21:23] have a lot of public comment, I have no
problem going past the 30 minutes. Um,
[1:21:28] I'm not going to cut speakers off. I
would like everyone to have the
[1:21:31] opportunity to speak if if possible.
Persons addressing the plan commission
[1:21:36] shall identify themselves for the record
and the plan commission and members of
[1:21:40] the public also attending the meeting.
Persons addressing the plan commission
[1:21:44] will offer comments in a courteous and
professional manner and refrain from
[1:21:48] using inappropriate or offensive
language. The plan commission will not
[1:21:52] respond or engage in debate or
discussion relating to the comments
[1:21:55] offered. The public comment period is
intended to let members of the public
[1:22:00] have an opportunity to express their
views to the plan commission and the
[1:22:04] plan commission takes all those comments
by its speakers under its advisement.
[1:22:08] Meaning that if you were to ask a
question or engage in dialogue um that's
[1:22:14] really you know we you might not get an
answer but we are taking notes. We're
[1:22:18] always taking into account what
everybody is saying. So I want everyone
[1:22:20] to feel that they have the right to
speak.
[1:22:25] If you have signed up tonight to speak
and you did not get a chance to talk
[1:22:28] tonight, then we'll keep your name on
the list in the order that it was
[1:22:31] written and you'll have an opportunity
to speak at the next meeting, which
[1:22:34] would be September 8th, if you wish to
do so. In the event that you are on the
[1:22:38] list and cannot attend the next meeting,
then you would need to resign up and
[1:22:42] speak at the next meeting that you can
attend.
[1:22:45] With that being said, I will uh let our
Mr. Thomas appoint the first speaker.
[1:22:52] Uh, first person on the public comment
signup sheet is Karen Henry.
[1:22:59] » Also, just as a chair note, I really
don't like to cut people off. I really
[1:23:04] try not to do that. Um,
we everyone has been very very well and
[1:23:10] good at keeping it within the three
minutes. I have to do that not because I
[1:23:14] don't want to hear what everyone has to
say. It's just an order and a structure
[1:23:20] thing and to be fair to both sides of
the fence and both people talking at the
[1:23:25] microphone. So just if I do do that, it
is only because I have to follow rules,
[1:23:29] not because I personally don't want to
hear anyone speaking. So just as a
[1:23:32] disclaimer before we start, I ran into
that a little bit last meeting where I
[1:23:36] felt um compelled to cut someone off
from speaking and I really don't like to
[1:23:40] do that. So just as a heads up. All
right. Uh first up, Mrs. Henry.
[1:23:46] » Okay. I'd just like to start off with uh
reading an article that appeared in the
[1:23:51] Sandwich Fair newspaper.
Illinois agriculture is more than crops
[1:23:56] and livestock. It's a heartbeat for
local economies, powering a vast network
[1:24:02] of businesses across the state. Farming
and related sectors account for roughly
[1:24:08] 13% of the state's GDP,
adding up to $120 billion dollar
[1:24:15] annually.
and support over 400,000 jobs from feed
[1:24:19] mills to processing plants, logistics
providers and equipment dealers.
[1:24:26] Agriculture supports nearly 6% of all
jobs in Illinois, over 480,000
[1:24:33] positions, including more than 2,600
food manufacturing companies and
[1:24:39] thousands of specialty crop farms.
transforming harvest into products that
[1:24:45] reach tables across the nation.
Every time a tractor rolls into a feed
[1:24:50] store, a grain truck heads for the
elevator, or a barn uses local services,
[1:24:55] it's another farm friendly business
riding the wave of the harvest. And
[1:25:00] that's the kind of community strength
that keeps Illinois strong generation
[1:25:04] after generation.
Now I would like to bring your attention
[1:25:10] to a couple things that are being
overlooked when considering the Plano
[1:25:14] skies project and that is the
Constitution and the law. You have heard
[1:25:19] testimony from Mike Bernett, an
interested party that explains how the
[1:25:24] Little Rock Township Ordinance of 2025
was enacted by the people according to
[1:25:29] the Constitution. The Illinois
Constitution of 1870, Article 4, Section
[1:25:34] 22, prohibits the General Assembly from
interfering in township affairs. This is
[1:25:40] critically important because the county
is then directly immunable to the people
[1:25:45] through their township supervisors and
the people can enact local law at the
[1:25:49] township meeting.
The Little Rock Township Board is to uh
[1:25:54] is directed to enforce our local
ordinance through all lawful and legal
[1:25:59] means.
The citizens of Little Rock Township
[1:26:02] does not want Plano skies here. You do
not have any granted power in the
[1:26:08] Constitution to give corporate
privileges that trespass the people's
[1:26:12] right and property. Enforce the law the
people have already made. If you ignore
[1:26:17] it and act on your own, you step outside
immunity and become privately exposed.
[1:26:22] The Plato City Council swore an oath to
the Constitution and the people which
[1:26:26] created it, not the solar companies.
Thank you for your time.
[1:26:33] [applause]
[1:26:37] Uh, next is Ed Culture.
[1:26:46] Thank you. Do I need to spell my name?
Yeah. K U L C H A.
[1:26:57] I just wanted to start by saying thank
you to the board and the petitioner. Um
[1:27:02] been here for the whole process and I
think it's been handled with uh
[1:27:06] thoroughess, inclusion and patience and
I wish more things were handled in such
[1:27:11] a way and that's not rushed. So thank
you.
[1:27:15] Um just want to say myself and my
colleagues have been here throughout
[1:27:18] this uh process and we've highlighted
many of the benefits of this project
[1:27:23] including to the local economy, the
workers and their families uh the
[1:27:27] environment and tax benefits. I'm not
going to rehash all that stuff, but just
[1:27:32] to say for the for the people that uh
are here that aren't happy that I'm
[1:27:36] here. I just want you to know that we're
some of the guys that are getting the
[1:27:40] calls from people that have been out of
work for a couple months and are don't
[1:27:43] want to lose their houses and are having
hard time feeding their families. So,
[1:27:46] that's the reason we fight so hard for
stuff like this. [snorts]
[1:27:50] Uh just quickly finish up by saying
um
[1:27:56] I mean so on behalf of myself, my
colleagues, the tens of thousands of
[1:27:59] hardworking union laborers we have the
honor to represent, all the other union
[1:28:03] workers, including operators and
electricians, and the families of these
[1:28:06] workers that will greatly benefit from
this project. Uh we wholeheartedly
[1:28:10] support it and urge you to vote yes and
not miss this opportunity. Thank you.
[1:28:17] » [applause]
[1:28:20] » Next is John Wikes.
[1:28:27] » Mike Bernett.
[1:28:38] I'll keep it very brief this time. Um,
my name is Mike Bernett.
[1:28:45] So sworn, all that good stuff. Someone
just stood up here and said that uh
[1:28:49] there's nothing in the panels that's
going to leech into the soil and we
[1:28:52] should trust the science.
I don't know. In 1950, the science was
[1:28:56] that radium was okay to put into
breakfast cereal toys.
[1:29:01] Um mercuric chrome was put all over our
kids because it was the science.
[1:29:07] The science was nine out of 10 doctors
recommended Marorrow.
[1:29:12] And now the science was get your
vaccine. CO's a thing. Wear a mask. I
[1:29:19] think we've all figured out that the
science is bought and paid for.
[1:29:24] [applause]
[1:29:30] » Next up is Chris Wikes.
[1:29:35] » Dennis Statman.
[1:29:42] Chris Chilris.
[1:29:51] » Hi, thanks again for your time. Uh just
here really to echo Mr. Cono's uh
[1:29:58] statement.
Again, you guys have done a great job
[1:30:01] here. Everyone's voice has been heard
and uh you know, I think that's a good
[1:30:05] thing. What concerns me here, and it
really concerns me, is the state of
[1:30:11] Illinois has taken some of the rights
away of the people of the city of Plano
[1:30:17] in the area.
They've said that if the project meets
[1:30:21] the state standard, it will be built and
can be built. And I know I'm h so happy
[1:30:27] to hear you guys are going to look into
that.
[1:30:30] The choice before you tonight, it is it
it is a tough one, but acting in the
[1:30:35] best interest of the residents of Plano
on whether solar can be built or not has
[1:30:40] already been decided by the state of
Illinois.
[1:30:43] If you vote to approve the Plano skies
project, you keep control, and that's
[1:30:48] really the most important thing. They've
taken your control, but if you keep it
[1:30:52] here, you keep some of that control.
You secure the financial commitments in
[1:30:57] the form of a community benefits
agreement. You expand the physical
[1:31:02] footprint of the city by over a thousand
acres. You create and support union
[1:31:06] jobs. You bring in approximately $52
million of additional tax revenue. A lot
[1:31:12] of it which stays in the city, most of
it, of course, we know goes to the
[1:31:16] schools. Or you can say no. But it's
important to understand what happens if
[1:31:21] you say no. A no vote doesn't stop it.
Under the Illinois law, the project goes
[1:31:27] to the county where the county's
authority is limited. Yours is not. The
[1:31:33] project meets the state requirements and
as a result, the county must approve it.
[1:31:36] The project
that's been tested in Will County and
[1:31:41] it's been tested in Grundy County. Both
of which the court said the state rights
[1:31:46] and the state's law is upheld.
When that happened, Plano loses control.
[1:31:52] It loses a seat at the table. It loses
the opportunity to negotiate the project
[1:31:58] with specific requirements. Plano loses
a community benefits agreement. The
[1:32:03] city's share of the project revenue goes
away.
[1:32:07] You could lose part of your city.
Plano's ability to shape the project
[1:32:13] goes away. And that's a big concern. I
would want control, and I would hope
[1:32:17] these residents would want control. They
may not want a solar project, but let's
[1:32:21] keep the control here. They're going to
invest about $350 million in this
[1:32:26] project.
And to talk about how they've changed
[1:32:30] and how the project has changed, it has
changed. The project's changed because
[1:32:35] they heard you didn't want battery, they
removed it. They heard you didn't want a
[1:32:40] data center, they removed it. They heard
you wanted it moved away from the
[1:32:44] residents, they shrunk the project.
That's local control working exactly the
[1:32:50] way it ought to work. So my ask is
simple. Keep control, keep Plano in
[1:32:56] control of this project. Keep the tax
revenue, the community benefits, keep
[1:33:01] the union jobs, and approve Plano skies
so you guys remain in control. Thank you
[1:33:06] very much. Appreciate it. [applause]
[1:33:12] » Next up is Cameron Mueller.
[1:33:30] I'm sorry.
[1:33:42] Good evening, council. And again, thank
you for listening to everybody from both
[1:33:47] sides.
I'd like to start by saying that I am
[1:33:51] not against solar. Uh I think it is a
great and amazing alternative energy for
[1:33:56] individuals and small businesses. I am
against large national corporations
[1:34:02] using green energy as the new age land
grab and quick cash cow. In most of
[1:34:08] these meetings, Savon or their
representatives had have had to repeat
[1:34:13] over and over again if Savon is still
the owner. I take that language as
[1:34:19] meaning there are pl they are planning
to take what they can from the land and
[1:34:24] will give us back nothing or the bare
minimum to the people or of this
[1:34:29] community.
Uh, no one that has spoken in the
[1:34:34] positive for this project lives in our
community or our town.
[1:34:40] Uh,
uh, and they will not have to live here
[1:34:44] to see the consequences or repercussions
of replacing 1500 acres of the best
[1:34:50] farmland in the world with a field of
corporate greed that is built out of
[1:34:57] steel and glass. and the future growth
uh and prosperity of our town with no
[1:35:04] hope of reclaiming it uh any bit of
seeing that or reclaiming it or seeing
[1:35:10] any of that future ever again.
[1:35:16] As stated earlier tonight, there is a
new industrial revolution in which very
[1:35:22] ultra rich wealthy millionaire land
owners and individual or industrial
[1:35:27] corporations owned by Shell Oil get to
dictate and shape the future of Plano
[1:35:33] for the next 35 years.
In summation, I would like to ask the
[1:35:38] council this question. Is what little
Savon has promised with this solar field
[1:35:44] enough? Or is the future and prosperity
of our town worth much much more than
[1:35:51] what is offered? Thank you.
[applause]
[1:36:01] Nicole Diaz,
[1:36:06] » Lydia Simra,
[1:36:16] » do you need me to do you need me to
spell that for you? S I M R A Y H.
[1:36:22] Um, give me one second. Uh, good evening
members of the commission. My name is
[1:36:27] Lydia Simray and I'm here on behalf of
the Indiana Illinois Iowa Foundation for
[1:36:31] Affair Contracting. Um, more commonly
known as the Triple I FFC.
[1:36:36] We are a labor management cooperation
committee that works to promote
[1:36:41] responsible contracting practices, fair
competition, and high quality
[1:36:45] construction throughout Illinois,
Indiana, and Iowa. And I'm here tonight
[1:36:50] in support of the proposed Plano Sky
Solar Project. From the triple I FFC's
[1:36:55] perspective, this project represents the
kind of economic development that can
[1:36:59] benefit both the local community and the
broader region. Utility scale solar
[1:37:04] facilities require significant
investment, extensive site preparation,
[1:37:09] and a skilled construction workforce.
That means jobs for construction
[1:37:14] workers, opportunities for contractors
and suppliers, and economic activity
[1:37:19] that extend that extends well beyond the
project site itself.
[1:37:23] When projects of this size move forward,
the benefits ripple throughout the local
[1:37:27] economy. Construction workers spend
money at local restaurants, gas
[1:37:31] stations, grocery stores, and small
businesses. Contractors purchase
[1:37:36] materials, equipment, fuel, and
services. Hotels, trucking companies,
[1:37:41] and equipment dealers all see increased
activity. These are tangible economic
[1:37:46] benefits that communities experience
during construction.
[1:37:50] Equally important is how these projects
are built. The triple I FFC supports
[1:37:54] development that is performed by skilled
workers, responsible contractors, and
[1:37:58] companies that invest in workforce
training. Illinois has one of the most
[1:38:02] highly trained construction workforces
in the country, supported by registered
[1:38:06] apprentichip programs that prepare
workers to safely and efficiently
[1:38:10] complete complex infrastructure
projects. Those training programs ensure
[1:38:14] that projects are completed to a high
standard while creating career pathways
[1:38:18] for the next generation of construction
professionals.
[1:38:22] As demand for energy infrastructure
continues to grow, projects like Plano
[1:38:26] Skies provide an opportunity to put
those skills to work while helping meet
[1:38:30] Illinois's future energy needs. The
question before the commission is not
[1:38:34] simply whether solar energy should play
a role in our state's future. It's
[1:38:38] whether the community should participate
in the investment, jobs, and economic
[1:38:41] activity associated with that growth. We
believe the answer is yes. The FFC also
[1:38:47] believes economic development and strong
labor standards are not competing
[1:38:50] interests. In fact, they work best
together. Communities benefit when
[1:38:54] projects are built safely. Workers are
properly trained and compensated, and
[1:38:59] contractors comp compete on quality and
performance rather than cutting corners.
[1:39:04] The Plano Sky Solar Project offers an
opportunity to advance those goals while
[1:39:08] bringing meaningful construction
investment to the county. For those
[1:39:13] reasons, we respectfully encourage the
commission to approve this project.
[1:39:17] Thank you for your time and
consideration and I appreciate the
[1:39:20] opportunity to be able to speak this
evening.
[1:39:24] [applause]
>> Thank you.
[1:39:28] » Joel Pile.
[1:39:38] This will be short because I lost my
speech somehow. Uh but um first of all
[1:39:43] uh my name is Joe Pile. I represent the
IBW and the electrical workers that live
[1:39:48] here in Plano and Kendall County. Um,
and I know we have had a member or two
[1:39:55] that have spoken that live here in the
town as well on behalf of this project.
[1:40:01] I want to thank the planning commission
for your hard work. You've done a good
[1:40:05] job uh keeping this this uh um group
together and listening to everybody's
[1:40:11] thoughts and comments. Um, I know that's
hard sometimes because I sit on a
[1:40:16] planning commission in a town just down
the road.
[1:40:21] Um, as far as Savon goes, Savon has has
been working on this thing since at
[1:40:27] least 2023 when I first got involved.
Um, it has changed a few times. I
[1:40:33] believe they're trying to do what's
right and best for its neighbors, trying
[1:40:38] to be a good neighbor. I think they've,
um, done a good job with that. I know
[1:40:43] not everybody likes that. Um, you know,
and we and we hear that nobody likes it,
[1:40:49] but Plano is bigger than the uh um 50
people here in the room. Um same 50
[1:40:57] people that's been here for about five
meetings. And I know that cuz I've been
[1:41:01] here for five meetings in this in this
auditorium here. And I just want to say
[1:41:06] this is a good project. Savon has done
their due diligence. They've reached out
[1:41:11] to the building trades. Um they're going
to do do it with the building trades. If
[1:41:15] this project gets approved
um all over the state Illinois, these
[1:41:19] jobs are being done from out of state uh
developers and they bring in out of
[1:41:24] state workers that work here, leave and
spend their money back at home,
[1:41:30] different states all over the country. I
I know that because we track all of
[1:41:34] these and and it's going on everywhere.
They've made a promise to the building
[1:41:39] trades, me, IBW, my brothers, and the
laborers and the 150 operators behind
[1:41:44] me. Um, they've made a promise to us
that they're going to do it the right
[1:41:48] way. And with union labor, we employ
people from this town. We employ we we
[1:41:54] bring into our apprenticeships kids from
these towns. We do we do um craft fairs
[1:41:59] and all kinds of things. We do them
right here in this school, you know, to
[1:42:03] try and promote the building trades and
try to try to get these kids and in the
[1:42:07] trades and and and working and making a
good living. But I want to thank you all
[1:42:12] for for listening to me. I thank you all
for your time. Do the right thing. Pass
[1:42:17] this pass this to the city city board
and let them make the decision and
[1:42:22] hopefully that'll be to build this the
Plano skies project. Thank you.
[1:42:27] [applause]
>> Thank you.
[1:42:31] Herb Walton,
[1:42:43] RJ Pollock.
[1:43:09] My name is R.J. Pollock. Um, I live on
Sweetbrier right on the corner.
[1:43:16] I moved in in 2009. drove right down
that street on uh Big Rock Boulevard,
[1:43:22] past that big empty field, and see off
to the west the setting sun as I came
[1:43:27] out to examine what might be my new
home.
[1:43:34] It pains me to think about this,
in my opinion, monstrosity that's going
[1:43:39] to be built just north of my home. Don't
want it. Don't need it. Not a fan of
[1:43:46] solar.
But I have sat here through these
[1:43:50] meetings and listened to all the
testimony.
[1:43:53] My background from college is community
and regional planning. I have a BS
[1:43:59] bachelor of science in that.
So this whole operation has intrigued me
[1:44:04] greatly because it's an opportunity to
kind of practice my craft. And thank
[1:44:09] goodness I found something else to do um
when I graduated just before just after
[1:44:14] 911 because I don't have to sit in the
seat that you're in up there and make
[1:44:19] these kind of decisions.
[1:44:23] I started doing some research trying to
figure out
[1:44:27] how can I find out how horrible this
company is that's trying to build this
[1:44:30] solar farm so I can put an end to it.
And I couldn't find much.
[1:44:35] Unfortunately, it seems like they're
fairly reputable company by their
[1:44:39] reputation.
I've listened to
[1:44:44] testimony about things that happened in
1870.
[1:44:48] All I can say is if you have the will,
take it all the way to the end. If you
[1:44:54] have the will to do it, take it where it
can go.
[1:44:58] » [applause]
[1:45:00] » But please don't make any rules about
banning alcohol or dancing or anything
[1:45:04] else like that
because if you have that kind of power,
[1:45:08] I feel like that's a little bit
dangerous.
[1:45:12] Um,
[1:45:15] I have greater concerns about what
happens after this.
[1:45:20] I get the sense that this is already
bought and paid for. I think it's
[1:45:24] happening whether I like it or not. I
think we're checking boxes sitting in
[1:45:29] these meetings. I'd like to think that
that's not the case, but I think that's
[1:45:33] what's true.
Um,
[1:45:39] I look at the land that's to the north
of me and I looked at the comprehensive
[1:45:42] plan from a couple years ago. It was
approved on 2025, August 11th, my
[1:45:48] birthday.
And there's nothing but residential
[1:45:51] houses as far as the eye can see. House
farms. I've built a lot of them.
[1:45:59] There's two options moving forward as
far as how they're going to develop that
[1:46:02] land. It's either going to be this solar
farm, which based on my research isn't
[1:46:06] going to do a whole heck of a lot other
than put this land in sustainable stasis
[1:46:10] for the next 30 years or so. But I don't
want anything horrible immediately north
[1:46:15] of me. So, I hope you guys have a plan.
I hope this fits in some kind of plan
[1:46:22] because right now I don't see one and
that worries me.
[1:46:26] » Sorry I went over time. Thank you.
[1:46:31] » Thank you.
>> And that concludes those signed up.
[1:46:36] » There's at least one more person that
wants to talk.
[1:46:40] » Was there another individual? Mr. Wikes.
Sure. Mr. Wes and
[1:46:50] Well, I appreciate what Mike and uh our
uh township representative had to say
[1:46:56] tonight and uh I would say uh let Plano
take a stand with us and let's take this
[1:47:04] thing all the way to Pritchard
because I don't like the state running
[1:47:09] my life
and uh I don't uh
[1:47:14] uh like I said, "I I can't see taking
such good land and doing this with it."
[1:47:21] And I don't want to beat beat beat that
to death, but uh I'm glad Mike I thought
[1:47:26] he did a good job explaining this. And
uh uh we need to keep moving forward
[1:47:32] with it and uh we don't want to be run
by Springfield.
[1:47:39] [applause]
[1:47:42] Was there another individual raised
their hand like to make public comment?
[1:47:45] Sure. Come on.
[1:47:52] » And just so I could add this to the
list, please, could you uh restate your
[1:47:56] name?
>> It's Jonathan Henderson.
[1:47:58] » Thank you.
>> Um I'll make this one more brief than
[1:48:02] before, but
I know the commission has said, you
[1:48:06] know, they don't want people leaving it
with questions and be able to be heard.
[1:48:09] So, I just wanted to clarify some things
that some people made mention of tonight
[1:48:13] just so everybody's kind of clear on the
subject.
[1:48:16] A portion what I read earlier, um the
Black's Law definition, which for those
[1:48:22] that don't know is the undisputed gold
standard of law dictionaries, it's
[1:48:26] what's most cited worldwide for law.
says, "The Constitution and American
[1:48:32] laws, the written instrument agreed upon
by the people of the Union or a
[1:48:35] particular state as the absolute rule of
action and decision for all departments
[1:48:40] and officers of the government in
respect to all the points covered by it.
[1:48:44] I know there's been mention of a couple
statutes and acts that were passed in
[1:48:48] 2023.
Um, please feel free to go look at those
[1:48:53] if you'd like, but those bow at the feet
of the Constitution."
[1:48:57] There's a landmark case of Marberry vers
Madison from 1803. It's wildly cited all
[1:49:02] over because there's a lot of gems in
it. But at the conclusion of that, Chief
[1:49:07] Justice John Marshall wrote that a law
repugnant to the Constitution is void.
[1:49:11] He asserted that any statute conflicting
with the Constitution is invalid and
[1:49:15] lacks legal authority. So all those
statutes and acts that may have been
[1:49:18] passed by the state, the general
assembly, they have no authority. The
[1:49:22] Constitution holds all and it was
created by the people. Thank you.
[1:49:28] [applause]
[1:49:34] » I think that exhausts the list of the
people signed up for public comment.
[1:49:40] Thank you everyone for coming tonight.
We will be I have repeated that but I
[1:49:46] will repeat it again just so everyone's
aware. Uh location to be determined
[1:49:50] September 8th after uh the Labor Day
holiday which is a Tuesday. Um
[1:49:56] the city offices will be closed on
Monday so that uh officially makes our
[1:50:00] meetings on Tuesday. Location to be
determined. Um we will make sure that
[1:50:04] that is posted so that everyone knows
where and we will keep the time at 6 pm.
[1:50:10] Members comments. Anyone here wishing to
state anything as a commission?
[1:50:20] I will just briefly uh I'd just like to
thank everybody for coming to this uh
[1:50:25] the it's not just the commission up
here. It's the township and uh the
[1:50:30] people of this city that really bring
value to this and allow us to make a a
[1:50:34] comprehensive decision on this. So I
just want to thank everybody for your
[1:50:38] time the last five meetings. It's it's
been a good
[1:50:42] u amount of information for us to digest
and for us to continue to to ask in in
[1:50:48] subsequent meetings here. So, thank you
all very much.
[1:50:57] » I second that. Um, with that being said,
I would need a motion to adjourn.
[1:51:05] » Make a motion we adjourn the meeting.
>> Motion by Ed Carter. I need a second.
[1:51:13] » Second.
>> Seconded by Mr. Riddle. Roll call vote.
[1:51:18] Carter,
>> yes.
[1:51:19] » Riddle,
>> yes.
[1:51:21] » Braum,
>> yes.
[1:51:25] » Uh, Router,
>> yes.
[1:51:27] » Rodri,
>> yes.
[1:51:29] » Motion carries. Meeting adjourned till
September 8th.
[1:51:34] » Thank you everyone for coming tonight.