Open Letter to Crawford County Commissioners:
Many residents agree the proposed Honey Creek wind project would be a massive transformation of our rural county to a heavy industrial district, not worth the $65 a year per person it would bring in tax revenue, with no increase for inflation over 30 years.
Industrial areas are not pleasant places to live for many reasons. By making the area less desirable to live in, common sense dictates a negative impact on residential property values.
Large industrial construction always requires governmental approval and wind projects are no different. Statements like “it’s my land and I can build anything I want” simply do not apply to such projects. County Commissioners have ONE chance to reject such projects or allow them to move to the next step for State approval.
To date you have expressed no intention of consulting the voters about how to proceed, something Ohio law gives you a clear path to do. It would start by the Commissioners declaring all or part of the County as an exclusion zone, meaning no industrial wind project could be built there. County voters can then collect signatures to put that decision to a referendum vote at the next election.
The results of that vote would reveal the true feelings of county voters. Wind projects would be either stopped if the decision was upheld, or allowed to proceed if the majority votes to overturn it. Commissioners are elected to implement the wishes of the electorate to the extent the law allows. On this important issue everyone must have a meaningful voice.
Commissioners, will you let the citizens decide?
If you don’t then everyone will forever wonder why you didn’t. If the decision is left to a state agency it will not be made with the best interests of Crawford citizens in mind. Let’s get this right. If you didn’t know how to handle it before, you do now. It is in the best interests of everyone to get a clear consensus decision soon.
We are all watching. Time is a wasting!
Concerned,
Kay Weisenauer
Crawford County Citizens
Bloomville
