By: James Wyman – wspynews.com
The Kendall County Board voted unanimously at Tuesday’s meeting to move forward with a request for quotations from contractors interested in building a solar array west of the Kendall County Courthouse.
The State of Illinois is giving grants to counties and municipalities that move toward solar power, and a third party would erect the solar array on county land and then sell the electricity back to the county at a 20 to 30% discount.
Progressive Energy is an energy broker who will assist the county in the solar energy project.
Progressive’s Chris Childress explained to county board members that there are many governmental units seeking the grant money.
Kendall County Board member Audra Hendrix spoke in favor of the installation of the solar array.
Childress said that he will be back on February 6th with bids for the solar array from the third-party contractor.
In other business at Tuesday’s meeting, the Kendall County Board approved eleven levies, the largest being the levy for the county’s General Fund at just over $11 million.
The county board also approved by a 8 to 1 vote the collective bargaining agreement between the county and the Sheriff’s Department’s 44 patrol deputies.
Board member John Purcell voted “no,” citing problems with the insurance provision in the contract.
The four-year deal for patrol deputies is retroactive to December 1 of 2015, and the contract was explained by Assistant State’s Attorney Leslie Johnson.
The county board was also supposed to approve the Sheriff’s Department’s patrol sergeants four-year contract; however Johnson said that contract was not yet ready.