Minutes from the September 21, 2026 Bates County Commission meetingThe Bates County Commission met with Presiding Commissioner Jim Wheatley, Northern Commissioner John Gray and Southern Commissioner Trent Nelson present.
Chris Gach, Chad Anderson and Brent Bettels joined the NextEra Solar meeting. John Salazar and Alan Anderson came to meet with the Commission, introduce themselves and answer any questions the Commission may have.
John Gray asked what plans they had for Bates County. Jon Salazar explained that they are building Solar Plus Storage and how this will bring in jobs, tax revenue and planned on having a lot of community involvement. Jon Salazar then stated that they are still determining the size of the project when John Gray asked how big they planned on going. Jon Salazar estimated that they have 3,000 acres and are potentially looking for more.
John Gray asked if they had been keeping up with Clearway, but there was no definite answer. Alan answered by asking how the process went for the Commission and if they had anything they felt Jon Salazar needed to know. Jim explained to him that the Commission did not make it easy for Clearway and informed Jon Salazar and Alan Anderson that they would not be cheap or easy for NextEra, either. Jim stated that, if before the end of the year, he will do what he feels protects the county. He then informed them that there would be a new Commissioner at the beginning of the year, and then Trent and John and that new individual would be the ones fighting for the County.
John asked if they would connect to Clearway Substation or if they would be their own. Jon Salazar and Alan confirmed that they will need their own.
Jon Salazar stated that he had spoken with Shane, Mayor of Amsterdam, and said that he would be there for the Amsterdam Jubilee.
John Gray asked if they had a projected time that they would start but they said that it was to be determined.
Jim stated that they will have to renegotiate the documents that were signed and agreed upon due to NextEra expanding and told them to get with GiImoreBell and MarksNelson and get those redone.
Jim asked about the locations of the Solar Plus Storage and where they will butt up to, but they said they are to be determined. Jim then asked if they were going to be selling to Evergy but they said that was also to be determined.
Chad asked where their closest Solar Farm was located but they were unsure, due to being unfamiliar with the surrounding areas, and said they would gather that information and report back. Chad then, very clearly, asked if they had any plans on building a Data Center in Bates County. Jon Salazar and Alan, very confidently, confirmed that they are NOT building a Data Center. Chad then asked about the debris of the material and the toxins. Alan explained that they have nothing toxic within them, so when they break they are not leaking anything toxic into the ground. He then went on to explain that if there was a case where a storm tears things up and breaks a panel, they must remove the panel within a timely manner.
Chad asked why these panels are never put on buildings, to which Alan explained that they would not be close enough to a substation that gets the electricity to the grid. Therefore, the mounted panels on the top of a building would only be able to supply that specific building with electricity.
John Gray then spoke over the demand for setbacks with Clearway. Alan then spoke over the low chances of seeing the panels due to it not being a big visual. He mentioned that there is sound, but they can be designed in so many ways. Jon Salazar then spoke about the traffic during construction, and the public really seeing a difference, but when construction is over, they won’t notice it much.
John Gray then told them to give the Commission more information on where they already have something set up, he was more than willing to make the drive and see the project live.
Chad asked about how many people this was going to bring to Bates County, to which he was answered with an estimate of 200. Chad then informed him that he would be the Law Enforcement Response that would respond to anything in this location. He also asked them what training they had for their personal Emergency Responders and asked NextEra not to leave out the Bates County Sheriff’s Office like last time, as they have experience and training.
Alan explained that they had just stopped in to reintroduce themselves and to touch base with a “restart.”
Jim stated that the more they come around, have complete transparency and stay involved, the more support they will have. Alan then asked if there were any recommendations for what they can do to achieve these things, such as hold town meetings etc. Jim then told him that the meetings that Clearway held with the Communities were 50% effective.
John Gray then stated that he felt Clearway was upfront and helpful. He also mentioned that he felt that the Commission had to repeat themselves a lot, due to people not hearing what they wanted. He then went on to say that the Commission is not going to settle for any amount, like other counties. He feels as if the Commission did well negotiating with Clearway, but now that he is more knowledgeable about the situation, he would be harder on some things.
Trent agreed, saying they do have more knowledge now and can advocate for the County better.
Brent then spoke about Ryan, another individual with NextEra, and his ability to be transparent. Brent encouraged Jon Salazar and Alan to keep that up, as it also helps the Commission. Jon Salazar stated that he was happy to hear the information about Ryan and mentioned that Ryan would also be attending the Amsterdam Jubilee.
Chad asked if they were doing Chapter 100 Bonds for this project as well. John Gray stated they would be. Everyone then spoke about how Chapter 100 Bonds are better for the County, and Brent added that it also helps the company as well. Chad then spoke on the verbiage in the Bonds and wondered about Law Enforcement and Emergency Responder funds.
Chris brought up all the workers that will be coming to Bates County and felt like they should go through a check for registered sex offenses. Chad agreed and stated that he didn’t think about it when Clearway came through.
Brent Bettels, Homer Township, stayed after the Solar meeting, as well as Chris Gach, and asked the Commission about the Road Use Agreement with Swan (aka. Clearway) Solar. He presented the Road Use Memorandum and asked about the survey that was done and their role within the Memorandum. Brent felt like they came at the worst time to take pictures of the roads. Brent then began to speak over a situation he feels could be similar. He stated that when the Coal Company came, they took pictures as well and rated the roads at a poor state, so they did not have to put much work back into the roads when they left. Brent feels as if they need to come back and reassess the roads, as Homer is pushing back to a few of their ratings. Trent then mentioned that it was like they were “low balling” the roads and will cause the township issues when they have to build them back.
Brent then brought up in the Road Use Agreement where they were supposed to involve the County in their assessment, but the County was unaware that this survey was happening. It is documented in the agreement that the County is to be involved and that the survey of the roads will take place fifteen days before construction begins, and the survey has already been done in June without the County's involvement. Brent asked the Commission if they knew about this and the Commission assured him that they were never notified, just received it on September 11th, 2026. Brent then mentioned that he felt like the township needed to be involved as well, during the assessment.
Brent asked what the next step from here would be. Jim stated that he wants to speak with Swan Solar and have them come back and reevaluate the roads. Trent agreed.
Brent feels as if the assessment needs to involve ditch observation and involvement from the Commission. He also states that he isn’t saying the timing was intentional, but the roads were wet from all the rain and looked worse than they really are. Brent was aware that these roads aren’t perfect, but also aware that they are better than some of the ratings said.
In response to Brent Bettels regarding the road rating issue, John was able to speak with Swan Solar, and they will be sending Kimley/Horn back to get better pictures of the roads.
Federal Protection sent an email and informed the Commission that they need to update the camera system at the Court House. They are currently running Windows 10 but now require Windows 11. This upgrade will not cost, as it is included in the contract.
Trent made a motion to upgrade the security camera system at the Court House. John seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion carried. No opposition.
Chris asked about their access to the security cameras and Jim and John explained that to him and informed him that Federal Protection also monitors them.
iNetVision revised their proposal for internet service. Shane found a way to save the County $500 a month, written within the fine print of Bright Speed and Lumen.
John made a motion to update the proposal to the lesser amount. Trent seconded the motion and thanked Shane for finding this and saving the County $6,000 a year. All were in favor. Motion carried. No opposition.
Jim was then going to email Shane and tell him the proposal had been approved.
Minutes from the September 16, 2026 meeting:
The Bates County Commission met with Northern Commissioner John Gray and Southern Commissioner Trent Nelson present. Presiding Commissioner Jim Wheatley was absent at a Kaysinger meeting.
Chris Gach was present all day.
Mary Dubray met with the Commission, was introduced and stated she would be back for the 2:00pm meeting.
Chad Anderson, the Bates County Sheriff, met with the Commission and discussed the Mark Alford Grant dealing with 9-1-1 addressing and the need for a radio console replacement. He discussed pricing with the Commission to let them know what he is working on and stated that he would be back for the Commissions signatures when he gets the rest of the information that is needed.
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