The Commission discussed the $3,206 increase in price with Kaysinger Basin Regional Planning Commission & Economic Development District. They originally budgeted for the normal amount. Trent made a motion to pay Kaysinger. Jim claims that they stay with Kaysinger due to the funding for BRO projects. John seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion carried. No opposition.
Dean Fischer, with Pleasant Gap Township, came by and discussed road issues with Trent. Trent told him that they would get him on the list with Road and Bridge and get that taken care of.
Brent Bettels met with the Commission, accompanied by Jana Rosier. Everyone jumped right on and started speaking over the legal side of the Solar Farms. Brent spoke over GilmoreBell and suggested they bring in a third party to read through the contract and suggest negotiations. He also suggested that the Commission get MarksNelson on board for Wednesday meetings to firm things up. John reassured him that he was in contact with them.
Jana explained that she was here to observe more information on Chapter 100 Bonds. She feels as if the Commission needs an outside opinion from someone who isn’t involved with Solar Farms. She knows that Henry County did 100 feet setbacks and had concerns about the 70 feet setbacks that were talked about but had the understanding that it was all negotiable. Jim said that they need to push for berms to be put in place and natural barriers instead of fences and will push for the 100 feet setback. Brent said the berms might be costly, but they make the most sense.
Brent also made the comment that these things should not be on all sides of someone’s property. There should be something in place to prevent that from happening. He also mentioned that all the runoff from these farms will drain right onto his property, so he suggested they consider using Fescue instead of Indian Grass, as the Fescue is thicker and would help filter and keep the runoff less toxic and harmful, verses having to come back in and fix the ground issues later. He feels that if they do it right the first time, it’s one less thing they will worry about. He then explained that those berms would also aid in directing the water to one place and asked the Commission to push for that. John doubted that they were going to build mountains, but Brent asked that the Commission ask anyway.
Brent is, once again, fighting for the individuals that this will affect, neighbor or not. He believes that there is a possibility that people that ended up with the wrong agreements have signed and is pushing the Commission to fight for the citizens that have. Those agreements should immediately be null and void and he asked the Commission to see that those agreements get voided and corrected.
Brent asked about the hydrology report, if they could get it and if he could read it. John told him that one has been done but they do not have it. Clearway said they would get it to them, but they haven’t seen anything yet. He then asked the Commission how this plays out for Amsterdam, as these Solar Panels are outside of city limits. John explained that Clearway is offering a Community Betterment Program, but Brent stated that they will get zero taxes or income from the panels, but John reassured him that the solar company will set them up for the life of the project. The mayor is having a meeting with Clearway at some point to discuss their future. Brent suggested whatever third party the Commission chooses to help negotiate and review the contract, also help Amsterdam with legal matters and advice, as they don’t have the means to provide that.
April 15, 2026 The Bates County Commission met with Presiding Commissioner Jim Wheatley, Northern Commissioner John Gray and Southern Commissioner Trent Nelson present.
Gary Ratliff informed the Commission about a leak at the Courthouse. Trent said they will do whatever they need to do to fix it before it causes more issues. Jim spoke about a few different companies they could call to get a bid to fix it.
Josh Framel, with Clearway, met with the Commission and spoke over berms, silt ponds, runoff, erosion, fescue grass and gravel. He asked the Commission if there was an agenda for the meeting to follow. Jim informed him there was no agenda and asked him to explain to the residents about the projects they have going on right now and how they are doing.
At 3:30 Homer/West Point Townships joined the meeting. Josh introduced himself and spoke over the township meeting. He explained that you are welcome to come and go as you please, as there will be a couple individuals attending that will answer any questions and concerns that people have.
Chad Wiley began asking the Commission when GilmoreBell would be getting with them, John informed him there is a meeting to be held with Mark Grimm on Monday the 20th. Jim told Chad he has some questions and concerns that he will be discussing.
Jim mentioned that he wants to see a road agreement abnd decommissioning bond that is in full swing. Chad asked what the difference would be from the agreement they had with NextEra. Jim said it could be just fine, but he would like to see another one just to make sure. Jim says there might not be much change to any contracts that they will have to go over after the meeting with Mark Grimm. Chad asked if he would be on board for Wednesdays meeting, but Jim says he’s not 100% sure, it just depends on how their closed session meeting goes. Jim told them that the Commission will be sending the contract to the MarksNelson to review. Brent Bettels spoke over Steve Etchers and the knowledge he holds and says he would be a good asset to have to bring everyone up to speed verses having everything gummed up, as it seems to be right now. Jim informed everyone that Trent and himself agree with John, to have GilmoreBell come in and walk everyone through this project from start to finish.
Brent talked about needing a quicker timeline so he wanted to get all the negotiations lined out and given to the Commission so there is enough time for the Commission to negotiate with Clearway, but Josh informed everyone that they are quick about on responding.
Chad asked about the start date and wondered if it was set in stone or it could be postponed if need be. Josh stated that Clearway is pretty set for the end of May and remains confident that the start date is doable. He then mentioned that it’s up to the Commission and how fast this is moving. Jim then pointed out that he wants to make sure everything is as it needs to be before moving forward.
Chad asked the Commission if everything was going to be signed all at the same time, once all the negotiations were in place. Josh reassured him that it will all be finished up together as a whole. He was just making sure that they were going to be able to get their concerns and negotiations in before anything was signed off on. John then asked if there was anything more that needed added from the list he received last week. Brent and Chad said that was a good start, but they are wanting to make sure everyone who will be affected by the panels have had a chance to voice their concerns and negotiations as well, as they have spoken for themselves, not for everyone else.
Chad Anderson spoke on the situation and how this is also going to affect his Office.
John made the comment that they cannot give 15 individuals what they want and crap on the rest of the county. Chad W. asked how this would affect any other towns, but before he could get an answer Brent added that the Commissioners should be the ones fighting for many of the wants that the residents have. He says the Commissioners are the ones who can put things set in stone in the chance that these farms be moved and pop up somewhere else in the county. John then agreed that all the negotiations that are done are up to the Commission and whatever they decide.
Chad A. is still questioning how he is going to benefit from this due to him being the one to send emergency personnel, but nothing in return for doing so.
Brent brought up the schools and the townships and the funds that he had mentioned before. He is still wanting to see something set in stone that they will receive a good percentage that will be set for years to come. He then added that the Sheriff’s Office and Fire Personnel could benefit from that as well, getting a percentage to give back to their dedication and help if/when needed. John then told him that all individuals need to negotiate their own wants with Clearway.
Brent told Rob, Amsterdam Mayor, that he also needed to get in contact with Clearway and be sure to address concerns and make certain negotiations, and suggested that he ask the County to help with legal advice. He asked about the setback and what can be negotiated in that area, and if they set them back further and installed the berms and trees it would help appease people and make the depreciation of their homes not be as substantial. Josh said that it would be hard to put a wall around the panels.
Josh informed everyone that a vegetative screening would be done at the end of the project. He also asked about more information on where he can get 100 cedar trees, to which Chad W. said they were not expecting them to have them installed at the beginning of the project, but wants them to end up there at some point. Brent informed Josh that there are several different places to get trees from locally.
Josh asked why the berm is necessary, to which he was assured that it would be cheaper to move dirt, and the height will help hide the panels better. If the elevation is high enough, it can block everything.
Jim asked if the residents could move the meeting to 3:00pm on Wednesday instead of 3:30pm to which Chad W. replied, “No, unless you want me to start burning vacation time. Or we could do it at 4:00.” Jim then explained he was trying to move it up so they could get out at their normal close time at 4:30. John also chimed in and stated, “We have lives outside of the office.” Chad agreed that they all have lives outside of the office as well. Jim went ahead and reassured everyone it’s fine to leave it at 3:30pm. Chad felt that was a pretty good compromise and asked if Clearway would have someone attending these meetings frequently, but Josh informed him that they had no plans to be in attendance next week, but would talk to Barry and see what he had in mind. Chad asked if they planned on the 27th being the last get together that everyone will have or will there be anyone in attendance at the weekly meetings that, Josh reassured him that they plan on popping in and staying in contact.
Chris Gach asked Josh if he knew if Clearway had ever negotiated contracts with the Electric Corporation to halt going before the Public Service Commission, so rate increases don’t occur where these projects are located but Josh was not sure of the answer due to them being an independent power producer. Jim then brought up the companies that will be purchasing the produced energy. Once it is in the pool it can be bought out by whoever buys into the pool. Chris stated that he just was looking for a way to protect the citizens here that are the ones who are producing the energy, and if they want to be right there because of the transmission lines and the power plant, then you go into the Public Service Commission for rates in this area, freeze the rates for the people that are directly affected in that area. Chris then asked if Josh would check into his company and see if anyone had ever worked with them. Chad liked that it would be a direct benefit. Jim then stated that it all goes into the pool and wondered how it would be decided which company would get how much. Josh is thinking that is federal but a very easy question to ask his attorney. Chris then asked Josh if the Commissioners decided not to sign the Chapter 100 Bond, would they continue to build these solar farms here in Bates County and Josh said that he did not want to answer that without knowing if they were going to sign or not. Chad W. then piggy backed off that and stated that he had the same question and asked if they had something in place in the case the bond isn’t signed and asked if he couldn’t answer that because he did not know or was not allowed to answer that. Josh just said he did not know. Chad then spoke about how things would get a little more complicated if the bond was not to be signed and how they would be fully taxable and asked if it was a go no matter what. Josh said that was a safe bet to say. Brent then asked if them being state exempt due to the Chapter 100, Josh said that there is a lot more that goes into it than that. Brent then asked what the numbers were going to look like on the front side of this project, Josh did not have a ballpark number. Brent then explained that there is a gap in there somewhere with an amount of savings that could benefit the Sheriff’s Department and utilize other demands of the county.
Jim stated that he was going to move forward with MarksNelson and the Chapter 100 Bonds to find out where they stand. Chad W. explained that the lists they gave the Commission is something they want them to try and fight for. They want to stay involved and know why something wasn’t negotiated or where they met in the middle and agreed to it.
Chad A. stated that he was super impressed that Clearway is coming and sitting at the table having those hard conversations with everyone. Answering the questions and listening to everyone’s concerns. He also mentioned that the people that are continuously attending these meetings and fighting for what they want are awesome, but others must step in as well and voice their opinion before it’s too late. After that, it won’t be fair to the Commission or Law Enforcement to hear complaints and name calling when they are having to face the thing they didn’t show up and fight for. Everyone agreed and Brent spoke about how he has always tried to stand in a position and look at it from more perspectives than one and look out for the people who don’t have much of a voice in the matter and go to bat for them. There are many people in his neighborhood that will be impacted by this, so he wants to make sure the people that won’t come in and speak because of intimidation and pressure of the situation. He doesn’t want anyone to be overlooked and left behind. He is especially fighting for the ones that have the panels surrounding them on all four sides, so he wants there to be something in writing that they cannot surround someone like that.
Chad W. says they will follow up next week and is hopeful of some headway.
April 20, 2026 The Bates County Commission met with Presiding Commissioner Jim Wheatley, Northern Commissioner John Gray and Southern Commissioner Trent Nelson present.
Mark Grimm, with GilmoreBell, met with the Commission to speak over the Solar Panels that will be coming to Bates County. Due to the Commission wanting to be transparent, the meeting was open for most of the discussion.
Mark spoke over how the bond does not mean that money will be passed hand in hand. That money is not to be given to go purchasing different things. John called Steve Etcher, with MarksNelson, so he could also add in on the conversation. Mark continued to speak over the bonds and how it keeps the county not liable for anything and keeps them locked at a certain rate.
Jim asked if Evergy were to take over, would they have to honor all the agreements that were already in writing. Mark told him basically yes. John and Jim both spoke about the 20-year negotiations but the 30-year project. Once their 20 years start approaching, they will sit down and renegotiate, or they will pack up and leave.
Jim spoke about leaving the road however they need it, after they are done. It will then be maintained at the level. They agreed and stated they wouldn’t upgrade the road and then undo it.
John is pushing for a Community Betterment Agreement to help with upkeep of roads and funding to fund townships which would be on top of the offer they gave. He also stated he wants to make sure there is a set amount for schools and townships.
Trent asked about the money left on the table, Steve reassured him that they are going to fight for what benefits the county the best they can, and if there is money missed out on, it’s not because they didn’t try. That’s just how it goes. The state will not change any of that, it is contracted in. No less no more. Jim then brought up the Handcock Amendment.
John made a motion to go into closed session to discuss legal and financial matters. Trent seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion carried. No opposition.
At 12:19 John made the motion to go back into open session. Trent seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion carried. No opposition.
Brent Bettels came in and asked how the meeting with GilmoreBell and MarksNelson went. He asked what the projected numbers were that Clearway gave, so John told him but could not speak over anything more since they had gone into closed session to discuss further matters.
Brent informed that there are no NDA’s that he had seen and that the time frame of the contract starts when construction begins.
Jim informed him that the Commission gave Mark and Steve lots of things to think about.
He also asked the Commission to have MarksNelson run the numbers and to give Clearway some hard negotiations on payments the County should be receiving.
Trent told him that the Town Hall Meeting will have 7-10 Clearway Representatives there to discuss things as individuals, instead of one big quorum.
