UPDATE: The meeting has been cancelled. The re-scheduled meeting date will be announced soon.
The long-awaited Solar Ordinance that has been drafted by the Washington Parish Council will be presented to the public this coming Monday evening (January 24).
The proposed ordinance will be presented during a 5 p.m. meeting at the parish courthouse. There will be a period reserved for comments from the public.
The ordinance seeks to offer some regulation to the fast-growing "solar farm" industry in Washington Parish. It was drafted after a solar energy operation was erected off of Highway 16 west of Franklinton. Many area residents in the general area of the solar project have expressed concern. Now other solar projects are in the works for the parish, and the Parish Council is seeking to enact a Solar Ordinance that protects residents while also being fair to the solar industry and to landowners who want to sell or lease acreage to solar operations.
Those interested in the proposed ordinance should attend the meeting at the parish courthouse at 5 p.m., Monday, January 24. Depending on the outcome of Monday's meeting, the ordinance will be officially voted on at the first and second Council meetings in February, with a time allowed for additional public comment.
