(Batesville, IN) – Batesville City Council heard from a Legion Road resident this week about a solar farm potentially popping up one-and-a-half to two miles south of the city limits.
There has been chatter recently about landowners in the area either leasing or selling their properties to a company that wants to build a solar farm.
“Historically, when a group is looking to build a solar farm, they’re looking for a thousand acres. They’re not looking for 10 acres or 20 acres,” said Mayor Mike Bettice. “They need a much bigger space from what I’m hearing to make it work for them.”
Bettice says there are many concerns about solar farms, including how they would affect property values.
He adds the properties in question are in Ripley County’s jurisdiction.
“We really don’t have any legal authority for what happens outside of the City of Batesville. That is one the things that makes it so interesting,” he said.
Bettice says he and other city leaders will wait and see how things play out over the coming months.
The Mayor appeared on Wednesday’s edition of The Daily Pod on WRBI.
The complete interview is available on demand here.
