After meeting with representatives from Pattern Energy Monday, the Ellsworth County commissioners will await the company’s offer regarding Pattern’s annual contribution to the county for the Post Rock Wind Farm, which has 98 wind towers in Ellsworth County. At a past meeting, it was noted the wind farm has a lifetime exemption from paying ad valorum taxes per state statute.

According to Pattern Energy representative Amanda Cambrice, that offer is expected to be sent to the county via email by the end of next week.

Cambrice said Pattern is not prepared to write up a formal agreement yet for the county to consider. That process, she said, would take two to three months. The email offer will give something to the commissioners to review.

Cambrice said Pattern Energy is able to commit to the $470,400 annual contribution it has made each December for the past 11 years. In addition, Pattern Energy would move forward with a fiveyear agreement, inclusive of 2023.

“Those years would also be matching the previous year’s contribution as well,” she said.

“You don’t think our costs have gone up any in the last 11 years,” Commissioner Dennis Rolfs asked. “We, as a council, agreed to that agreement 11 years ago based on what was going on at that time as far as other agreements with other wind power energy companies. We should be able to come to an agreement on a little bit higher amount.”

“I think it should be worth more than 11-year-old values,” Commissioner Greg Bender said.

Cambrice said Pattern Energy wants to be in agreement with the county, but if an agreement cannot be reached by the end of the year, Pattern Energy is willing to commit to the $470,400 amount it has provided the county annually for the past 11 years.

County Appraiser Carl Miller said, in his opinion, a fair deal would be to start negotiations at the $470,400 mark, then tie in values taken from the annual local market study (using the rural percentage). Miller said in the near future, values in Ellsworth County are going to stabilize or even be in a decline.

“Any year where the values are stable or on a decline, no increase would come to the wind farm then the following year,” Miller said, “because if nobody else increased in value, then why should the in-lieu-of tax increase?”

Once an agreement is reached between the county and Pattern, the county will negotiate with the county’s two school districts, USD 327 and USD 112, to decide on appropriate donation amounts for each district.

In other business:

• No action was taken after a five-minute executive session to discuss matters pertaining to attorney-client privilege (a question regarding Post Rock Wind Farm) with County Attorney Paul J. Kasper.

• After two executive sessions totaling 25 minutes to discuss non-elected personnel with Ellsworth County Health Department Administrator Kerianne Ehrlich, Kasper, Ellsworth County Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Jim Kirkbride and ECMC Human Resources Director Krista Bohnen, the county accepted Ehrlich’s resignation as health department administrator effective May 31. The county will pursue options with ECMC to fill that position.

The next meeting of the Ellsworth County commissioners will be at 9 a.m. Monday, May 1, at the county courthouse.