With only 77 votes in favor of the referendum, Speaker Township residents very firmly rejected a proposal that would have seen the township’s zoning ordinance amended to allow for Liberty Power to construct wind turbines in the township.
The ordinance was rejected by about 83% of the 442 township voters at Tuesday’s polls, with a little less than half of the township’s 996 registered voters taking part in the special election. The ordinance touched on lowering sound pressure requirements, installing necessary lighting systems, removing the total height definition in the current zoning requirements and the potential project’s decommissioning financial security.
Speaker Township and Fremont Township residents were shown proposed maps for the project over a year ago in April 2022, with about 72 square miles of the townships undergoing extensive surveys and studies since July 2020 to determine if it was a suitable location for a wind turbine farm and where the turbines would be best placed. Based on maps provided at the time, it appeared Fremont Township would have up to 31 turbines while Speaker Township could have 19.
This failed vote is the latest show of the public rejecting the Riverbend Project, with other measures like recall elections for Fremont Township’s supervisor, clerk and treasurer approved for later this year.
