Peoria County Zoning Board of Appeals Hearing

The Peoria County Zoning Board of Appeals hearing on October 2, 2026, continued testimony concerning the proposed Four Creeks wind farm and its projected local economic and tax impacts. The project’s economic analyst described estimates of construction and operations jobs, supply-chain spending, landowner payments, and property-tax revenue. Testimony addressed uncertainties about how many workers would be local, noting that union membership spans multiple counties and specialized workers may come from out of state. The analyst said the study did not assess property-value effects, population out-migration, or potential job losses in other electricity-generation sectors, and that the IMPLAN model did not independently account for labor or material supply constraints. The only identified negative impacts incorporated into the analysis were certain project costs, including compensation to landowners; no cost-benefit analysis was performed. The analyst cited an estimated $1.1 million in annual operating wages, while acknowledging limitations in the available occupation-specific wage data.

Questioning also focused on the Illinois statute used to value wind turbines for property-tax purposes, which is scheduled to sunset in 2035; the analyst’s projections assume its continuation, although there is no legal guarantee of the same tax treatment afterward. Participants discussed projected tax revenues to local taxing bodies and possible effects on state aid to Stark School District. The analyst said curtailment would affect the developer’s finances but not the tax estimate based on turbine capacity or the construction workforce estimate. No procurement award, spending authorization, or vote was identified. The board recessed for an hour and planned to discuss scheduling during the break.