Monee Board Explores Farmland Preservation Program Amid Growing Concerns Over Solar Development

Monee Village Board Meeting | April 22, 2026

Article Summary: The Monee Village Board engaged in a lengthy discussion with Will County Planning and Zoning Commissioner John Kiefner about creating a farmland preservation program to counter the rapid spread of solar developments in the region.

Monee Farmland Preservation Key Points:

• John Kiefner pitched a voluntary farmland preservation program that would place permanent deed restrictions on agricultural land, preventing future commercial or solar development.

• Village Economic Development Director Bill Barnes highlighted upcoming solar farm projects by Turning Point Energy and Nautilus on 40 acres near Will Center Road and Court Street.

• The village is utilizing updated local ordinances to mandate visual buffers for incoming solar farms, including three-foot berms, solid fences, and staggered pine trees.

• Trustees discussed strategic land acquisition and annexation as defensive tools to control development just outside village borders.

The Monee Village Board on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, held an extensive discussion on strategies to combat the encroachment of solar farms and data centers around the village, including a proposal to implement a permanent farmland preservation program.

John Kiefner, an owner-operator of Kiefner Farm in Manhattan and a member of the Will County Planning and Zoning Commission, presented a proactive plan to the Board. Kiefner warned that while many residents complain about losing the “country feel” to large-scale developments, current county land resource management plans lack provisions to prevent it.

Kiefner advocated for a voluntary farmland preservation program that would utilize federal USDA matching grants to place permanent deed restrictions on agricultural land.

“The one I envisioned in Will County would be voluntary for landowners to put their land in and would be a permanent deed restriction, an easement, much like when a pipeline or power line goes across the farm,” Kiefner said. “A farmland conservation program would give farmers another option to possibly access money to subsidize their farm, to do estate planning, to set up their retirement, versus just selling the land to the highest bidder.”

Kiefner noted that Kane County successfully preserved over 7,000 acres using a similar model, leveraging federal funds because they had a local program established.

The presentation transitioned into a broader discussion on the village’s official stance regarding solar developments. Economic Development Director Bill Barnes presented maps detailing a planned 40-acre solar farm by Turning Point Energy and Nautilus near Will Center Road and Court Street, located in unincorporated territory just outside the village’s direct control.

Because the village cannot outright ban solar farms on county property, Barnes explained that Monee recently updated its screening ordinances to force developers to mitigate the visual impact.

“They agreed to put in a three-foot berm, solid fence, and then also wherever it’s behind or butts up to Golf Vista so people can’t see it,” Barnes said, adding that developers will also plant staggered rows of pine trees.

Trustees expressed deep skepticism regarding the long-term environmental and economic impacts of solar farms. Trustee Scott Youdris questioned the efficacy of solar panels by citing a theory regarding “chemtrails,” stating that metal particles released by airplanes block solar absorption.

“They’re saying put solar panels in wherever you want, they’ll absorb the sun, but then it’s cutting down on the absorption because of this by about 30 percent,” Youdris claimed. He also raised concerns about the environmental hazard of damaged solar panels that cannot be placed in traditional landfills, referencing a recent solar field in Kankakee that was destroyed by a tornado.

Trustee Steve Gonzalez echoed the frustration over the lack of local benefit.

“Monee wouldn’t be getting any of that energy. It’s going to Chicago,” Gonzalez said. “It doesn’t matter to us out here. Even though it’s attached to our town, it has nothing to do with our residents.”

Barnes emphasized that the village’s best defense is strategic land acquisition and annexation, allowing the village to zone the land for desired commercial businesses rather than renewable energy installations.

“We’re trying to steer the ship in the right direction,” Barnes concluded. “We don’t have to worry about what’s going there because we can steer it toward the businesses that we want.”