Daviess County Fiscal Court is looking into the possibility of installing solar panels on the courthouse roof, as on Tuesday they approved, in a split vote, an agreement to begin structural assessment of the building.
Commissioners Larry Conder and Chris Castlen said they began exploring the idea when they were discussing replacing their HVAC system, and they learned of another county receiving a grant for the potential addition of solar panels.
Conder noted that he believes Owensboro Municipal Utilities will be increasing rates in the near future, which will affect the price of power for the County. He said solar power would be a proactive step to keep expenses lower.
“We should prepare for a rate increase. So to be prudent, along with an HVAC replacement plan, (we asked ourselves) what are those other avenues that we can take to lower our energy expenses, and one of them is solar panels on the roof,” Conder said.
Conder and Castlen said that after researching, they believe the return on investment of adding solar panels would come in about 12-14 years.
“This is not something that we were going to do if I had thought that this was going to end up costing more money to the taxpayers than what we would get back,” Castlen said. “If an upfront cost is mitigated quickly down the road, then it’s worth it.”
The structural assessment will cost $2,750 to complete. Conder said the completion of an assessment is not a binding agreement they will install solar panels. Should they decide to move forward with the project, Conder said the County would work to use grants and other funding opportunities to mitigate the price of installation.
Fiscal Court passed the agreement for an assessment with a 3-1 vote, with Commissioner Janie Marksberry as the lone dissenter. She said that she voted against it because she needed a second opinion on the return of investment, among other reasons.
“The maintenance can be very expensive and the possibility of damaging the roof with the installation is also concerning. I would like to see the payback figures on this and I would want a second opinion study. I believe we really need to take a hard look at this. So I’m voting no for now,” she said.
She said she would rather focus on moving the entire courthouse to a location that is more accessible to the public and first responders, rather than remodeling.
