Bellefontaine Mayor David Crissman has officially vetoed the ordinance that would annex just over 200 acres of land north of the city, known as Duff’s Quarry, into the city as he promised do to when the Bellefontaine City Council voted to approve the annexation at its most recent regular meeting June 10.
Mayor Crissman sent his justification for the veto in a written notice to Council President Zeb Wagner Monday, June 16, as required under the Ohio Revised Code.
Mayor Crissman’s notice of his veto to President Wagner is as follows:
Council President Wagner,
I am letting you know that I am vetoing ordinance 25-31, Duff property annexation.
The owner wants this property in the city for solar since the Lake Township trustees and the Logan County Commissioners voted no for solar.
The residents of Bellefontaine do not want a solar farm inside the city.
Even with this property coming in as residential, the owner has said he will petition for a zoning change to allow a solar farm.
Council narrowly passed an ordinance to govern solar on the fourth try. Which tells me there is not much support for solar.
The city operates on income tax, not property tax, not sales tax. As the property sets now, we will not receive a great amount of income tax and the number of jobs this solar farm will produce is minimal.
Many residents of Bellefontaine and surrounding the city are opposed to solar farms.
With these reasons, I will veto this legislation.
The legislation will now go back before the Bellefontaine City Council at its June 24 regular meeting. Votes of two-thirds of the council, totaling five votes, will be needed to override Mayor Crissman’s veto.