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Wind production tax continues to decline

By
Mavis Fodness

For the third consecutive year, energy production taxes will drop in Rock County.
Auditor-treasurer Ashley Kurtz released the wind production tax amounts at the March 10 Rock County Commissioners meeting.
She will bill the four wind energy companies operating in the county a total of $734,294 in production taxes payable in 2020.
The tax payment is due from the companies by May 15.
The amount is about $20,000 less than 2019 ($754,440) and down $162,000 from the high of $896,429 collected in 2015.
“(The decrease) is kind of expected,” Kurtz said. “The age of the wind towers is showing.”
Several of the towers located near Beaver Creek in Beaver Creek and Martin townships are non-operational and are expected to be removed and/or replaced by NextEra Energy.
NextEra is currently seeking state permits to construct and operate Walleye Wind Farm, which consists of 40 turbines in the townships of Martin, Beaver Creek, Springwater and/or Rose Dell.
Of the production tax collected in 2020, Rock County receives $587,435.
Five townships receive a portion of the tax based on where the turbines are located:
• Beaver Creek, $784
• Denver, $78,295
• Martin, $496
• Rose Dell, $56,274
• Springwater, $11,010
 
In other March 10 business, the commissioners:
•approved three conditional use permits to Central Specialties for gravel/aggregate pit locations in Mound, Vienna and Denver townships.
•thanked Leah Van Meeteren for 30 years of employment with Heartland Express.
•set a 9 a.m. April 7, home initiative hearing for Tyson Metzger, who is building a home in Beaver Creek and requests a five-year abatement of county property taxes.

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