Clark County Board votes to join Wisconsin PACE Commission
In unanimous votes of 26-0, the Clark County Board of Supervisors approved several ordinances and resolutions during its meeting Dec. 21. One of the resolutions and one of the ordinances passed at the meeting were for approving items related to joining the Wisconsin Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Commission.
A short presentation about the Wisconsin PACE Commission was given by members of the commission prior to the vote. In their presentation, they gave an overview of what the Wisconsin PACE Commission is and how joining the commission would provide benefits to Clark County.
The Wisconsin PACE Commission is a non-profit program that allows both residential and commercial developers to take out special loans to finance energy efficient and/ or renewable energy improvements to a piece of private property. These loans cover improvements to many different sectors, including mixed use buildings, agriculture, private homes and health care centers, and are offered for both new construction and remodeling projects.
Per the Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement between Clark County and the Wisconsin PACE Commission, Section 66.0627(8) of the Wisconsin Statutes authorizes “a city, a village, a town (a ‘municipality’) or a county (a ‘county’) in this state to, among other things, make a loan to or otherwise arrange, participate in or facilitate the financing of an energy efficiency improvement, a water efficiency improvement or a renewable resource application to a real property within its jurisdiction and to provide for such financing through the imposition of a special charge against the property benefitted by the energy or water efficiency improvement or renewable resource project.”
Currently, about 60 counties in Wisconsin are members of PACE. As members, the Wisconsin counties work with private lenders to provide upfront financing to property owners for qualifying projects. By giving these property owners a leg up in financing projects to improve the efficiency of their buildings, there are effects that trickle down into more far-reaching benefits to the county.
“Workforce is in short supply in every county,” said Keith Langenhahn of the PACE Commission. “If you have homes or are hiring for jobs, it will attract workers to your county. Workforce is very essential to all counties.”
The Clark County Board of Supervisors passed Resolution 43-12-23 on a 26-0 vote, with three members of the board being absent that night. The resolution adopts the Clark County PACE financing ordinance and authorizes Clark County’s membership in the Wisconsin PACE Commission. As part of joining, the board also had to appoint a county board supervisor to the PACE Commission as a committee member. The board unanimously voted Jerome Krempasky as the representative.
In other action taken by the board at its meeting, the board passed Resolution 42-12-23 to authorize the cancellation and destruction of outstanding checks that remain unclaimed for two or more years. They also approved amendments to Clark County Ordinance 244-12-23, addressing human health hazards and abatement orders.
