Tom Cooperrider, a Hartford Township trustee, said area farmers have been approached about leasing their land.
“I signed up more than a year ago," Cooperrider said. "They’re just looking for good ground to lease for a solar panel project. Farmers here signed up for that. I think it’d be a pretty good chunk of money for the school system.”
State Sen. Jay Hottinger, R-Newark, said he met recently with Kevin DeWine, a lobbyist who represents Open Road Renewables. Hottinger said the proposal was for a 350-megawatt solar field.
State law assesses $7,000 per megawatt for solar and wind fields. Based on 350 megawatts, the company would pay $2.45 million annually, in lieu of taxes, to local property tax recipients. The amount could be increased to up to $9,000 per megawatt, which would boost the annual payments to $3.15 million.