Solar Panel Production Plant By RFD A Go

Solar-panel production plant by RFD a go
By Mike Wiser
RRSTAR.COM
Feb 26, 2009 @ 06:52 PM


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Five months ago, county administrators and board members grudgingly approved a 2009 budget that included across-the-board department cuts as well as an early buyout program to close a $3 million operations gap in the county budget.Thursday night, board members were told that the budget shortfall might be close to double that by the end of the year. Winnebago County Administrator Steve Chapman said the county’s first quarter results were in — the county runs on an October to September fiscal year — and extrapolating the early numbers through the entire year would leave the county with a $5.6 million shortfall by the end of the year.Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen said expenses have been less than budgeted so far this year, but the county really got hurt on the revenue side with everything from tax receipts to fees and interest payments down anywhere from 1.5 percent to 48 percent of where budget planners thought they would be. “I was shocked when we started getting these in,” Christiansen said. “You know, the wheels really started falling off (of the economy) in October which is right after we approved our budget. ... Knowing what was going on in the economy, I wasn’t surprised we took a hit, but I was shocked at how far it had fallen.”Christiansen said county department heads have already begun meeting on what looks to be another tight year and he said he’ll likely come to the County Board with an amended 2009 budget for their consideration. In other business, the board approved a development agreement with a Chinese solar-panel manufacturing company that is being courted by city, county and airport officials. Wanxiang Group has been eyeing two pieces of property by the airport — one for a manufacturing plant and another for a solar farm — but it wanted some assurances from local governments before it would locate here. The county’s stake in the agreement was to promise to buy $200,000 worth of solar panels over the next two years. “Following the dire news of a $5.6 million budget shortfall and 12 percent unemployment, I have some good news,” said John Ekberg, who chairs the board’s economic development committee. Ekberg said the project would bring 282 construction jobs in the immediate future when construction on the facility begins this summer and has the potential of bringing up to 200 full-time manufacturing jobs to the area in the “next five to 10 years.”Staff writer Mike Wiser can be reached at mwiser@rrstar.com or 815-987-1410.

From http://www.businessrockford.com

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