County Board to Consider Resolutions Supporting Use of Agrivoltaics and Urge County Contractors to Work with High-Road Employers

March 07, 2024
County Board Chair Patrick Miles, (608) 886-9167
County Board

The Dane County Board of Supervisors will meet tonight at 7:00 p.m.  

At the meeting, the Board will consider a resolution that urges Dane County’s contractors and vendors to work with local, high-road employers.  High-road employers commit to a wide array of practices and policies, such as local hiring requirements, prevailing wage standards, gender and racial equity hiring requirements, workforce development and training, and other policies that value and protect basic worker dignity according to the resolution.

“Dane County government invests hundreds of millions of dollars annually in public works and a wide range of services for the benefit of Dane County residents.  As people elected to serve our neighbors and communities, it is our responsibility to make every effort to build the local economy by encouraging public spending in support of good jobs that result from high-road employment practices,” said County Board Supervisor Jay Brower (District 13).  

The Board will also consider a resolution supporting use of agrivoltaics for Dane County land-based solar installations.  Agrivoltaics is the dual use of the same land for both agriculture and solar photovoltaic energy production.  Dane County is a leader in agriculture as well as a leader in Wisconsin in the production and use of renewable energy.  The resolution indicates that in order to fulfill the goals identified in Dane County’s Climate Action Plan, the county will need to continue to research and adopt new technologies and practices.  
 
Dane County Board Supervisor Dave Ripp (District 29) said, “with all the demands removing farmland from production, we need to be innovative, and agrivoltaics is a way to get full use of our farmland.  Elevating the solar energy panels to allow farming such as grazing, community gardens, or cropping underneath or adjacent is smart land use.”

The agenda for the meeting is available here.  Information to attend the hybrid meeting, as well as to register to speak, can be found on the top of the agenda.