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MACOMB, IL – McDonough County Board members are taking a close look at the proposed South Morgan Acres hog farm.
Board Chairman Scott Schwerer said most board members have visited the site in the northwest part of the county. He said the board won't have access to the design drawings of the farm.
Schwerer said the board will make an informed decision without seeing the design since the Illinois Department of Agriculture will look at the technical merits of the design.
He said, "They (the department) have experts-engineers-that look over these blueprints and so forth. We are not really qualified to determine schematic design and engineering, but we have to go on the best information that we have at the time."
Schwerer also said board members are getting many letters from their constituents. He said the he is not getting as many as he received when the board was considering the Shamrock Acres farm project earlier this year.
While public input is important, he said the board is limited by law to the consideration of eight specific criteria.
He said, "It's the criteria that we're voting on and not whether or not you are for or against a hog farm. It's the criteria that we are voting on."
Schwerer said the board will follow the same format used for its deliberations on the Shamrock Acres project. Each board member will have an opportunity to address the individual criteria. The board will vote separately on each criterion. The board will also vote whether to recommend approval of the project.
Schwerer said the vote will be advisory only. The Illinois Department of Agriculture will decide on the construction permit for South Morgan Acres.
The board's deliberation and vote will occur at the next meeting. It will be at 7 p.m. December 21st.