West Penn Township is weighing a fee schedule several weeks after it heard a request to install a solar farm in the township.

The board of supervisors reported Monday that the current fee schedule cost would be $200 per panel.

Township solicitor Paul J. Datte said that while the township could look to attach a price per panel, it can’t be $200 per panel for a zoning permit fee, as it is really only supposed to cover the township’s costs.

Datte explained that per the township’s ordinance, typically three different fees are involved: One would be a zoning permit fee, another fee is if land development was required under the township’s Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance, and another was a fee if a building permit was required under the Uniform Construction Code.

Supervisor Glenn Hummel then asked if the township could consider putting a decommission agreement in place.

Datte said that he can review that, but it’s probably not going to pass muster.

Board Chairman Tony Prudenti said that because this is the township’s first major farm coming in, he believes they should stick with its codes and regulations that are in place.

Township secretary Katie Orlick noted there are two projects.

Resident Carl Greves weighed in on the matter during public comment.

“I think it is important to do this decommission thing,” Greves said. There could be some new technology (and it could become obsolete).

“I think it’s a good idea to plan like that. I think it’s important for the township to make some long-term plan on it.”

The discussion came several weeks after supervisors denied a request from applicants planning to install a solar farm in the township.

The request, from the Gregory and Jodi Duschak Solar Energy Collection Land Development, asked that supervisors waive a requirement in the preliminary plan submission process.

After some discussion, supervisors earlier this month unanimously turned down the request.

The denial doesn’t mean the end of the project, said Datte at that time, who noted it was not plan approval, as they just wanted to waive the requirement for a preliminary plan so they can filed a combined preliminary plan.

Prudenti said at that time the applicants plan to install the solar park on 34 acres near the intersection of Ash Circle and Ridge Road.

The property is private and zoned for agricultural use, he said.

Preliminary plans show 63 rows of panels, which would not be installed directly into the ground. The application does not call for concrete pads for installation.

Prudenti said he had concerns about what would happen when the panels were no longer needed.

Datte said that he’s learned that municipalities dealing with similar solar projects are considering putting decommissioning agreements in place.

The plan has not yet been considered by Schuylkill County Planning Commission or the Schuylkill Conservation District.

The West Penn Township Planning Commission recently reviewed plan details.