Council members spent nearly an hour Tuesday dissecting a revised deal to begin the process of leasing the Haley Pike Landfill to solar company Edelen Renewables.
As Vice Mayor Dan Wu explained, the detailed lines of questioning on the return on investment, who's involved in ongoing negotiations, and other debates stem from one main concern.
"Because it is such a precedent-setting project is why I and my colleagues really want to make sure we get it right," he said. "The through line in all of this conversation is that we want to get the best deal possible for the city."
Adam Edelen, who heads up the solar developer, reiterated that the uniqueness of the project sets it apart from other large scale solar the city has contemplated.
"There are reasons why there are hundreds of thousands of acres across this country of prime farmland that are covered by solar panels. There's also a reason why there are only a handful of landfills that have solar on them," he said. "Because the math doesn't math."
Past comments and stories, including this WUKY post, have referred to the site as a "dump," One council member took time Tuesday to clarify that a landfill, like Haley Pike, is a regulated disposal site wheras a dump is not.
Though several council members sounded encouraged by the latest revisions, the body decided to continue the conversation next Tuesday rather than put the agreement on the docket this week.
If the council agrees to move forward next week, the lease deal would get its first reading on February 27.