Steve Roehm, a therapist who owns Stability Counseling, told the Henderson City-County Planning Commission Tuesday evening that he would like to administer 90-question tests to Henderson County residents to determine the level of stress they are experiencing from the possibility of wind turbines being built here.
Roehm told the planning commission that he’d like to give these questionnaires to numerous people in the county and then compile the clinical data to be presented to the planning commission at the public hearing regarding health and annoyance impact issues, which is one of seven public hearings recently scheduled to take in information that the planning commission will ultimately use to write the draft of a zoning ordinance for wind energy conversion systems in the county.
But Roehm said he’ll need more time than the current date set for when the planning commission hears testimony about health and annoyance impact issues, he said. That date is May 20, the second of seven public hearings the planning commission approved in early December.
Roehm said May 20 would not allow him enough time to collect all the interviews, analyze the data and then synthesize it into a manner that can be easily read and understood. He asked that this second public hearing be switched with a hearing scheduled for a later date.
Planning Commission Executive Director Brian Bishop said that switching the May 20 date with the scheduled fourth meeting on Sept. 16—Land use and siting issues—is a good option.
Planning commissioners made two points to consider. First, if Roehm’s proposed switch was allowed, other interested parties could ask for other dates to be switched, said Gary Gibson. And Gray Hodge pointed out that those associated with land use and siting might have difficulty getting their presentations together for May 20 after having planned for a September meeting.
Bishop said that the people most likely to present about land use and siting work would be local people in the planning commission staff office or those who work closely with the office because they understand the local regulations. Bishop said switching the dates of the proposals wouldn’t be a problem.
A second point to consider came from Planning Commissioner Frank Boyett who told Roehm that—without any wind turbines currently present in the county—the stress that could come from them seems subjective.
Roehm said that perception shades reality and the thought of wind turbines can cause people to experience stress.
Planning Commissioner Stacey Denton said that when the dates were voted on in early December, it was understood they could be changed if needed. She said Roehm’s proposal was a good reason to switch dates.
Denton later moved to switch the dates, and the motion passed 8-2. Hodge and Gibson voted against.
The current dates of the public hearings, including the switch, are:
- Noise, vibration and shadow flicker: 6 p.m., Wednesday, March 18, 2026
- Land use and siting criteria: 6 p.m., Wednesday, May 20, 2026
- Environmental and ecological impacts: 6 p.m., Wednesday, July 15, 2026
- Health and annoyance impact review: 6 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026
- Safety, engineering and infrastructure: 6 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2026
- Regulatory and administrative framework: 6 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2027
- Post draft ordinance public engagement and transparency: 6 p.m., March 17, 2027
At the end of the process, the planning commission intends to develop a draft WECS ordinance with performance standards and siting criteria as well as a summary report that will go to the Henderson County Fiscal Court, according to a document from the planning commission staff.
