The City of Slater provided an update on the proposed Evergy solar farm during its meeting on Tuesday, October 21.

The council approved a proposal from Evergy to construct a nine acre solar farm in the city limits in August 2024. The facility was designed to help offset some of the costs of the city’s current contract with Evergy. City Administrator Gene Griffith reported that the project has been put on hold because federal tax credits for solar energy are going away at the end of the year.

President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” makes cuts to solar energy and places restrictions on federal energy tax credits. The 30 percent tax credit Evergy and the city would have benefited from with this solar farm is being phased out at the end of 2025. Griffith didn’t rule out the possibility of picking this project back up if those credits are put back in place in the future.

Griffith also announced that Slater received a one year extension on its wholesale energy contract, locking in the city’s rates through 2027.

In other news, the Slater Chamber of Commerce is holding its Christmas lighting contest this winter, with judging to take place on Wednesday, December 17. This will be the last contest held by the Chamber, as it voted to dissolve earlier this year.