The Rochester Fall Special Town Meeting on November 18 was over in less than 20 minutes with voters quickly adopted seven articles and the sponsor of a citizen’s petition withdrawing his.
The only discussion from voters on the floor arose during the introduction of Article 5 to authorize the Board of Selectmen to enter into an agreement for payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) with the developer of a solar farm at 61 Mendell Road.
Planning Board member Ben Bailey approached the microphone and asked, “Could somebody explain exactly what we are giving up in terms of tax dollars and what we’re getting for it?”
Town Counsel Blair Bailey told him that the town wasn’t giving up anything and explained that a PILOT was simply a way for the Board of Assessors and the solar developer to “set in stone” a payment from the developer to the Town, based on the full and fair cash value of the solar energy facility for the 20-year life of the project, rather than a fluctuating tax payment.
“[The solar developer] can’t file for an abatement,” Attorney Bailey continued. “It’s a contract, essentially, between the town and the solar company [to] pay a fixed amount. It eliminates the guesswork… [and] no matter what [legislators] change in the law, [the developer] still has to make the payments, so it gives us that certainty.”
One other resident was reassured that the PILOT would bring in more revenue than the property currently does as Chapter 61A land.
The very next article, Article 6, was for another PILOT agreement with the developer of a roof-mounted solar photovoltaic system atop Rochester Memorial School.
The sponsor of a citizen’s petition asking for $20,000 on behalf of the ORR Athletic Booster Club “respectfully” withdrew Article 8 from the warrant.
Justin Shay had presented this article to the three Old Rochester towns at prior town meetings, but this time Rochester Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar’s research into the matter concluded that the article could not legally be adopted because municipalities are prohibited from using public money to fund private organizations.
Shay had hoped to ultimately receive $20,000 from each of the three towns to build a handicap accessible press box at the Old Rochester High School’s main field. The original press box was razed when the school was renovated in 2002 and was never rebuilt.
During an October 7 meeting of the Board of Selectmen, Szyndlar determined that Shay would have to seek the funding for the project within the school budget.
In other business, voters adopted Article 1 for $5,000 for the Parks Department to complete a concrete carport pad, install a handicap sidewalk, and purchase two picnic tables.
Voters also adopted Article 2 requesting $50,000 for a used dump sander truck for the Highway Department; Article 3 for $8,000 for a tax map layout, alignment, and improvement as a result of a conversion to GIS format; Article 4 for $17,000 to fund site work on town-owned land located on Dexter Lane for an overflow parking area; and Article 7 authorizing the Board of Selectmen to transfer 16.8 acres of town-owned land, known as the “Dexter Lane Recreation Area”, to the Rochester Park Commission to hold as open space, parks, and recreational uses.
Rochester Fall Special Town Meeting
By Jean Perry