Sheffield: Special Town Meeting Info

From the Town of Sheffield

There will be a Special Town Meeting on September 24, 2018 at 6:30 P.M. at the Sheffield Senior Center, 25 Cook Road. Below is the Special Town Meeting Warrant and Article Information Sheet.

Article 1. This is the same article that was presented at the Annual Town Meeting in May. The Town has signed five of the same agreements, four with the same principles as Park Avenue Solar and one with Seaboard Solar for the large array on County and Home Roads. Discussion at the Annual Town Meeting in May ended up being more about the income that the developers will make from the system. The Town has no authority to tax income, the town can only work out payments based on the cost of the equipment (personal property). There was also confusion on whether this agreement allowed the project, the project has received all of the required permits from the Town and is expected to move forward.

A positive vote on this article allows the Selectmen to negotiate an agreement in the best interest of the Town. Payments on the first five agreements that have been approved are spread out over a 20 year period, which allows the Town to have a known stream of income for 20 years. The payment amounts are based on the cost of the project. As soon as the developer submits an application for the Building Permit and provides the Assessor's office with the cost of all of the equipment, an annual payment will be negotiated and set. The payments have not been set at this time because the Town has not been provided with all of the equipment costs.

Article 2. The State is funding the replacement of the Berkshire School Road Bridge. This is the bridge that is currently restricted. The article was passed at the Annual Town Meeting in May. There was a slight change in the plans and the easements from abutters are not obtained before the approval vote expired. As stated at the Annual Town Meeting the roadway will not be altered, but sidewalks will be installed on each side of the road. This project will go out to bid in January.

More article information can be found by going here

(above information sent to WSBS from the Town of Sheffield for online and on-air use)