The Katonah-Lewisboro Union Free School District board on Thursday approved the consent agenda, including a resolution to move forward with an energy performance contract that will install solar at all five district buildings and add ground-mounted panels at an unused section of the LES campus.

District officials said the contract is structured so the district will not incur upfront engineering design costs if the project fails to proceed, but the deal is time sensitive because it relies on Investment Tax Credits created by the Inflation Reduction Act and requires approvals and closed financing by mid-December.

Why it matters: The district expects the system to supply roughly half of its energy needs and to generate net savings over the life of the contract. Officials said conservative estimates show potential district savings “anywhere upwards of $600,000” across the project, though specific financing terms and confidential negotiated items were not disclosed at the meeting.

Lisa, a district staff member who presented the contract update, told the board the team negotiated terms with Honeywell and Energia and with the district’s counsel so that the district avoids incurring pre-design costs if the project does not proceed. “For those…this project to be a feasible, energy performance contract in which it is essentially paying for itself over time, we are relying on the ITC, the investment tax credits, under the Inflation Reduction Act,” Lisa said. She added that the district needs approval from the New York State Education Department and closed financing by December 22 to capture the tax-credit timing.

Board members praised vendor persistence in bringing the deal back for approval. Marjorie, a board member who moved the consent agenda, noted Honeywell and Energia’s continued engagement; the motion to approve the consent agenda passed 7-0 following discussion.

Details and next steps: District staff said the contract will include solar on each of the district’s five buildings plus a ground-mounted field array at LES. The administration will begin submitting paperwork to the State Education Department (SED) immediately. Officials described some lease payments as part of the financing but said the long-term structure is projected to produce net savings when conservative assumptions about future energy prices and borrowing costs are applied.

What the board voted on: The board approved the consent agenda, moved by Marjorie and seconded by Barbara, 7-0. The resolution that includes the energy performance contract was part of that consent vote. No separate roll-call on the contract line item was taken in public beyond the consent vote.

The board and staff cautioned that exact figures and certain negotiated financing details are confidential; staff said they would proceed with SED filings and closing steps on the aggressive December timeline.