Select Board amends budget warrant; solar project bond, utility revaluation and transfer-station study added

The Canterbury Select Board opened a public hearing on proposed changes to the town operating budget and second-session warrant articles, including a proposed increase to the municipal solar project bond and new items for utility revaluation and a transfer-station study.

The board discussed moving the solar-panel warrant (currently numbered 15) to an earlier position on the warrant and raising the bond amount under consideration from $180,000 to $210,000. Board members and a committee representative said the article’s language will be revised for the next public hearing to remove references to battery storage and to reflect a higher ballot approval threshold the committee expects (a three‑fifths vote). Town staff and the energy committee agreed to post updated language and supporting materials before the next hearing.

Why it matters: the warrant article for the municipal-complex solar array is a high-dollar capital request that will appear on the ballot. The board and project proponents said the panels are expected to reduce the town’s annual electricity costs, and the bond payments would be covered in part by those savings; proponents said the project should not cause an overall tax increase, while select board members asked for clearer, written calculations to show how the bond payments and energy savings interact in year one and over the bond term.

Key details and changes discussed - Solar project: committee recommended increasing the bond figure to $210,000 and removing batteries from the warrant language; board members requested formal quotes and a clearer written spreadsheet showing projected generation, bond payments and the assumed savings before finalizing wording for the warrant. - Vote threshold: participants said the article will likely require more than a majority at the ballot and discussed a three‑fifths requirement (as the committee expects) in public comments. - Net metering: a committee representative described how Unitil’s group net‑metering would allow generation to be credited across town meters, with the municipal building’s meter serving as the net meter and other accounts participating in the group. - Insurance and payroll lines: multiple line‑item changes for employee disability/life insurance were reported to staff spreadsheets (examples recorded by staff): executive session page bottom — disability insurance revised from $2,410 to $2,260; another line from $803 to $1,011; police disability/life from $3,213 to $4,099; highway disability/life from $3,213 to $3,918; and one disability entry on page 10 from $2,410 to $2,544. These are shown on the working budget spreadsheets staff shared at the hearing. - Revaluation of utilities: the board agreed to add a new line (code 4152) titled “revaluation of utilities” funded at $6,500 to pay a certified utility valuation expert; staff said Eversource recently upgraded transmission lines and the town expects the revaluation cost will be returned in increased property tax assessments of the utility. - Household hazardous waste: the existing warrant article for a household hazardous-waste day would be amended to $10,500 (the committee noted a grant offset; the hearing record shows the project cost and grant estimate but uses a conservative warrant figure). - Transfer-station feasibility study: the board approved new warrant language (to become article 19) to authorize a feasibility and suitability study of the town transfer station, to “renovate/expand the transfer station at the current site and determine if the current site is not suitable,” and to authorize up to $6,500 to be withdrawn from the transfer‑station capital reserve account for the study. - Budget totals: staff reported an operating grand total of $3,485,250, an increase the packet shows as $161,007.98 (about a 4.9% increase). Staff said the $6,500 utility revaluation is included in that operating subtotal and that removing it from operating would lower the percentage slightly (to about 4.7%).

Board direction and next steps The Select Board asked project proponents to provide written backup (a spreadsheet of costs, sample quotes/estimates and an explanatory one‑page flyer) and to email that material to the board before the next public hearing. The board set a second public hearing to consider the amended warrant and updated budget materials (the record notes that the next public hearing will be held Tuesday, Feb. 18). The board will post updated warrant language and tax‑impact figures for each article before the next hearing.

Fiscal and procedural context Board members stressed they will want clear, comparable bids/quotes before finalizing a different bond amount on the warrant; they noted the board is not required to pick the lowest bid by policy and that the board typically evaluates quotes on overall value and qualifications. Several members said they would be reluctant to increase the bond without being able to show voters the supporting numbers in a concise format.

The hearing remained open at the end of the session so updates can be posted and the warrant language reprinted ahead of the next public hearing.