Commissioner Mance reported to the Hampshire County Commission on July 8 that NextEra Energy has contacted the county regarding proposed regional transmission lines that would cross Hampshire County and advocated reviewing whether the county can influence routing or design through tax-offset incentives.

Mance said the outreach included messaging about taxes and economic benefits the company expects to provide. "Nextera wants to build large overhead transmission lines through our county. We do not want that. We've advocated an alternative, which is bearing the lines along, our major routes in The US Route 50, which would increase the cost by almost 2 times," Mance said. He suggested county staff and commissioners examine how to use potential tax revenue or incentive programs to encourage the project to use routes preferred by the county.

Mance said he would continue researching investment tools and planned to present findings and a proposed county response by the commission's next meeting. He also said he has been researching investment tools related to the sale of the senior center and has an RFP prepared for that item.

Why it matters: Transmission routing and siting can affect local land use, visual impacts and property interests. Commissioner Mance framed the matter as an opportunity for the county to evaluate incentives to influence project design, but no formal county action or policy was adopted on July 8.

No formal motion was made; Mance committed to provide research and a proposed response for future consideration.