Buncombe County staff brief commissioners on new statewide CPACE program; resolution required for local participation

Jeremiah, a county staff member, updated the Buncombe County Energy & Environment Subcommittee on North Carolina's recently enacted Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy program, known as CPACE, explaining the county would have to adopt a resolution before commercial properties here could enroll.

The program allows privately owned commercial, industrial and agricultural property owners to finance clean-energy, water-conservation, energy-efficiency and resiliency projects and repay the financing through a property assessment on the tax bill. Jeremiah said the program is state-administered and voluntary for counties and property owners.

County staff told the subcommittee the law places administration responsibilities with a state agency rather than local government—addressing an earlier concern from local governments about the administrative burden. Jeremiah said the program will create a lien on participating properties and that, unlike a typical bank loan, the repayment…