The Northampton City Council on Nov. 20 heard a detailed presentation on three school energy projects and voted to refer the financial orders to the council’s Dec. 4 meeting consent agenda.

Director Weil told the council the projects include filling in rooftop PV at Ryan Road School, installing a solar parking canopy at Jackson Street School through a power purchase agreement (PPA), and replacing the high school chiller with a geothermal ground‑loop system. "If we have a contract signed before the end of the year, then we can order materials," Weil said, urging action to secure federal investment tax credits.

Weil gave estimates and performance expectations: the Ryan Road array is roughly 180 kilowatts and, after tax credits, had a net cost Weil said would be in the low‑hundreds of thousands; the Jackson Street canopy would use a PPA so the district would purchase electricity at an estimated fixed rate of 15¢ per kilowatt‑hour; and the geothermal ground loop was presented as a higher up‑front cost but with lower life‑cycle costs and large federal credits. "A ground loop heat exchanger ... has a lifetime of a 100 plus years," he said.

Director of Finance Nardi told the council the city’s debt schedule has room to finance projects: reductions in the debt schedule in 2026–27 create capacity, and the climate mitigation stabilization fund could contribute seed financing. Nardi said short‑term borrowing would cover upfront costs until tax credits and rebates are received, with long‑term bonds covering the financed balance.

Councilors asked about contract terms, exit penalties, the competitive procurement process and construction impacts. Weil said the city plans to use PowerOptions, a cooperative pre‑procurement platform, for solar procurements and that a geothermal bid would follow authorization. On construction impacts at the high school, Weil said the work would start with a test well and — with two rigs — the bulk of drilling could be done in roughly six months, with efforts to concentrate noisy work in the summer.

After questions, Councilor Moulton moved that the three financial orders be referred as a group to the Dec. 4 consent agenda; the motion passed by roll call, with Councilor Rothenberg voting no and the remainder in favor.

The referral means councilors will see final appropriation amounts and, in some cases, contract terms at the Dec. 4 meeting before authorizing contracts or borrowing. The council packet and the feasibility study for the high‑school geothermal project were described as part of the public record and posted to relevant commission pages.