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Buckfield sets Dec. 2 special town meeting to consider moratorium on commercial solar farms
Summary
Board approved placing a temporary moratorium on commercial solar development on the Dec. 2 special town meeting warrant so the Planning Board can draft an ordinance; supporters cited a lack of local guidelines and urged public input before permanent rules are enacted.
Speaker 3 moved that the Select Board call a special town meeting to establish a moratorium on commercial solar farms until the Planning Board drafts an ordinance for voters to consider. Speaker 3 said the town currently lacks local guidelines for solar development and expressed concern that, "Without a moratorium, we're kind of gambling that nothing will happen until June when we actually have an election and, hopefully, something from the Planning Board to put before the voters."
Speaker 2 said a draft ordinance already exists and that the Planning Board has previously worked on solar rules but was sidetracked by other applications and the education-exploration work. Board members discussed whether to form a temporary ad hoc committee versus using existing ordinance-development channels; Speaker 6 suggested narrowing scope to encourage volunteer participation.
The Select Board set the special town meeting for Dec. 2 at 6 p.m. (with the Select Board meeting to follow) and voted to place the moratorium item on that warrant. Speaker 2 agreed to email the original moratorium language to board members before the next meeting and to confirm publication and posting requirements for the special meeting.
