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Select Board considers new conservation revolving fund to hold $5,000 solar lease payment
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Summary
Board and conservation commission discussed creating a dedicated revolving fund to receipt a $5,000 annual conservation payment from a landfill solar lease, clarifying accounting, bylaw amendments, and use for rapid conservation actions; Audubon provided $6,000 for wetland inspections related to a land swap.
The Hamlin Select Board on March 30 discussed a proposal to establish a second conservation revolving fund to collect an annual $5,000 payment generated by a solar lease on the town landfill. Brian and conservation commission representatives said the dedicated fund would place the money under the commission’s control and permit quicker spending for conservation opportunities without a separate appropriation each year.
A conservation commission speaker told the board the $5,000 payment has been handled inconsistently in the past and that establishing a departmental revolving fund would require a warrant article and a bylaw amendment so the fund and annual spending cap are properly authorized. "The advantage of having a revolving fund is that those funds don't require an additional vote for appropriation," Brian said, arguing it would serve the original purpose of the $1,000 annual appropriation the town had historically made for conservation.
Board members discussed the account balance and accounting history: figures cited in the meeting ranged from approximately $20,000 to $40,000 in the existing conservation account. The commission described other funding that supports wetland monitoring: Audubon provided $6,000 to cover two site inspections (the commission estimated roughly $3,000 per inspection) for replicated conservation land acquired during an Ameresco land swap connected to a solar project. The commission has hired a wetland scientist to perform delineation and monitoring work (estimated 6–8 hours), to be paid from the conservation revolving account.
Board members also noted the $5,000 payment will continue "as long as the lease is active," and instructed staff to prepare a warrant article and any necessary bylaw language to create and reauthorize the new fund at town meeting. One board member said there appeared to be no urgency to sweep funds immediately and that authorization could be formalized at the upcoming town meeting.
The board asked for clearer documentation on the origin and restrictions of past payments, and conservation staff agreed to provide written guidance and the commission’s recommended language for a warrant article.
