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Select Board accepts private donations, creates trust fund to install EV chargers
Summary
The Tamworth Select Board voted May 12 to accept $3,350 in private donations and establish a temporary trust fund to finance privately funded EV chargers at the town office parking lot; committee members said roughly $13,000 is pledged and installation before June 30 could trigger a 30% direct‑pay incentive under the Inflation Reduction Act.
The Tamworth Select Board voted May 12 to accept $3,350 in private donations and direct the funds to a newly created trust to pay for electric‑vehicle chargers at the town office parking lot.
The request came from Gabrielle Watson of the town’s Energy Committee, who said the chargers were authorized by a town‑meeting warrant stipulating that no public money be used and that the project be financed with private donations and pledges. Watson told the board that about $13,000 in pledges has been made and that checks totaling $3,350 were already in hand.
Watson stressed the time sensitivity: if the chargers are installed by June 30, the town could qualify for a 30% direct‑pay benefit under the Inflation Reduction Act. “If we’re able to do that and get them installed by June 30th, then the town is eligible for a 30% direct pay,” Watson said.
Under the procedure the board approved, donations will be deposited with the trustees of the trust funds into an account titled “energy improvements on town buildings infrastructure trust fund.” Expenditures would be made by future vote of the Select Board and the trust would be closed when the project is complete.
Board members discussed how charging revenue and maintenance costs will be handled. Staff said charger use revenue will be recorded in the town’s operating budget like other municipal receipts and that any surplus would roll into the town’s fund balance unless the Select Board elects to reserve it for specific uses. Watson and staff also described a process to set user fees so operating and maintenance costs are covered and to adjust rates as needed.
A motion to accept the donations and establish the trust fund passed on a roll‑call vote.
Next steps: the Energy Committee will continue fundraising and obtain vendor and installation proposals; the board will vote on vendor contracts and final expenditures once total costs and schedules are known.
