Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Renewable Energy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Franklin County Legislature approves 30‑year PILOT for Jericho Rise wind project; treasurer authorized to sign agreement
Summary
The Franklin County Legislature approved a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) arrangement for the proposed Jericho Rise Wind Farm, allocating 75% of payments proportionally to affected taxing jurisdictions and assigning the remaining 25% to the Chateaugay Central School District; the exemption was set for 30 payment years and the county treasurer authorized to execute the agreement.
The Franklin County Legislature on Sept. 15 approved a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement for the proposed Jericho Rise Wind Farm, a project the applicant says would include approximately 37 turbines with roughly 77.7 megawatts of nameplate capacity located in the towns of Bellmont and Chateaugay.
Under the approved allocation, 75 percent of annual PILOT payments will be distributed among affected taxing jurisdictions in proportion to the real property and other taxes they would have received absent the project’s tax-exempt status; the remaining 25 percent will be allocated to the Chateaugay Central School District. The Legislature set the exemption period to cover thirty payment years commencing with the first assessment roll year after commercial operation, and authorized a 100 percent real property tax exemption for the project under the Industrial Development Agency arrangement.
The resolution cites General Municipal Law §858(15) (allocation of PILOT payments) and the Agency’s Uniform Tax Exemption Policy (UTEP) as the basis for the county’s approach. The Franklin County Treasurer, subject to County Attorney review, was authorized to execute the PILOT Agreement on behalf of the county.
Legislators recorded an abstention by Chairman D. Billy Jones; the resolution was adopted with five ayes and one abstention. The motion specifies a PILOT payment baseline of $4,000 per megawatt of installed nameplate capacity (up to 77.7 MW) adjusted annually, as reflected in the draft agreement presented to the Legislature.
The agreement contemplates facility elements including meteorological towers, an electrical collection system, an operation and maintenance building, collection and interconnection substations, access roads and related site work. The Legislature’s action authorizes county execution of the PILOT framework but does not itself authorize construction; permitting and other approvals remain with applicable state and local agencies.
