Assessors propose 20-year tax agreement for planned CVE solar array; annual average billed at $42,675

Jessica Kelmelis, speaking on behalf of the Town of Tolland Board of Assessors, presented a proposed 20‑year tax agreement for a planned CVE solar array on Colebrook River Road. The assessors modeled the project using an assumed value of $1.7 million per megawatt and per battery installation and described a depreciation schedule and tax‑rate escalation to calculate the agreement amount.

According to Kelmelis, the assessors applied a 7% depreciation for the first 10 years (presented as arriving at 30% of the original value for the remaining 10 years) and a 3% annual increase in the tax rate over the 20‑year term. The approach averaged the calculated tax amounts over the full term to produce an annual bill. The assessors reported that the resulting annual amount would be $42,675.00. The Board of Assessors adopted this recommendation at their meeting on February 27, 2026.

The proposal was presented to the Town of Tolland Board of Selectmen for their information during the March 16 meeting; the minutes record the assessors’ methodology and the recommended annual figure but do not record a Selectmen vote on a final tax agreement at this meeting. The presentation identifies key inputs (assessed value per megawatt, depreciation approach, and a 3% annual tax‑rate increase) that would determine the town’s revenue under any negotiated agreement.

The assessors’ recommended method and the example annual amount provide the board and the public a basis for later discussion or negotiation with the project owner (CVE). Additional details—such as the total megawatts to be taxed, explicit year‑by‑year payment schedule, and whether the figure reflects gross generation, battery capacity, or parcel‑specific adjustments—were not specified in the minutes and would need to be confirmed in the formal tax‑agreement document or subsequent Selectmen action.