At the recommendation of the Waldoboro Community Energy Committee, the Waldoboro Board of Selectmen voted to withdraw a recent grant application to fund placing solar panels on the roof of the Town Office.
The board voted unanimously on Aug. 24 – with Selectman Bob Butler absent – to withdraw the application after the Energy Committee voiced concerns about the fact that they have not completed their energy audit of the Town Office.
The Community Energy Committee was formed to use federal grants the town received to conduct energy audits on municipal buildings and recommend energy saving measures for the town to pursue, said Town Manager William Post.
Unfortunately, the application deadline for the grant that would have funded the solar project was due before the committee had time to finish their auditing process.
The audit and the solar project grants are both funded through federal stimulus dollars.
“It’s frustrating that they timed these grants such that there wasn’t enough time to receive the money for the audits and conduct them before the next application was due,” Post said.
The Energy Committee expressed their concerns that the energy audits may demonstrate that there are better uses for the $8100 in town funds that would have gone towards the solar project, Post said.
Residents can expect their tax bills to be mailed during the week of Aug. 30, Post said.
Using this year’s mil rate, most residents will see their tax bill decrease. However, as with all towns, the state cut to the homestead exemption will create a slight cost increase for some residents.
The state cut the homestead exemption from $13,000 to $10,000.
