Most of the comments submitted to Franklin County commissioners prior to their vote this week approving a tax break for TransCanada's wind farm appear to oppose the deal, a review of the documents reveals. Commissioners Tuesday unanimously approved creation of a $9 million, 20- year tax break for TransCanada's 44-turbine project to be built in the unorganized Kibby and Skinner townships near the Canadian border. The debate over the tax issue elicited dozens of letters, public comments, emails and phone calls to the three commissioners and to the county office. ...Under the TIF, out of TransCanada's $22.2 million property taxes over 20 years, a maximum of $9 million will be returned to the company and Maine's Unorganized Territory will receive $9.3 million.

The Franklin County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved creation of a 20-year tax break for TransCanada's Kibby Wind Power Project that will be built in the unorganized territory near the Canadian border. Public opposition to the deal has revolved around the $9 million of property taxes TransCanada would have paid on the $220 million taxable investment that under the Tax Increment Financing program, will be returned to the company. That money would have lowered municipality's county taxes substantially, local officials have said. ... Public comment at last week's public hearing was overwhelmingly opposed to the TIF.

Franklin County commissioners were urged Thursday night to reject a tax break for a Canadian wind-farm developer because the company didn't need "corporate welfare" and the project should rise or fall on its own merits. A majority of the 40 or so people speaking at a hearing on a 20-year tax agreement between Franklin County and TransCanada said the Canadian energy company could well afford to build the project. They also said a tax break was never discussed during the application process at the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission, and the company's wealth was touted at that time. ...Sure the county is going to get $4 million, Heeschen said, "but in order to do that we have to pay $9 million to the developer. If we didn't do the TIF, I believe the project would go on."

Franklin County commissioners will hold a public hearing Thursday on a proposed 20-year tax-increment financing agreement between the county and TransCanada, a Canadian-based energy company. TransCanada is proposing to build a 132 megawatt, 44-turbine commercial wind farm along Kibby Mountain and Kibby Range in Kibby and Skinner townships in northern Franklin County. The total investment to develop the project is estimated at $270 million. The hearing on the proposed Franklin County Enterprise Development and Tax Increment Financing District (TIF) will discuss the number below.

If the project goes forward with a TIF agreement, it is expected there would be an 8 percent decline in the tax rate in the unorganized territory in the first year, he said. The rate would drop from $8.08 per $1,000 of value to $7.43 per $1,000. According to Carrabassett Valley Town Manager Dave Cota, if there were no TIF, all municipalities would also see a decrease in county taxes. With a TIF, Cota said in a letter to commissioners, there would be a significant loss of property tax revenue and a corresponding tax shift back to Franklin County municipalities, especially high-valuation communities that will ultimately pay for the TIF. County Commissioner Gary McGrane said commissioners did listen to concerns from municipal leaders about the TIF and tried to make it fair for all.

If the proposed tax break for a Canadian energy company's 44-turbine wind farm in Northern Franklin County is approved, millions of dollars would be available to market the scenic attractions of the unorganized territory and promote economic development. ...The deal would give Franklin County $4 million a year of the "captured" property tax money to target economic development. Another $8.9 million would be returned annually to TransCanada to invest in the project. ..."I am shocked," Cota said. "Instead of giving property tax relief, we are getting these new programs when we need money for county services." He questions whether the new programs are really needed and if residents in the unorganized territory really want them. Dain Trafton of Phillips also argues that "putting money back into people's pockets" is the most beneficial thing to do. He said TransCanada had originally told the community the company had no plans to apply for a TIF. TransCanada's project director, Nick DiDomenico, has since said the company needs the tax break in light of soaring costs and a drop in the value of the dollar.

County commissioners unveiled a draft agreement Thursday for a tax-increment financing district that could bring the county up to $4 million over 20 years to use for economic development in unorganized territories. ...But Carrabassett Valley Town Manager Dave Cota said the draft agreement would shift more of the county tax burden to organized towns and let the company get away with not paying its fair share of taxes. Mitchell said the purpose was to reach a balanced agreement that would benefit all of the county directly and indirectly. The TIF would capture 75 percent of the new tax revenue for the first 10 years and 50 percent for the latter 10, with the county keeping 40 percent and TransCanada getting 60 percent. The remaining tax revenue gained would go into the state's unorganized territory fund.

The company's $220 million effort near the Canadian border will be in the spotlight at 6 p.m. upstairs in the Franklin County Courthouse on Main Street. The details of the tax-increment financing program will be unveiled by the county's consultant, Gregory Mitchell of Eaton Peabody Consulting Group. The public is invited to comment and suggestions could be incorporated into the draft proposal, said Commissioner Gary McGrane of Jay. A formal public hearing is set for May 29. The TIF proposal presented Thursday will include the percentage of the wind farm's annual $1.1 million property taxes that would be returned to the company for reinvestment into the project for the next 20 years.

Franklin County commissioners have scheduled a meeting March 25 to talk about the financial aspects of a tax-increment financing program for TransCanada's proposed Kibby wind power project in Franklin County. The plan is to talk about the project value, tax revenue projections and the impact on the county, state and the unorganized budgets, consultant Greg Mitchell said. He is working on behalf of the county to help negotiate a tax-increment financing deal between the Canadian company and the Franklin County Commission. ...The total cost of just the turbines is estimated to be more than $160 million, Di domenico said. The intent, if the project moves forward, Di domenico said, is to start development in August or September and to have half of the wind farm in service in 2009 and the other half in 2010. A TIF is only one element the corporate board will be looking at in the cost analysis of the project, but it is not the only deciding factor, Di domenico said.

TransCanada is interested in a 60-40 TIF district with 60 percent of the taxes generated from a wind farm going back to the developer to put into the project. The other 40 percent would be kept by the county for economic development in unorganized territories. ...TIFs have been widely used by municipalities because the new value of the project is "captured" and can be "sheltered" from state valuation. State valuations are used in state formulas for education subsidies, revenue sharing and also for computing county taxes, Ledew said. Because the UT receives no state education subsidy, sheltering TIF value in the UT will not translate to additional education subsidies for unorganized territory residents.

The northern Franklin County wind farm proposed by Canadian power producer TransCanada will not only significantly reduce the tax rate in the unorganized townships, but it could provide funds for economic development, a state official said Tuesday. Franklin County commissioners Tuesday voted to engage Eaton Peabody Consulting Group of Augusta to advise, develop and negotiate a tax-break arrangement known as a tax-increment financing district, or TIF, with TransCanada. According to TransCanada's project manager, Nick DiDomenico, the company will pick up the cost of all of Eaton Peabody's services, estimated at $40,000.

A consultant specializing in tax-increment financing deals and economic development and a representative of TransCanada are scheduled to meet with Franklin County commissioners Tuesday. TransCanada proposes to build a $270 million, 44-wind turbine project on Kibby Mountain and Kibby Range in Kibby and Skinner townships in northern Franklin County near the Canadian border. ...Mitchell recommended if commissioners want to capture some new tax revenue to support economic development in unorganized territories, then planning needs to take place before a proposed wind power project's value is counted toward the county's state valuation.

TransCanada has not yet formally asked the county to consider a state-sponsored tax break program for its $270 million wind farm project near the Canadian border. But on Tuesday, an outside consultant urged county commissioners to take the initiative and pursue the program since capturing the new tax revenue will benefit the county. Franklin County, in conjunction with TransCanada, could take the lead and set up a Tax Increment Financing District to capture all or part of the new property and business equipment tax generated by the wind farm in Kibby and Skinner Townships, said Greg Mitchell of Eaton Peabody Consulting Group LLC of Augusta.

Washington County officials have given a boost to a power project planned for northern Washington County and set a milestone in Maine by becoming the first county in the state to establish a tax increment financing district in the Unorganized Territory. By approving the TIF district for the Evergreen Wind Power project on remote Stetson Mountain, the Washington County commissioners will get to keep approximately $3.8 million of the $9.4 million in tax revenue generated by the project over the next 20 years. The county will use its share of the taxes for other economic development projects in Washington County and return the remaining $5.6 million to Evergreen for reinvestment in the project.

Boston utility NStar's plan to let customers buy wind-generated electricity is running into a gale of opposition from a rival "green power" provider, who said yesterday NStar's program would violate state law. Although Attorney General Martha Coakley and the Conservation Law Foundation, a Boston legal-environmental group, are backing the NStar plan, Larry Chretien, executive director of the Massachusetts Energy Consumers Alliance, said it violates the 1997 state utility restructuring law. That law, Chretien said, limits utilities to being "distribution companies" that deliver power that customers buy through the utility from independent third-party energy producers and means NStar can't legally become the supplier of power through contracts with wind farms in upstate New York and Maine. NStar plans to begin offering wind power by Jan. 1, pending state approval.

The Boston utility NStar plans to allow its residential and small business customers to buy their electricity from environmentally friendly wind farms - for a price. In a first of its kind for Massachusetts utilities, NStar is proposing to let its 1.1 million electric customers in Boston and 80 eastern Massachusetts cities and towns buy their power directly from a wind farm in upstate New York and a second under development in Maine. Because the wind farms are more expensive than conventional sources like coal and nuclear power, a typical homeowner would pay a premium of about $7.50 to $15 monthly. The program, being announced today, will need approval from state utility regulators before it is launched, which could be as soon as Jan. 1.

Reeling a bit from the news their new school won’t be ready until the fall of 2009, SAD 3 board members also received some good news Monday night. Supt. Barbara Mosseau said Steve Cole of Coastal Enterprises Inc. has informed her the district is receiving a $60,000 grant from the Cox Trust. The money will be used to assist the district in determining whether wind power will be feasible in the energy mix at the new school. The district is already eyeing a wood chip boiler and board members think a windmill would be a good addition as well.