Towns want more say in windmill negotiations

Fairfield resident Jeff Roach, who said he was speaking on behalf of several town supervisors, remarked that unless town officials were more involved in the discussions, the town boards would opt to vote against taking part in the projects.
 

“Each town should have been included from the beginning and should play a bigger role in any future discussions,” said Roach, a member of a committee from the Fairfield-Norway area charged with looking into the project that's been proposed there.

County lawmakers, though, said Wednesday they wanted to hold off on involving town officials more until they have all the facts about the proposed projects themselves, particularly the results of a report being prepared by Encap Development LLC, which was hired by the county last year as a wind energy consultant.

“There is not a final report; we are still working toward that,” said county administrator James Wallace. “We want to get it right. We don't want a document that does not give all the answers.”

“We're trying to avoid getting misinformation out there,” said Legislator Patrick Russell (R-Old Forge).

However, Jordanville farmer Ed Mower and town of Warren planning board chairman Les Miller expressed frustration over what they perceived as a slow timetable among county officials and urged the county to hurry the negotiation process along. They worried that more delays might scare the wind energy companies away from engaging in projects in Herkimer County and lead them to look at other areas of the state.

“Time is of the essence,” said Roach.

Legislator Vincent Bono (R-Schuyler), however, said that the county wanted to take its time before making any decisions regarding the projects.

“We're doing our homework; we are at the forefront of this. I believe we are the only county that has hired a consultant. Every other county has gone into this blind,” said Bono.

The residents also urged county officials to make sure the towns involved got their fair share of any PILOT agreement that would be split between the county, towns, and school districts.

“We want the towers, but we're not going to do it unless the towns get their just share of the revenue,” said Roach.

“Our purpose in hiring a consultant was to try and become knowledgeable and informed, and what level of PILOT they (windmill companies) can pay before we remove our full taxation,” said Legislator Dennis Korce (R-Little Falls), chairman of the Finance Committee. “We need to be informed as to what is a fair amount on behalf of the county we should expect to receive.”

Mower added that the areas where projects have been proposed include some of the poorest townships in the county, saying the money generated by PILOT agreements would provide a much-needed economic boost to the towns and school districts.

“We need this money,” said Mower.

Mower, who has a contract in place with a wind energy company, said the projects would also benefit many landowners who are struggling financially. Landowners who lease out their land typically receive a yearly rent payment and are paid based on the kilowatts per hour that are generated by the windmill on their property.