Town Meeting approved Article 37, giving the Select Board the authority to enter into an energy credit agreement to purchase solar credits at a discount. Town Administrator Nicholas Milano explained that this is not a direct purchase of power, but rather a financial arrangement where the town buys credits from off-site solar farms in Massachusetts at a discount—potentially as high as 17.5%—and applies them to municipal utility bills.

The program is strictly for town-owned buildings and does not affect the community electricity aggregation program available to Milton residents. Milano confirmed that the town is working through Power Options, a consortium for public entities, to secure the best rates. The town would purchase these credits at a discount and then apply them to our electricity bills through Eversource, Milano told members.

Responding to questions from the floor, Milano noted that while the town is exploring solar canopies for the High School parking lot, such projects were not part of this specific article. The authorization is intended to help the town manage rising energy costs and leverage renewable energy projects built elsewhere in the Commonwealth.

Motion: To approve the article as printed in the warrant.

Vote: Passed 184-8-6