Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 8/1/2022
BELCHERTOWN – With energy costs on the rise, the Belchertown Select Board discussed challenges with the prices during its July 25 meeting.
By purchasing the same amount of oil as fiscal year 2022 (FY22), Town Administrator Gary Brougham said it would be a significant price increase.
“If we locked heating oil, diesel fuel and gasoline in the same quantities as the previous fiscal year, we are looking at a $90,000 increase, but we are holding off and hoping there is going to be some additional supplies,” he said. “Gasoline is coming down, but heating oil still remains just crazy, but we’re watching it very closely.”
Brougham also touched on the town’s electricity contract, which is currently locked in at 8 cents per kilowatt hour.
“In anticipation of having to do something in the foreseeable future, we spoke to our energy broker and a short term deal we’re looking at 18 cents per kilowatt hour, a two-year deal drops down to 17 cents, a three year we are looking at 15 cents,” he said.
Board member Ron Aponte said he thought it was “wise” to wait before moving on the prices for oil or electricity.
“Later on, this week the [federal government] will probably be increasing interest rates, they are also going to come out with the GDP [gross domestic product] – a lot of speculation that it will in fact confirm that we’re currently in a recession. Those two factors will hopefully slow down the demand and should force down the price of electricity and oil theoretically,” he said.
Brougham added, “I’m very concerned.”
Without a contract, board Clerk Ed Boscher asked how long it could be before the contract is finalized.
“Ideally we would like to have a contract in place before the beginning of the heating season, but if the prices are not attractive and it looks like there are going to be further drops, we may head into the heating season without a contract,” Brougham said. “We might just roll the dice and hope that at some point we see something that is attractive.”
Boscher added that he was in favor of waiting it out before jumping into a contract.
When Boscher asked about potentially looking into adding solar to the town’s infrastructure, Brougham said it would be difficult with a lack of grant programs for it.
“There are no available credits with the commonwealth so there is no development money because it is not as attractive. If we get those state issued credits it subsidizes the cost of construction. Without those credits it is not cost effective,” he said.
Vice Chair Jim Barry noted that there are credit programs that are reserved for taxpayers and not municipalities.
“The problem with municipalities is that we cannot take a 25 percent federal tax credit on our income taxes because we don’t pay income taxes. What has happened in the past is a large corporation, when they start looking for places to place their facilities, there was a financial incentive for them to partner with municipalities,” he said.
In this scenario, Barry said the cost for town electricity would be “slightly cheaper than National Grid, but not substantially cheaper.”
Brougham also provided an update on the FY23 budget.
“We have a preliminary FY23 cherry sheet. The budget has still not been finalized by Gov. [Charlie] Baker but with the preliminary numbers we are up $150,000 in state funds,” he said.
During the meeting, the board also received a certificate that declared Belchertown is a Dementia-Friendly Community in Massachusetts.
The Belchertown Select Board next met Aug. 1 and coverage of that meeting will appear in the Aug. 11 edition of The Reminder.