WHITE LAKE, NY — The Town of Bethel held a public hearing on a proposed zoning law that would cover both small and large solar installations. In New York, solar installations are exempt from property taxes for 15 years, unless the municipality in question votes to “opt out” of that exemption.

The towns of Cochecton and Fremont voted to opt out, and therefore the owners of solar arrays will pay full taxes. Bethel Supervisor Dan Sturm said that the town board wanted to encourage the installation of solar arrays as much as possible, and therefore they decided not to opt out of the exemptions. Small installations meant to serve the property they are located on will, therefore, receive the tax breaks, but larger, commercial installations will have a mandated payment-in-lieu of taxes agreement with the town.

Resident Susan Brown Otto wanted to ensure that provisions in the law would insure that solar arrays would be properly decommissioned when they come to the end of their useful life. She noted that some large satellite dishes from the 1980s can still be seen in some locations.

Sturm said the decommissioning section of the law was “state of the art.”

The board agreed to some minor changes in the law, which was based on a model solar law developed by the state but customized to meet local needs. The board will accept written comments on the law until February 7.

An electric car

In another nod to renewable energy, Sturm asked the board to approve going out for bid to purchase a Smart USA Electric Vehicle. He said this would fulfill the fourth out of 10 requirements of the state’s Cleaner Greener Program, which could pave they was for a grant for up to $100,000 for an energy-efficiency project, with no local match requirements.

He said, “It will show that the town of Bethel is going to lead by example and demonstrate the town’s support for clean vehicles and the environmental and economic benefits that they provide.”

The board unanimously approved the purchase. (See editorial, page 6.)