An item from the report of the Templeton municipal Light department from the pages of the Templeton Annual Town Report of 2014:




Despite the above-the-line legal expenses for 2013, in March the Light Commission graciously voted to make to the town a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) of $150,000, a figure equivalent to 250% of the Light Plant’s net revenues for 2013, in order to reduce the town’s mill rate of taxation for Fiscal year 2014. Going forward the Light Plant shall budget more funds for legal expenses to be recovered through our electric rates pursuant to Massachusetts General Law Chapter 164 Section 58.

The Light Commission and the General Manager would like to thank all of the Light Plant’s employees for their continued dedication and hard work in 2013.

Respectfully Submitted,

John M. Driscoll Dana Blais

General Manager Board Chairman

Gregg Edwards Chris Stewart

Board Secretary Board Member


Below is a section from Massachusetts General Law, chapter 164, section 47c; this is the section that was referenced at a meeting of the Templeton BOS by Sean Hamilton (former general manager of Templeton Municipal Light) I believe this came up in a discussion of the financing of the wind turbine project. MGL chapter 164, section 47c deals with Municipal lighting plant cooperatives.


(j) Except as provided for herein, a municipal lighting plant cooperative shall be exempt from paying taxes, including, but not limited to taxes on its income and real and personal property situated within the commonwealth and owned by the municipal light plant cooperative; provided, however, that the cooperative shall agree, in lieu of property taxes, to pay to any governmental body authorized to levy local property taxes the amount which would be assessable as local property taxes on the real and tangible personal property if such property were the property of a domestic corporation; provided, further, that no such municipal lighting plant cooperative shall be allowed to commence any such operations allowed pursuant to this section or exercise any such powers pursuant to subsection (d) until such payment in lieu of taxes is executed. The cooperative shall pay all sales or excise taxes which are properly assessed on its business activities under this section to the extent such taxes are assessed against domestic corporations.


I guess we will soon see how gracious the commissioners are this year.


Jeff Bennett