GRAFTON — The Selectboard has discussed the necessity of hiring a lawyer to negotiate with the Public Service Board should a company contemplating a wind farm project decide to pursue it.
The Iberdrola Renewables will soon erect meteorological (MET) towers for its Stiles Brook Project, which could cause the town to incur legal expenses, board members said.
The board will seek $15,000 in the next year's budget for “funds for any legal liability coming down the road.”
Treasurer Cynthia W. Gibbs, asking why the board would consider such an increase, wondered if the board was planning to defend the windmills against potential challenges.
Board member Peter Jeziorski stated no.
Gibbs noted that the town already has liability insurance through Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT), a nonprofit association of municipalities throughout the state, Select Board Chair Bill Kearns pointed out that the funds would be used for legal counsel.
While the town has some free legal counsel as a benefit of membership in the VLCT, board members cited the risk of incurring a deficit from legal costs over a large and complicated municipal issue.
Board member David Rogers stated he is “already struggling and ... the money is not out there.”
Kearns stated he is “willing to risk running a deficit but at some point if the windmills go through, the town will have to hire an attorney to negotiate once an application is filled with the Public Service Board.”
Kearns did not think that scenario will happen this year, however.