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While these steady efficiency improvements continue year after year, making the Town as energy Report of the efficient as possible, the Town completed what will Finance Committee likely be the single largest energy project the Town will ever undertake. After five years of planning, contracting, permitting and construction work, the To the Honorable Board of Selectmen and Town has completed the construction and Citizens of the Town of Mashpee: interconnection of a 1.83 megawatt solar facility at the Town's closed landfill. This project is nearly six times The Finance Committee is a 7 member volunteer the size of the solar project installed at the High School board appointed by the Town Moderator. Its function in 2011. The landfill solar facility is projected to is to become familiar with the workings of the Mashpee generate over 2,385,000 kWh per year. This is a governmental operations,provide independent input to project that was the product of an amazing array of the Selectmen and Town Manager,but primarily to act people and agencies (far too many to name here), in an advisory capacity to the voters on matters which without whom it would not have happened. Once will come before them for their vote at Town Meeting. again, Mashpee has shown that we are serious about Those registered voters who attend Town Meeting are, our status as a leader in the green community,and are in essence, performing the function of the Legislative willing to pursue out of the box thinking to help branch of our municipal government. stabilize costs to the benefit of our environment. The Charter of the Town of Mashpee adopted in Goals for 2015 2004 specifically mandates that the Finance Committee • Secure additional funding from Green annually perform three specific functions: Community Program for additional energy Provide the voters with a "concise and readable efficiency projects. financial report" describing the revenues and • Continue to implement efficiency projects using consolidated expenses as part of the annual Town Cape Light Compact programs. operating budget. • Exceed prior year's allotment of rebate and Calculate a projected municipal tax rate resulting incentive money for Mashpee residents and from the adoption of the Town budget. businesses from Cape Light Compact. Make recommendations to the voters at both the Continuing our two-pronged approach to energy May, as well as the October Town Meeting, on management, the Town of Mashpee is now realizing each Warrant Article presented at Town Meeting, our goal of producing an amount of clean, renewable even if the Article has no financial impact. energy equal to approximately 90% of the Town's As part of the mandatory 10 year review energy load. This has been accomplished through the requirement of the Mashpee Town Charter,the Board development of several renewable energy projects, of Selectmen appointed a Charter Review Committee. spread across Town,coupled with the constant energy As prescribed in the Charter, two members of the efficiency upgrades performed at our buildings each Finance Committee (Charles Gasior and Theresa year. Renewable energy generation is up and usage is Cook), along with two Selectmen, two School down...just the way we like it. Committee members, a Planning Board member, and Respectfully submitted, two members at large participated in the 18 month Joyce Mason review process which resulted in 7 Warrant Articles Tom Mayo recommending amendments to the Charter,all of which Catherine Laurent were adopted at the 2014 October Town Meeting. These same amendments will be on the ballot at the May 2015 town-wide elections. The Finance Committee members fully participated in the budget preparation processes leading to the final Fiscal Year 2015 budget presented by the Town Manager to the residents at the Town Meeting 91