County staff weigh complexities of valuing large solar projects under changing state rules

County officials told the Government Operations Committee on Aug. 7 that a large industrial solar proposal (referred to as Yellow Barn) in the towns of Lansing and Groton is raising complex valuation and pilot‑payment questions.

Valuation complexity and state law changes

Committee members and staff described how New York State legislation and subsequent court rulings have altered the formulae used to value utility‑scale solar projects and how the county must set a pilot payment, a host‑community agreement split, and a payment tied to kilowatt‑hours in some proposals. One participant said the state’s earlier legislation was ruled unconstitutional and later revised, leaving projects midstream and counties “scrambling” to arrive at an appropriate and defensible valuation for pilot agreements.

Next steps for the county

Officials said they expect to bring a proposed valuation and pilot recommendation for a vote in the next month or two and will continue to track state changes and other proposed projects. The assessor noted the valuation has long‑term local impacts because pilot payments affect town and county revenue distribution.

Ending

No vote was taken at the committee meeting; staff will prepare a valuation recommendation for future action once the project details and state rules are clear.