Carver Board Substitutes Solar Surplus for Stabilization Fund in $4 Million Health Insurance Fix

CARVER -- March 30, 2026, Carver Select Board amends town meeting warrant to use solar surplus instead of stabilization funds for $4 million health insurance deficit. The board voted 3 to 1 Monday to replace a roughly $1 million general stabilization draw in Article 7 with a $1,023,920 transfer from the solar net metering revolving fund surplus, after Town Administrator John Cannon reported staff had identified the available balance. Town Counsel Greg Corbo explained that the surplus accumulated because the fund's solar credits consistently exceeded its electric bill payments over years. Under the amended warrant, a total of $2,489,705 will be sought at the April 7 town meeting to cover fiscal year 2026 costs, $1,465,785 from free cash and $1,023,920 from the solar surplus, with an additional $1.5 million in battery storage pilot money structured as a separate motion for fiscal year 2027 billing tailings. Board member Mark Carter, the lone dissenter, argued the stabilization fund exists precisely for emergencies and that the solar surplus would better offset planned capital borrowing costs for taxpayers.