Halifax Select Board Authorizes Town Administrator to Lock In Natural Gas Contract Rates

HALIFAX — April 28, 2026 — Halifax Select Board votes to let town administrator lock in natural gas prices as rates hit 15-year highs. The board voted unanimously April 28 to authorize Town Administrator Steven Solbo to execute a fixed-price natural gas supply contract when market conditions dip, citing a sharp price increase over the prior two weeks — from a projected annual cost of roughly $48,200 to as much as $52,685 for the town's roughly 5,692 units of annual usage. The board also unanimously accepted the first annual renewal of a $1 million, 4 percent bond anticipation note — sold to Oppenheimer and Company Incorporated at par plus an $11,130 premium — used to finance the town's water treatment plant, with Solbo projecting full payoff within two to three years through water retained earnings. In other business, the board voted to appoint John Lasky to the Council on Aging through June 30, 2029, approved a Halifax Historic Commission and Historical Society plant sale for May 9 at Town Hall, and approved a live entertainment permit for Halifax Pride's June 13 event. Solbo confirmed that free cash will not be available for reallocation at the May 11 annual town meeting, and that any attempt to amend budget articles using free cash on the floor will be ruled out of order — a point Selig said the moderator will announce at the meeting's outset.