What's on Webster's Town Board docket July 2: a vote to halt payments on the RNG project, and more
The board meets Thursday with a resolution to stop payments on its roughly $9 million renewable natural gas project at the top of the agenda, alongside two assessment-board vacancies, a state planning grant, a school resource officer contract, and a returning Verizon cell-tower review.
The Webster Town Board meets Thursday, July 2, and the headline item is a proposal to stop spending on the town's renewable natural gas project, an addition to its wastewater treatment plant that could add roughly $9 million to the cost of that work.
The board takes up that resolution at its 7:30 p.m. regular meeting, following an informal workshop at 6:30 p.m. Here is what is on the docket, and how to follow along.
The renewable natural gas project
The resolution, as written on the agenda, would "cease all payments related to the RNG project for expenditures not yet incurred." In plain terms, it would stop the town from paying for any RNG work it has not already committed to.
The RNG project is an add-on to Webster's larger wastewater treatment plant upgrade. The town's anaerobic digesters give off gas as they break down sewage, and Webster currently flares, or burns off, most of that gas. According to the town's November 20, 2025 presentation, the RNG component would instead capture that biogas, refine it to pipeline-quality renewable natural gas, and sell it. The same presentation put the added cost at about $9 million. The town expected to sell the gas for revenue, and it projected that a federal investment tax credit of $6.8 million to $8.5 million would offset much of the $9 million, leaving the net cost dependent on whether that credit came through.
In February 2026, the board hired the firm MS Consultants to verify whether the project qualified for that federal tax credit. The contract, worth up to $121,500, gave the town a written right to stop the work without further cost if the eligibility test failed.
The board has not publicly said why it is moving to halt payments now. The agenda lists the resolution but names no sponsor and carries no supporting memo, and the reason is expected to be given at the meeting. The Ledger will report the vote and the board's stated rationale afterward.
Other items on the agenda
Beyond the RNG resolution, several other items are on the July 2 agenda. The descriptions below come from the posted agenda; sponsors, exact figures, and final terms are settled at the meeting and in the minutes that follow.
Two assessment-board vacancies. Two members of the Board of Assessment Review, Hugh Lee and David Paine, have submitted resignations effective July 1, and the board is set to accept them. That would leave two seats open on the panel that hears residents' challenges to their property assessments. The Ledger recently explained how the Board of Assessment Review works.
A state planning grant. The board is set to consider applying for a $150,000 grant from New York State's Smart Growth Community Planning Program, administered by the Department of State and applied for through the state's Consolidated Funding Application. The application would commit the town to a local match of roughly 25 percent, or about $37,500. Planning work would be done by Jean O'Connell & Associates and town staff.
A school resource officer contract. Also on the agenda is a 2026-27 school resource officer agreement with the Webster Central School District.
A returning cell-tower review. A contract for an independent engineering review of two proposed Verizon cell towers returns to the board after being held over from June 18. The board set the matter aside that night after questions about the scope of the review, and rescheduled it to July 2. The review would be performed by an independent radio-frequency engineer, the cost of which is to be reimbursed by Verizon Wireless, rather than borne at town expense.
How to follow along
The Town Board meets at Webster Town Hall, 1002 Ridge Road. The workshop begins at 6:30 p.m. and is the board's informal session: members hear presentations and discuss items but take no votes. The regular meeting follows at 7:30 p.m., when the board votes on resolutions, awards contracts, and takes public comment. Both sessions are open to the public.
The full agenda and supporting documents are posted on the town's Agenda Center at websterny.gov.
AI tools were used in drafting and research.