Just in case you missed this:

New “News” from the City: “Lake Worth Joins National Program ‘SolSmart’ to Reduce Solar Energy Costs”.

The City of Lake Worth
is “open for solar business”.

This news (see below) is from the City of Lake Worth’s monthly newsletter, “Worth Noting”. To become
a subscriber click on this link.

Remember, your OFFICIAL news source about
the City of Lake Worth IS the City of Lake Worth.

Stay tuned for the City’s official Facebook
page coming soon as well.

But first, before we get to “SolSmart”, on the front page of the latest City newsletter is how to contact your electeds in our City, “Mayor & Commissioners” and City leadership:

• Pam Triolo, Mayor: Call 561-586-1735; email: ptriolo@lakeworth.org
• Scott Maxwell, Vice Mayor/District 1: 561-586-1731; smaxwell@lakeworth.org
• Omari Hardy, District 2: 561-586-1732; ohardy@lakeworth.org
• Andy Amoroso, District 3: 561-586-1733; aamoroso@lakeworth.org
• Herman Robinson, District 4: 561-586-1734; hrobinson@lakeworth.org
• Michael Bornstein, City Manager: 561-586-1689; mbornstein@lakeworth.org
• Juan Ruiz, Assistant City Manager: 561-586-0361; jruiz@lakeworth.org

The news from the City
about “SolSmart”:

The City of Lake Worth has recently teamed up and joined other cities and counties participating in SolSmart. The national designation program provides technical assistance and guides communities in lowering the costs and barriers for community members to go solar and encourages solar energy development. The City and County were selected together in a nationwide competitive process [emphasis added] to be granted no-cost technical assistance from a SolSmart Advisor.
     The Advisor has been working full-time since July to provide expertise and dedicated support to encourage solar energy growth locally and to help achieve SolSmart designation. To receive a SolSmart designation, communities must take action to reduce solar “soft costs,” which are non-hardware costs that can increase the time and money it takes to install a solar energy system. Examples of soft costs include planning and zoning; permitting, interconnection, and inspection; financing; customer acquisition; and installation labor, which can account for up to two thirds of the cost of a solar installation. Reducing these costs will lead to savings that are passed on to consumers.

“As a SolSmart advisor, I am proud to be working with the City of Lake Worth to incorporate efficiencies like simplified permitting and inspection and solar friendly ordinances in order to make it easier for homeowners and businesses to go solar”, said Jennifer Barenholtz, SolSmart Advisor for the City of Lake Worth.

Recently, Lake Worth has received a Bronze designation from the national SolSmart program for taking steps to encourage solar energy growth and remove obstacles to solar development. The City has a goal of achieving a Gold designation by taking the boldest steps to fully streamline the solar permitting process. For companies looking to expand, a SolSmart Bronze designation is a signal that Lake Worth is “open for solar business”.
     Our hope is that our efforts will empower more homeowners and businesses to go solar, generate their own clean energy, and save money on their electric bills.