County Collects $151,075 Federal Tax Credit on Three Solar Projects

July 25, 2026/Newspaper Staff/

Montgomery County Board Finance & Budget Committee Meeting | July 9, 2026

Article Summary: Treasurer Nikki Lohman reported to the Montgomery County Board Finance & Budget Committee on Thursday, July 9, 2026, that the county received a federal tax credit refund of $151,075 for solar projects at the Health Department, Highway Department and Senior Center.

Solar Tax Credit Key Points:

The refund totals $151,075 across three county facilities.
A credit summary in the handouts breaks it down: Health Department, $81,403; Highway Department, $53,167; Senior Center, $16,505.
The summary reached the treasurer by email on May 11, 2026, from Tri-Merit.
No motion was made and no vote was taken; the minutes do not say where the money goes.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — Montgomery County put solar panels on three of its buildings, and the federal government has now sent it a check for $151,075.

Treasurer Nikki Lohman reported the federal tax credit refund to the County Board Finance & Budget Committee on Thursday, July 9, 2026, for solar projects at the Health Department, Highway Department and Senior Center.

A credit summary among the committee’s handouts divides it three ways. The Health Department accounts for $81,403 — more than half. The Highway Department accounts for $53,167. The Senior Center accounts for $16,505. Together, $151,075.

The summary came to Lohman by email on May 11, 2026, from Tri-Merit, whose correspondence describes the investment tax credit filings and the federal forms involved.

What Is Not Recorded

The minutes do not say when the money arrived, what fund it landed in, or what the county intends to do with it. They do not say what the three solar installations cost, when they were built, or how much they save.

Nor is any of that in the packet. The Coordinating Committee’s June 25 preview had noted only that the county had received its federal tax credit check, without a figure.

The email in the handouts carries handwritten annotations in the margin — figures worked against the credit amounts. Their author is not recorded, they are neither signed nor dated, and this newspaper is not reporting what they appear to show.

The item was titled “Solar Federal Tax Credit Refund Update/Approval.” No motion was made, and the committee took no action.