Business View Civil and Municipal | May 2021

121 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL MAY 2021 TAUNTON, MASSACHUSETTS the downtown area. The group consists of property owners working together for the betterment of the city’s central business district. “The businesses joined together and saw the need to make themselves stronger and more viable. They created this business improvement district, which has been wildly successful for the businesses, and an incredible source of programming and events,” reports Roth. The city also offers incentives, such as a rent rebate program that offers new businesses $7500 in rental assistance over a two-year period and was the winner of a Massachusetts Innovation Award. “We saw a need,” says Roth. “Some of the stores had been vacant for a while, and we wanted to re-energize and revitalize. We created this rent rebate program, which is a small subsidy, but it has been enormously successful. It really has sparked that small mom and pop business to come in. That’s the economic generator we want to see.” Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant has been providing energy to the city for more than a century. The publicly-owned company allows for affordable electricity rates for residents and businesses in the city and is currently focusing on green initiatives, with programs such as Go Green that offers customers the opportunity to have their energy come from 100% renewable energy sources. Other green initiatives include appliance rebate programs, an electric vehicle program, and home energy audits. The city is also working on providing electric vehicle stations throughout the community, as part of their own green initiative. “Our Grants Coordinator has been working with the Department of Public Works, Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant, and our IT Department,” says Roth. “Our goal over the next several years is to outfit every municipal parking lot with pay stations for electric vehicle charging, which is exciting.” The city has also