ROCHESTER — It’s not easy being green, and for the Town of Rochester it can even be expensive. 

The Rochester Select Board voted to add an article to the Town Meeting ballot that could remove the town from the state’s “Green Communities” agreement. 

A Green Community is a state municipality that is “eligible to apply for grants to implement energy conservation measures that help them cut energy use and costs,” according to the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources. 

In return, a Green Community must “ensure new construction activities are in compliance with the Stretch Energy Code.”

The Stretch Energy Code is updated every three years, according to the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, ensuring that “new buildings are designed and constructed with energy efficiency in mind.”

According to Select Board member Bradford Morse, who proposed the article during a March 20 meeting of the Select Board, the Stretch Energy Code is impacting the cost of proposed town buildings. 

“It’s time for us to start saying no,” he said.

During a March 14 meeting of the Rochester Public Safety Facility Feasibility Study Committee, architect Ted Galante, who is overseeing the construction of new public safety buildings, said that there are “a lot of elements that are Green Community-related that have an impact on the cost of construction.”

A proposed plan to renovate the current police station on Dexter Lane, and build a new fire station and fire substation could cost $37 million. 

“Let the people decide what they want to do,” said Rochester Select Board Chair Woody Hartley. “I hope everybody comes and learns about what the effects are as opposed to what they think they are.”

The Rochester Town Meeting will be held on Monday, May 22 at 7 p.m. The items on the Town Meeting ballot will be posted no later than Monday, May 13.