Table of Contents
By Tara Hughes November 21, 2023
The Select Board voted Monday night to charge residents more for dumping their trash. After much discussion and number crunching, the board voted unanimously to approve a sticker fee increase to $340 starting January 1, 2024. This would be an increase in the base free from $270 to $277 with an added $63 capital fee. They also approved an increase in the second vehicle fee from $20 to $30 and a $5 per ton increase in commercial tipping fees.
The cost increase is partly to offset the increased cost of operating the transfer station and the cost of taking the trash and recyclables away. The transfer station is considered an “enterprise,” which means the costs are offset by fees, rather than taxes. The capital fee pays for the station’s renovation.
Presently the residential sticker fee for the first vehicle is $270 with a $22 capital fee for a total of $292. The second vehicle fee is $20. In January the board approved an increase in the capital fee to $80 based on the estimated debt service payments for the transfer station renovation project for a total sticker fee of $350.
However, based on current calculations of the debt service and assuming the sale of 4,800 first vehicle permits (based on calendar year 2023 permits) town staff now recommended that the capital fee be reduced from $80 to $63 effective January 1, 2024. Staff also recommended an increase in the first vehicle sticker fee from $270 to $287 and with the added capital fee of $63 (reduced from $80) this would still result in a calendar year 2024 sticker fee of $350. They also recommended a second vehicle sticker increase from $20 to $30 and a $5 per ton increase in the commercial tipping fees. While the Board agreed on the $63 capital fee, they were no longer willing to approve an increase to $350 and compromised at the $340 sticker increase.
