Town could switch to pay-as-you-throw
Published on August 23rd, 2006
STONEHAM, MA - The town's Selectmen could render a decision on a potential pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) trash fee, to replace the flat $160 annual cost, by the end of September.
During a regular meeting of the board this Tuesday night, the town's PAYT Committee recommended that the Selectmen institute a new hybrid trash fee that would cost $80 a year, plus an additional $1 to $2 for each bag of trash thrown out by residents each week.
According to Finance Board Chairman and PAYT Committee member Richard Gregorio, unlike the current $160 charge, which doesn't fully cover the town's annual $1.4 million trash budget, the preferred hybrid fee would foot Stoneham's entire rubbish disposal program.
Currently, the annual fixed charge raises approximately $1 million in revenue, while the town continues to contribute approximately $400,000 to $500,000 in garbage costs from the tax levy.
"Quite frankly, we feel that PAYT is the smartest and fairest way to [charge for] trash. We're trying to be as accommodating as possible to seniors," said Gregorio, reasoning that the cost-per-bag system would place the largest financial burden on those who dispose of the most garbage.
"One of the primary benefits [of PAYT] is an immediate impact on recycling. The concept of people being able to control their costs by how much they throw-out is going to impact recycling," the veteran town official furthered.
After the Selectmen voted to reinstitute the garbage fee last spring - a controversial move that raised an uproar, as residents had overwhelmingly rejected a non-binding ballot question on the matter days prior - the PAYT Committee was formed to investigate whether a cost-per-bag program would be more equitable.
Because everybody pays the same $160 rubbish fee, regardless of how many bags of trash are tossed to the curb each week, proponents of a PAYT program have argued that senior citizens, who are least able to afford the charge and generate very little garbage, would benefit from the change.
Under the recommended option proposed by the study group, residents would pick-up town-approved garbage bags at area hardware stores and supermarkets, which would be available in two sizes. A 15-gallon bag, costing $1 and believed to be of a proper size for low garbage generators, and a larger 33-gallon bag for $2 would be offered.
Although the committee recommended that cost structure, which still includes an $80 flat fee, a total of six different rates were examined by the study group, with three options fully covering the entire $1.4 million garbage budget, and three other choices continuing a program where the town chips in between $400,000 to $500,000 from funds generated through tax collections.
All six of the programs would still include unlimited recycling, one bulky item per week, leaf collection and compost drop-offs, and household waste collection services free-of-charge.
A breakdown of the six models, divided by a fully funded or partially funded cost, follows:
Residents foot
town's entire bill
Option 1
No flat fee
$3 for large bags and $1.50 for small
Option 2 (Recommended by PAYT group)
$80 flat fee
$2 for large bag and $1 for small
Option 3
$120 flat fee
$1.50 for large bag and 75 cents for small
Town pays $500,000 partial cost
Option 1
No flat fee
$2 large bag and $1 for small
Option 2
$80 flat fee
$1 for large bag and 50 cents for small
Option 3
$120 flat fee
$1 for large bag and 50 cents for small
Selectmen okay
preliminary discussion
Although at least two board members, Selectmen George Seibold and Paul Rotondi, voiced their opposition to a PAYT program, the Selectmen voted unanimously to allow the study group to pitch their findings to the general public.
According to Gregorio, the committee had set a hard Jan. 1 deadline for implementing the trash fee alterations, meaning that the Selectmen would have to render a decision on the matter by the end of September should that end-goal be met.
While the Selectmen did agree to move forward, the board did not firmly commit to deciding on the fate of a PAYT program by the end of next month.
In addition, a number of board members questioned several aspects of the proposal, such as plans to implement an enforcement program to handle an anticipated jump in illegal dumping across the town under a cost-per-bag system.
"People will say, 'gee, we'll have people dumping onto the Fellsway or at the DPW yard, or at churches.' We will have to set up an enforcement system where there's a fine structure," stressed Gregorio, adding that the anticipated cost for that system had been calculated in the proposed fee rates.
"The town has no enforcement on anything," responded Rotondi, upon hearing of that aspect of a PAYT program. "I could take you down any street and show you non-conforming homes, or places with more than one unregistered car. So we don't enforce anything and now suddenly we are."
Furthering his comments on the proposed trash fee changes, Rotondi informed his counterparts that while he would endorse further public discussion on the matter, he would not support a garbage charge of any kind.
Rotondi, along with Selectmen John DePinto, cast one of the two dissenting votes last spring when the rubbish fee, along with a $10 increase, was reinstituted in a tight 3-2 decision.
"I personally believe that town services would be provided through the property taxes, period," the first-term Selectman commented. "I'm not chastising the committee, here. I think you did a wonderful job putting together this data."
According to Seibold, who presently also opposes a PAYT system, he believes the program would be far too complicated to implement, and would rather see the current $160 flat fee structure remain in place.
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