New Transfer Station rules will be a topic for discussion at the Board of Selectmen’s May 3 meeting. Proposed changes include doubling the price of senior citizens’ Transfer Station stickers from $25 to $50 and trimming the list of residents who qualify for free or reduced-price stickers. A third proposal is to replace the current punch-card payment system for disposal of bulky items to one where residents could use credit cards to pay disposal fees.
Board members briefly discussed the proposed changes at the April 12 selectmen’s meeting. Town Administrator Tim Bragan reported that in 2015, roughly 800 households paid the full price for a Transfer Station sticker, which ranges from $235 to $290, depending on when the sticker is purchased. For residents age 65 or older, the sticker fee is $25, and 530 households enjoyed that discount. Ambulance Squad members also got $25 discounted stickers, while Transfer Station volunteers earned discounts of up to 100 percent, based on the number of shifts they served. Seventy-six households have recycling-only stickers, which are free.
In one of his last official acts as a selectman, Leo Blair made the motion to increase the sticker price for senior residents. “I’m leaving so they can’t hang me,” he quipped.
In the end, the board put off a vote on that motion to May, when members will consider other potential changes as well.
