Board of Health approves transfer station rate increase

To compensate for the $20,000 transfer station budget, which was one of the consequences of Dunstable's override failure in May, the Board of Health recently voted to increase the prices charged to transfer station users. Effective January 1, the new rates will be as follows:

• Regular residents - up to 2 stickers per household with 55 tags for $100
• Seniors (65 and older) - up to 2 stickers per household with 55 tags for $25
• Additional tags will cost $10 per set of 5 tags ($2 per tag)

A number of residents attended the September 4 meeting and others had emailed the board to express their concerns regarding the rate increase. Some residents pointed out that they rarely use all 100 tags that have been sold as the initial allotment in the past. Their input influenced the Board's decision to allow residents to start with 55 tags for a lower initial cost, instead of selling 100 tags at an initial cost of $200.

When the cut to the transfer station subsidy was proposed, BoH Chair Maria Amodei explained that a rate increase would be required to compensate for decrease in subsidy. The Board suggested that, in light of the town's budget situation, a rate increase would not be out of line, since surrounding communities are charging close to four times the 50 cents per bag that Dunstable has charged in the past.

According to Groton's website, a sticker plus 55 tags for 32 gallon bags would cost $100, and according to Pepperell's website, a sticker and 55 tags would cost $137.

Dunstable has been struggling with the impact that Prop 2-1/2 limits have placed on its budget for several years now. In 2003, an Alternative Revenue Committee was formed to explore options for increasing revenue in other ways besides raising taxes, but most of the proposed ideas proved to either have limited revenue potential or found limited support. Finding realistic options for alternative revenue to help balance the budget is one of the most complicated issues facing Dunstable today.