Selectmen recommend fee-based trash service
By Melissa Muntz Community Reporter

Shrewsbury - Citing the looming $4.2 million budget deficit and increased program costs, the Shrewsbury Board of Selectmen has agreed that a pay as you throw (PAYT) solid waste removal program should be reflected in the fiscal year (FY) 2009 municipal budget.

The board discussed PAYT at its Feb. 25 meeting and although members differed in how they believed the program should be structured, they all agreed that the town's current financial situation has left them no choice.

"We are facing a $4.2 million shortfall, our departments are at virtual rock bottom, and we're pressing staff to do more and more with less," Selectman John Lebeaux said. "Our residents have lower tax bills than many communities, lower water rates, lower sewer rates, our per pupil spending is lower than almost everyone, so I'm not sure what else we can do."

The PAYT program would ideally be implemented in a way that would recover about half of the town's solid waste disposal costs.

The funds for that, roughly $936,000, would be cut from the Health Department budget. Although the selectmen will make a recommendation, it will ultimately be the decision of Town Meeting whether to remove those funds.

Critics of a fee-based trash removal program have argued that the program would have a disproportionate impact on lower income households. Others have said that the program would be less convenient than the current program.

The selectmen said that of all of the possible PAYT program options, including a fixed or flat monthly rate, the purchasing of individual bags is the fairest solution they can find.

"I am a firm believer that you pay for what you use," Selectman Maurice DePalo said. "And I am not prepared to make cuts to needed municipal services for the sake of convenience. I think that's irresponsible."

The board discussed several PAYT options, including offering a small and large trash bag at two different prices and allowing for a single free bag each week.

If the board decides on a single free bag, Health Director Nancy Allen said, the town could expect revenue generated from the program to drop from over $900,000 to under $200,000

Lebeaux said he would first like to give residents a chance to vote on the issue by putting a $1 million override question on the ballot in May, and continue solid waste removal through the tax levy as is currently done.

But poor voter turnout for the last election led other board members to question if residents would bother going to the polls.

The board did not vote to move forward with a PAYT program and will spend the next few weeks hammering out the details of the program.

Finance Committee Chair Gene Buddenhagen attended the Feb. 25 meeting, and said he would pass the board's thoughts on PAYT to his committee at its next meeting.