NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Residents will see a price hike in transfer station bags of 25 to 50 cents beginning in July and a scale rate jump of less than a penny per pound. This is expected to cost the average family of four about $53 more a year to dispose of their trash.
The Public Services Committee is recommending the adoption of the new prices for fiscal 2022 after reviewing the figures on Wednesday. The City Council passed the changes to a second reading and publication at its June 8 meeting, with referral to Public Services. The full council is expected to give final approval Tuesday.
The fees at the transfer station are based on costs of labor and disposal of waste, which has continued to rise.
The cost of a 33-gallon bag will rise 50 cents to $3 and 15-18 gallon bags by 25 cents to $1.50. This is the first bag increase in two years. The scale rate per ton will increase from 0.0667 cents to 0.0749 cents, from $133.45 to $149.83, or $52.97.
The average family generates 4.9 pounds of trash a day, according to the U.S. Environmental Agency, but this also takes into account food waste. The city is still using the older figure of 4.43 pounds for solid waste and garbage.
This will translate to about 3.2 tons of waste a year for a family of four or $544.54 including the sticker cost of $60 which comes with two bags.
The transfer station anticipates a cost of $467,537.40 dispose of about 4,500 tons of trash this coming year. This includes a contracted cost per ton of $86.58 and $103.90 cost per ton for city trash, illegal dumping, the two "free" bags, stickers and recycling. The addition of labor, utilities, supplies, benefits and miscellaneous brings the total budget to $674,237.30.
"We're in the process of entering into a new contract with our provider, and we know that those costs will go up," Mayor Thomas Bernard said at the last City Council meeting. "So we're trying to represent accurately the cost of operations for the transfer station."
An additional laborer is being added by transferring what was an unfilled position in the Highway Department to the transfer station. This is being required by the state Department of Environmental Protection. The total cost for wages and overtime for foreman, laborers, scale operators and monitors comes to $126,298.24.
The sales of resident ($60), non-resident ($80) and commercial ($85) stickers is expected to bring in $112,440. The transfer station no longer accepts large haulers, and is considered a small-scale operation, but it does expect to sell 202 commercial permits for small haulers and commercial-plate vehicles. This is an increase from the past two years.
All other fees will remain the same as well as the current hours and days the transfer station is open.
The mayor said the more recent practice of not accepting cash at the transfer station will continue as well accepting debit/credit cards in advance for haulers.
"It's just good practice," he said, and as for charge accounts for small haulers, "in looking at it, we have had situations where those accounts become liabilities to the city."
Correction: an error in the per-ton figure has been corrected.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Macksey Updates on Eagle Street Demo and Myriad City Projects
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
The back of Moderne Studio in late January. The mayor said the city had begun planning for its removal if the owner could not address the problems.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Moderne Studio building is coming down brick by brick on Eagle Street on the city's dime.
Concerns over the failing structure's proximity to its neighbor — just a few feet — means the demolition underway is taking far longer than usual. It's also been delayed somewhat because of recent high winds and weather.
The city had been making plans for the demolition a month ago because of the deterioration of the building, Mayor Jennifer Macksey told the City Council on Tuesday. The project was accelerated after the back of the 150-year-old structure collapsed on March 5.
Initial estimates for demolition had been $190,000 to $210,000 and included asbestos removal. Those concerns have since been set aside after testing and the mayor believes that the demolition will be lower because it is not a hazardous site.
"We also had a lot of contractors who came to look at it for us to not want to touch it because of the proximity to the next building," she said. "Unfortunately time ran out on that property and we did have the building failure.
"And it's an unfortunate situation. I think most of us who have lived here our whole lives and had our pictures taken there and remember being in the window so, you know, we were really hoping the building could be safe."
Macksey said the city had tried working with the owner, who could not find a contractor to demolish the building, "so we found one for him."
Taylor Garabedian scored a team-high 22 points and grabbed five rebounds, and Abby Scialabba scored 16 points for the ‘Canes, who got 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists from Ashlyn Lesure. click for more
Concerns over the failing structure's proximity to its neighbor — just a few feet — means the demolition underway is taking far longer than usual. It's also been delayed somewhat because of recent high winds and weather.
click for more
On Saturday afternoon at Lowell’s Tsongas Center, the Hurricanes will take aim at Division 5 State Championships in girls and boys basketball. click for more
The music was nearly drowned out by the honking of horns as motorists signaled their support to the picket line at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art on Thursday.
click for more
Justyna Carlson, longtime member of the Historical Society and chair of the city's Historical Commission, was posthumously honored with induction by Mayor Jennifer Macksey on Tuesday, during Women's History Month.
click for more
The students can now reach the town field through a rough path in the woods and walk the field until crossing the road or walk along the sidewalk-free Cross Road, a heavily traveled way with no shoulders. click for more