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Hebron selectmen vote down DEEP sustainable materials management grant application
Summary
After an extended discussion about pay‑as‑you‑throw and transfer‑station logistics, the Hebron Board of Selectmen voted against authorizing a grant application to Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for Sustainable Materials Management funding.
The Hebron Board of Selectmen declined to authorize submission of a sustainable materials management (SMM) grant application to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), a proposal that would have funded exploratory work and possible pilot programs for food‑scrap collection and unit‑based pricing at the town’s transfer station.
Tory McBrien Brontgen, a technical consultant working with the regional project, briefed the board on the grant’s phased structure: phase 1 provides funds for planning and technical analysis at no cost to the town, and phase 2 would provide implementation funds if the town elects to proceed. McBrien told the board that, based on a large database of programs, unit‑based pricing and complementary measures have reduced municipal waste in participating New England programs by roughly 30%–50% (44% on average). She emphasized the grant’s phased approach lets a town explore options without committing to implementation.
Public works officials and several selectmen raised operational and timing concerns. Paul Forrest, Hebron’s public works director, and other board members noted the town is planning a DPW/transfer‑station site project and expressed reluctance to start a multi‑phase pilot while major infrastructure work is pending. Residents asked detailed questions about likely bag prices, the number of free bags that would be provided under the grant, enforcement and auditing at the transfer station, potential illegal dumping, and where increased recycling would be processed.
After discussion and a roll‑call, the board recorded a majority to oppose the motion to authorize the application. The chair read the resolution to authorize the town manager to sign the application; following the roll call, the motion failed and the application will not be submitted on the current deadline.
Consultants and the Green Committee indicated they may continue to pursue regional coordination with neighboring towns and noted the SMM funding opportunity may reappear in future DEEP rounds, but DEEP’s timeline is uncertain. The board directed staff to continue communication with the Green Committee and to seek clearer operational analysis before reconsidering any future application.
