Hooksett holds public hearing on proposed change to recycling ordinance that would end condo tip‑fee reimbursement

Hooksett Town Council opened a public hearing at its August meeting to take public comment on proposed amendments to Recycling and Transfer Ordinance 31 that would remove the town's partial tip‑fee reimbursement for condominium associations and update language about curbside recycling. The hearing was closed the same night; the council will not vote on the amendment until at least seven days after the hearing, per the town's procedure.

The change is part of budget trimming the administration presented after the council twice failed to pass the proposed operating budget. Town Administrator Andre (last name not recorded in the transcript) told the council he searched department budgets for savings and proposed eliminating the condominium tip‑fee reimbursement as one such cut. Ben (DPW director) told the council the town paid $71,613 for the reimbursement in the current year for 1,341 condominium units, or about $53.40 per unit.

Advocates for keeping the reimbursement said the change would fall hardest on older residents and homeowners associations that already pay private contractors for trash pickup in addition to paying town property taxes. Frederick Bishop of Stonegate Condominiums said the proposed elimination "will make this situation even worse. This is discriminatory and blatantly unfair," and asked the council to reconsider. Jim Moody, president of Berryhill Estates Condominium Association, told the council condo owners collectively pay roughly $57 million in assessed value and nearly $1 million in town taxes, yet receive fewer municipal services. "We feel very strongly that a reduction of our partial reimbursement is unfair," Moody said.

Other condominium residents and HOA leaders urged the council to study alternatives. Alan O'Brien, a property manager with Cedar Management Group who represents Villages at Granite Hill and Granite Heights, asked how the town calculates the reimbursement and questioned whether similar services for homeowners associations on private roads should be reviewed as well. O'Brien outlined how an association's compacting dumpster could generate several tons of waste between collections and said, under some scenarios, bringing large dumpsters to the town transfer station could create hundreds of tons of annual material and substantial tip‑fee exposure.

Town staff and councilors responded with operational and legal clarifications. Ben and DPW staffors explained the ordinance language the amendments would change: removing obsolete references to curbside recycling and deleting the clause that the town reimburses condominium disposal fees. DPW staff said the ordinance distinguishes condominiums as developments with more than three units on a common lot and that the town's curbside automated collection policy (a council policy adopted Sept. 10, 2003) is the document that defines which properties are eligible for town collection.

On the transfer station question, DPW staff said individual condominium residents may bring household trash to the transfer station in a private vehicle without charge, but commercial haulers or large compacting dumpsters are treated differently and could be charged commercial rates because they present compliance and contamination risks. Ben said drivers have cameras and written procedures for rejecting contaminated curbside loads, and that enforcement historically relied on warnings and warnings leading to discontinued service only after repeated violations.

Councilors reiterated the procedural limits and context. Councilor Sullivan noted the council may rescind or amend the condominium section of the ordinance and said the item was discussed publicly and by the town's Recycling and Transfer Advisory Committee, which members told the council had unanimously recommended removing the condominium reimbursement clause. Andre told the meeting the proposed change originated with his office as part of the default budget review, not with DPW.

Several residents pressed the council for broader options beyond simply eliminating the reimbursement, including switching to a pay‑as‑you‑throw system, requiring covered compactors to be non‑compacting, or allowing condominium associations to use the transfer station under clearly defined, enforced terms. Town staff said some of those ideas would require separate policy or ordinance changes and potentially affect the town's contractual rights at the transfer station.

The council closed the public hearing at the end of the meeting and said it will consider the item on a future agenda after the statutory waiting period; councilors encouraged residents to submit written comments to council email addresses posted on the town website. No formal vote on the ordinance amendment was taken that night.

The council's next regular meeting was referenced as the expected point for further action; under the town's process the council cannot vote on this item until at least seven days after the public hearing closes. Town staff said they will provide additional cost and policy details requested by councilors before any final action.