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After heated debate, Fall River council adopts amended pay-as-you-throw solid-waste ordinance
Summary
The Fall River City Council voted to adopt amendments to solid-waste fees (the pay-as-you-throw purple‑bag program) after extended public comment highlighting equity, enforcement, and legal concerns; council discussion centered on budget shortfalls, enforcement mechanics, and fairness to low-Income residents.
The Fall River City Council adopted amended solid-waste fee ordinances that formalize the city’s pay-as-you-throw program and related fee schedule after an extended hearing and lengthy council debate.
Public comment prior to the vote was extensive and sharply focused on the purple-bag program: residents and advocates questioned whether the ordinance had been properly vetted, raised concerns about enforcement and collection of citations, and highlighted the financial burden on low‑income households. Speakers also cited possible contractual issues with WasteZero and the risk of litigation if the ordinance was not implemented correctly.
Councilors split during debate. Those voting to adopt argued the city faces a multi‑million-dollar shortfall in sanitation funding after the landfill closed and that the program is the only immediate mechanism in the current budget to secure needed revenue and maintain sanitation services. Opponents, including members who led the ordinance committee review, objected that enforcement mechanisms and collection processes are not yet reliable, that outstanding citations remain uncollected, and that a flatter or more progressive fee would be fairer to vulnerable households.
The clerk recorded a roll‑call vote and the presiding officer declared the motion carried; the ordinance was adopted as amended with the emergency preamble where applicable and advanced through the readings described on the floor.
Councilors and staff acknowledged further work is needed on collection mechanisms and outreach; some called for continuing committee review while others said governance needed to move forward to secure budgeted revenue.
