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After heated public hearing, Wells Select Board keeps transfer-station sticker at $5
Summary
Following hours of debate and one public comment urging user-pay approaches, the Wells Select Board voted to maintain the transfer-station resident sticker at $5 rather than raise it to $20; staff had presented options to close a projected $127,000 recycling/tipping deficit including higher stickers, bag-price increases, or a combination approach.
The Wells Select Board held a lengthy public hearing and debate on Nov. 18 over three proposed options to offset a projected transfer-station deficit driven by higher tipping fees under a new 10-year contract with Casella.
Staff told the board that trash tipping rose by about $19.50 per ton and recycling fees jumped by roughly $71.50 per ton under the new contract, producing an anticipated budget gap near $127,000 for the current fiscal year if the town makes no changes. The solid-waste committee proposed three paths: (1) do nothing and absorb the cost through the tax rate (estimated at about 1.5¢ on the mill rate initially); (2) raise the resident transfer-station sticker from $5 to $20 (estimated additional revenue ~$123,000 based on ~8,200 stickers sold annually); or (3) keep the sticker price and increase orange-bag and demolition (tipping) fees by roughly 18–20% (a calculated 18% increase yields a slight year‑one surplus in staff models).
During the public comment period one resident, Tom Campbell, argued a $20 sticker penalizes residents who rarely use the facility (many have curbside pickup) and urged per-bag pricing or alternatives that target heavy users. The board and staff discussed enforcement logistics (who checks stickers and how recycling streams are monitored), the town’s current practice of allowing sticker holders to recycle with no bag limit, and the fact that a meaningful share of recycling volume is commercial cardboard and similar materials.
Several board members said the sticker program was originally marketed to the community as a modest cost to prove residency; some said raising the sticker would violate that compact. Others and the solid-waste committee argued that the current $5 sticker is far below the cost of providing recycling and that increasing it would reduce out-of-town or commercial use while covering the recycling deficit.
After motions and extended discussion — including alternatives such as a $12 sticker with a demolition-price bump or increasing bag prices by $4 per large bag — the board voted to keep the transfer-station resident sticker at $5 (motion to maintain $5 passed 3–2). The board directed staff to continue research and noted the committee could return with additional proposals next year.
Next steps: The town will continue studying commercial recycling contracts and potential operational changes. Staff noted stickers already ordered could be sold when a new price is adopted and that any new price could include a grace period for existing stickers.
