Buckfield–Sumner committee votes to pay Main Waste Energy special assessment amid budget concerns

The Buckfield–Sumner Solid Waste Committee voted to pay a Main Waste Energy (MWE) special assessment during its November 2025 meeting after reviewing the town’s solid waste balance and potential budget impacts.

Committee members were presented with the solid waste account balance and recent invoices. Speaker 1 said last year’s solid waste overage was $57,006.31 and reported the current solid waste balance as $76,001.85; Speaker 1 also noted the overall account statement and that $12,046.93 was earmarked for the swap shop. The committee discussed recent changes at MWE, including outages that depleted reserves and an April payment timetable that was shortened after recalculations.

Why it matters: Committee members said the assessment will sharply reduce available savings and could require asking voters to cover any future overage if additional unexpected costs or assessments occur. Speaker 1 warned: “So they're quickly depleting what we have in savings.”

What the committee reviewed: Members described an agreement that dates to 1985, said MWE has faced capacity and maintenance problems and questioned MWE’s liquidity and rate policy. Multiple speakers noted that Auburn (the largest member) is pursuing more information from MWE; Speaker 1 said Auburn’s review triggered recalculations of the assessment. Speakers described an initial assessment figure of $29,000, then later figures reported in discussion as $38,009.35 and $38,047.35; the motion recorded and voted on referenced $38,935.62.

The vote: Presiding member Speaker 2 moved to pay the Main Waste Energy special assessment; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The transcript records the motion language referencing $38,935.62 but also contains earlier, inconsistent amounts discussed in the meeting. No roll‑call tally or individual vote names were provided in the record.

Budget context and next steps: Speaker 1 said the budget was roughly 39.74% expended with about seven months remaining and cautioned that the most recent invoice from contractor Archie's may not yet be reflected in the accounting. Committee members discussed options including raising fees, continuing to monitor illegal or out‑of‑town use of the transfer station, and waiting to see whether further MWE assessments arrive. Speaker 1 indicated the town would consider replacing its MWE representative with Lehi Holmes, who works at the city of Auburn and is a Buckfield resident, to follow up on MWE’s finances.

The committee provided no additional formal contingency resolution at the meeting; the payment motion passed and the committee moved on to other business, including swap‑shop planning.

The committee adjourned at 7:19 PM.