Mayor pitches town-run garbage drop-off, proposes $350 annual fee and punch-card system

The mayor of Vernon proposed a town-run household garbage drop-off program that would let enrolled residents bring weekly household refuse to the municipal recycling center for a proposed $350 annual fee or quarterly payments.

The program, as described by the mayor, would expand recycling-center hours, keep garbage drop-off managed by attendants (no Saturday garbage drop-offs initially) and use a punch-card system that allows one drop-off per week. The mayor told the council the $350 figure was based on an estimate that 217 memberships would cover a projected total annual operating cost of about $76,235.84, including tipping fees at $107 per ton, two compactors and staff/fuel costs.

Why it matters: if the enrollment target is met, the administration says the service could reduce resident trips to out-of-town disposal sites, cut the environmental impact of extra driving and generate net revenue for the township. Council members warned, however, that the program’s viability depends on enrollment and variable disposal costs.

Council questions zeroed in on the program’s financial assumptions and operational details. One council member asked, “what if you don't have this amount of signups? What would be your minimum?” The mayor said the 217-membership figure was the baseline used in the estimate but acknowledged he did not have a firm minimum enrollment threshold ready when asked. Council members pressed whether the staff-hour estimates included benefits and whether fuel and trip calculations had been doubled correctly for two compactor trips per week; the mayor responded that existing staff would be reallocated rather than hiring new employees.

The council discussed compactor costs and frequency. The mayor said the township already bonded for and purchased compactors and that two compactors’ weekly tipping costs were shown in the packet as $1,498 (the mayor described that figure as the compactor/tipping cost for two compactors but acknowledged the wording could be clarified as “tipping cost for two compactors”). Council members flagged arithmetic differences between 48-week and 52-week annualizations and asked whether maintenance, repairs and additional wear-and-tear on compactors and trucks had been factored in.

On logistics, the mayor said attendants would visually inspect loads to reduce the risk of construction or commercial debris being dumped, and that attendants would assist residents who needed help lifting trash into the compactor. Payment options under consideration included online credit-card payment (with the credit-card fee passed to users), checks or mail, and punch cards could be mailed or picked up by registrants. The mayor said the administration was still deciding which department (Finance or DPW) would process payments.

Public comment: resident Steve Gunlo spoke during the public-comment period, saying he would not use the service and urging the council to test the program on a temporary basis (six to 12 months) before committing long term. “Anything we do should be on a temporary basis, maybe six months, one year, see how it works out,” Gunlo said. He also advised caution about claims that the program would save residents two hours traveling to off-site facilities and urged the council not to assume the service would be free for taxpayers.

What happens next: council members and the administration agreed the next formal step would be drafting a fee ordinance (the mayor referenced a required fee ordinance and said the attorney would advise on whether an ordinance or another form of vote was appropriate) and bringing detailed, corrected cost breakdowns back to the council for consideration. The council did not take a formal vote on the program during the meeting.

Sources: comments and figures presented by the mayor and questions and statements from council members during the January 19, 2025 meeting; public comment from resident Steve Gunlo.