Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ordinance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Georgetown committee schedules attorney review to clarify commercial haulers; flags off‑hours access and electronics privacy
Summary
The committee set a Feb. 20 special meeting with the town attorney to consider ordinance amendments distinguishing business from residential waste, discussed doubts about a registry's enforceability, and raised Transfer Station security and electronics privacy concerns after off‑hours entries and an unauthorized school group visit.
The Georgetown Solid Waste Management Committee on Feb. 13 scheduled a special meeting with the Town Attorney for Feb. 20 to discuss potential amendments to the town solid waste ordinance, particularly how to distinguish business waste from residential trash and how to handle commercial haulers.
David Polito said defining a "business" is challenging because many residents—fishermen or sole proprietors—could be classed as businesses. Bronwen Tudor urged the committee to focus on practicable distinctions and warned that a registry could be gamed (for example, underreporting customers), and she questioned whether the Town Office and Transfer Station staff have capacity to monitor stickers and loads.
Alison Freeman offered to summarize how other towns regulate commercial haulers. The Planning Board is conducting a rentals survey that committee members noted may inform definitions of residential versus commercial activity.
Separately, the committee addressed Transfer Station security. Alison Freeman said she has not circulated security‑camera videos of off‑hours visitors because the footage appears to show the same individuals entering multiple times; the committee discussed additional physical barriers at the gate (fence panels and metal skirting) to deter illegal entry. Dave Polito has contacted Jorgensen Landscaping about mowing the old landfill and suggested obtaining multiple estimates for that work.
Sharon Trabona raised a separate concern about the privacy of electronics: she asked what happens to cell phones and other devices if those items are given away rather than thrown away. Alison Freeman replied that once an item is disposed at the Transfer Station it is no longer the owner's property and there is no expectation of privacy if the device was not wiped clean, leaving open the legal question of municipal liability.
The committee did not adopt any ordinance changes at the Feb. 13 meeting but set the Feb. 20 attorney session to get specifics on how to address commercial haulers and registry enforcement. The committee's next regular meeting was scheduled for March 13, 2025, at 7 p.m.
