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Deep River board keeps Transfer Station open Sundays while seeking $16,000 in departmental cuts
Summary
Faced with a proposed $16,000 cut to the Transfer Station budget, the Board of Selectmen recommended maintaining Sunday service and directed staff to find alternative savings within the department, while reviewing options including cylinder recycling, tire stewardship participation and a drive-on scale.
The Deep River Board of Selectmen recommended keeping the town Transfer Station open on Sundays after discussing a proposed $16,000 reduction to the department's waste removal and recycling budget.
First Selectman Carol Jones led the conversation about preserving weekend operations while identifying internal budget offsets. The board discussed several mitigation options, including Deep River's participation in a cylinder recycling program that accepts tanks up to 20 gallons, applying to available tire stewardship programs, standardizing fees charged to commercial vehicles for brush and stump disposal, limiting the size of stumps accepted, and investigating the cost to purchase and install a drive-on scale.
The board's recommendation was procedural rather than a formal voted appropriation; members asked staff to return with specific alternative reductions within the Transfer Station budget so Sunday service can continue without the proposed closure. The Board of Finance convened at 7:00 PM and the Selectmen participated in that meeting to continue budget deliberations.
The board did not record a formal roll-call vote on the budget cut at the special meeting; instead, it reached consensus to prioritize Sunday service and further analyze departmental line items. Staff will report back with recommended adjustments and any cost estimates for capital items such as a scale. The next procedural step is for staff to present detailed options to the Selectmen and the Board of Finance.
