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Waldoboro Selectman Presents Pay‑As‑You‑Throw to Cushing; Selectmen Raise Equity, Savings Questions
Summary
Waldoboro Selectman Bob Butler told Cushing officials Waldoboro will ask voters in November 2016 to adopt Pay‑As‑You‑Throw (PAYT) charges; Butler said PAYT could cut transfer station costs dramatically, but Cushing selectmen questioned whether the town and low‑income households would actually benefit.
Waldoboro Selectman Bob Butler told the Cushing Selectmen on Oct. 10 that Waldoboro plans to ask voters this November to adopt Pay‑As‑You‑Throw (PAYT), a household‑level trash‑pricing system he said would cut transfer station costs and reduce taxpayer bills.
Butler displayed charts showing transfer station costs falling from $474,056 in 2016 to a projected $156,225 by 2019 under PAYT and said the average taxpayer share would fall from $91 per year to $55. "It was a waste of town dollars to burn trash," Butler said, arguing PAYT would curb haulage costs and tipping fees.
Local residents and selectmen pushed back on whether Cushing would realize those savings. Helen Damara asked how PAYT advantaged residents "when she would be paying for the bags: this was just shifting costs back to the individual." Selectman Laurie Haynes asked why Cushing's costs rose after installing a transfer station scale while Waldoboro's fell; Butler attributed the difference in part to Lincoln County Recycling losing money that year. Selectman Daniel Staples warned PAYT could burden younger families with children, saying he thought it "was just shifting the cost to those least able to afford it." Warren Selectman Wayne Luce characterized PAYT as "sticker shock" and worried select boards might use the new revenue for other purposes rather than lower taxes.
Butler outlined bag pricing under Waldoboro's plan: $1.25 for 15‑gallon bags, $2.00 for 33‑gallon and $3.00 for 45‑gallon bags; he said 15% of bag revenue would go to the bag manufacturer with the remainder covering haulage and tripping. Selectman Martha Marchut noted that Cushing currently pays 19.77% of transfer station costs.
The presentation did not produce any formal action by the Cushing board; Butler said Waldoboro would put PAYT on its November 2016 ballot. Cushing selectmen asked staff to examine whether PAYT would yield similar savings for Cushing.
