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Durham board weighs selling pay‑as‑you‑throw trash bags at town office; no motion to add sales
Summary
Board members discussed resident requests to sell PAYT trash bags at the town office and raised staffing, storage and business‑impact concerns; no motion to add sales at the town office received a second and the idea was left on the floor.
The Durham Select Board spent substantial time Aug. 11 debating whether to sell pay‑as‑you‑throw trash bags directly from the town office after residents requested the convenience.
Chair described "a lot of public feedback on wanting the trash bags to be available at the town office," and asked Town Manager Jerry and others for feasibility details. Jerry and staff described existing vendor agreements with retailers and said many stores — including Hannaford, Market Basket and Shaw's in neighboring towns — are already carrying the bags.
Board members raised operational concerns. John said he "won't vote for it," citing the town's staffing shortages and the potential to add another task to already limited office capacity. Jerry warned of lines and slower service at the town office if sales were added during busy periods. One board member cautioned that selling bags at the town office could divert foot traffic from private businesses near town hall.
Several members said they preferred to let the private retail rollout continue and reconsider the idea later if local retailers stopped offering bags. Chair concluded that, because no motion to add sales was seconded in favor, the proposal "is a dead on the floor with a lack of motion." No formal motion to authorize town‑office sales was adopted during the meeting.
