NEWFANE — The Windham Solid Waste Management District is gearing up to vote on an increase of town assessments in December.
According to WSWMD Executive Director Robert Spencer, speaking at the Sept. 5 Selectboard meeting, Newfane should expect its assessment to increase “substantially” from last year's figure of $20,700.
“It changes each year. We try to run the District as a business with the marketing of recycling materials that we collect, process, bale, and sell,” Spencer said.
But, he suggested, times are tough.
“Two years ago, we had $800,000 in revenue,” Spencer said. “This year, we're barely going to hit $500,000.”
Spencer cited “the world economy, markets are down, tonnages are down, people aren't buying as many things, the recession and all that. So our assessments are going to have to increase.”
“We're a chartered municipal government, so we have the authority to raise funds this way,” he added.
He promised to give the Selectboard an estimate for the increase by the time Newfane gets to work on its next budget, in November.
“I won't hold you to it personally, but it will help,” Selectboard chair Jon Mack said.
Spencer also explained that rather than continuing to send a driver out to Town Offices to collect trash and recycling twice a week, responding to a recent request for aid in the wake of frequent trash overflows at trash bins outside, he had installed a video camera in the area in an effort to identify illegal dumpers.
“If you see illegal dumping, call us up and we'll go through the footage. Maybe we can see the license plate ... I don't think the plate will be from Vermont,” he said to general laughter.
He said he would work with the Sheriff's Department if illegal dumping was discovered.
Spencer also invited residents to attend WSWMD's monthly Board of Supervisors meetings, saying, “We handle a lot more than recycling.”
That Board meets at 7 p.m. at the WSWMD Conference Room, 327 Old Ferry Rd., Brattleboro, on the second Thursday of January, March, April, May, June, August, September, October, November, and December.
The WSWMD is a public entity formed by charter through the state of Vermont in 1988. It is composed of 19 towns who have joined together to cooperatively manage their solid waste in rural southeastern Vermont. The WSWMD manages the only publicly owned and operated Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Vermont.
There is one representative and one alternate from each member town.