BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – On Wednesday, Nov. 3, the Rockingham Selectboard discussed the recycling center and finances with the new finance director.
Chair Peter Golec said from last month’s food scrap collection, 264 users disposed of 5,628 pounds of material. Municipal Manager Scott Pickup explained that the town was billed by the gallon.
Golec said 26 of the users had garbage disposals, but half did not use them because of their septic systems, and 26 users had home composters but due to problems with animals they had stopped using them. He mentioned that Brattleboro, Springfield, and Weathersfield charged for food scrap disposal.
Rick Cowan was concerned that if the town made disposal more expensive, more scraps would end up in the garbage. Susan Hammond asked if there were fines. Pickup said the town of Rockingham would be fined if recycling or food scraps were found in the waste stream.
Bonnie North asked about home pickup and how that worked with separation. Pickup said that residents were supposed to comply and those fines were more significant.
He explained that the town paid a company for hauling costs.
Golec added, “They actually make money at both ends,” charging the town, composting, and selling it again.
Pickup said the alternative was an anaerobic digester, which was “relatively expensive” and would require more staff.
North asked if the town could make money. Pickup said yes, and “People buy rocks and dirt.”
Hammond suggested free disposal for a small amount but charging for larger amounts of food scraps.
Golec said the town paid a $45,000 hauling fee and the solid waste was on target. He said if a user had more than four bags, they were required to be weighed.
Pickup added that the staffing expense had increased with the additional day of service because of the concern of the long backup on Route 5, which created a hazardous situation. The good news, he said, was that service was quicker and helped keep the facility looking “pretty nice.”
Golec said, “It would be nice if we had volunteers,” acknowledging that two were needed on the compactor.
During the American Rescue Plan funding discussion, Cowan asked if the town could spend funds on necessary equipment for the Fire Department. Pickup explained that ARPA funding can not be used to offset operation costs, but that Covid-19 related infrastructure investments were eligible.
North suggested a website developed for tourism. Elijah Zimmer suggested upgrading culverts to better prepare for storms. Cowan mentioned sewer and water, and Pickup said the digester might be eligible.
New Finance Director Alyssa Harlow had noticed that the town was paying three times more in credit card fees than they were charging. She explained there was an alternative product that would cost the town nothing and would make bank reconciliation easier.
The Joint Board meeting is Nov. 30, and the Selectboard added the tax sale and retail cannabis to the agenda. They discussed 5:30 p.m. meeting start times through the budget season. All times and meeting agendas with Zoom links can be found at www.rockinghamvt.org.