Trash fee increases take another step to finalization

By Owen Boss

GARDNER — One of the most highly debated issues on the agenda of City Council moved closer to being finalized Monday night, following a unanimous vote that will send the proposed trash ordinance to increase fees to a second and final printing. The motion to send the ordinance to its final printing, which Councilor Roger Jaillet made, will grant the councilors the opportunity to enact the ordinance into law at the next council meeting. Health Director Bernie Sullivan, who formulated the proposed ordinance, has said that it was created to cover a projected $125,000 shortfall in the city’s solid waste enterprise account, and that the $30 increase in the annual fee paid by residents for curbside pickup was merely to cover the cost of operations. At the meeting, Councilor David Boudreau requested additional information regarding some of the more recent amendments made to the ordinance. “At the last city council meeting we discussed a couple of different changes to the ordinance. I thought that we had discussed the elimination of abatements for seasonal residents of Gardner,” said Mr. Boudreau, “And I don’t see that in here.” In response, Mr. Jaillet said that the price breaks granted to the seasonal residents of Gardner had already been eliminated, and that because the cuts were considered a Board of Health policy, the change would not have to be amended directly into the ordinance. The proposed ordinance will increase the annual fee paid for curbside pickup from $150 to $180 per barrel, and would grant the city the ability to refuse service to residents who have either never paid for their trash pickup, or are considerably behind in their payments. oboss@thegardnernews.com

Appeared on Page 1 on 6/17/2008 (Vol. 206 No. 143)