Selectmen Approve New Transfer Station Permit Rates

For the first time in 15 years, the Board of Selectmen this week approved new rates for using .

Public Works Director Fred Hurley also outlined other new procedures that he said were moves toward improved, and paperless, record-keeping and faster service at the town facility on Ethan Allen Road.

First Selectman Patricia Llodra said the new rates and procedures will go into effect on July 1.

One big change is that residents won’t need to get a new, color-coded sticker every year. Hurley said instead they would get a renewable car sticker with a bar code on it.

"It will give us better control and in the long run will provide better service," Hurley told the selectmen on Monday.

He said his department is also headed toward ending cash transactions. When all fee payments are done using credit or debit cards, it will make waiting lines at the transfer station shorter and faster, overpayment disputes will be easier to resolve and paperless record-keeping will save the town money.

As of July 1, the cost of a one-year permit will go up from $85 to $90. Residents may purchase a sticker for a second car for $5.

As an incentive for residents to purchase their permits online, the fee will remain $85 for permits purchased that way. The town will mail those permits to the purchasers.

"We really want to get to a no-cash situation down there," Hurley said.

A day pass will go up from $6 to $10. A month pass will go up from $10 to $20. And the cost of disposal of construction and demolition debris will rise from $39 to $75.

What do you think of the new rates?