We have a new mayor who deserves our support to get a good handle on the town’s finances and determine how town policies will be implemented in a fair and equitable way. With this said, I’d like to offer the following town characteristics in order to help provide a filter when determining new fiscal policies. The most recent population estimates determined that 20.3% of the town’s population is 65 years old and over. In the 2010 census, it was reported that 26.4% of Greenfield’s households included individuals 65 and over. According to the town’s planning office, this number is expected to increase in the 2020 census. Addressing the needs of seniors on fixed incomes is something to be carefully considered.
It is understandable that Greenfield’s trash fees needed to increase due to the costs of the new processing fees at the MRF (Materials Recycling Facility). However, when the new sticker fee increases were recently announced, the largest fee was on the mini-bag, the trash bag size most popular among seniors. The cost of the mini-bag doubled (100% increase), while the costs on the small bag increased by 40% and the largest bag size increased by only 25%. Lastly, the window entry sticker that everyone must purchase to use the transfer station increased by 300%. It should be no surprise that seniors enjoy the weekly trips to the transfer station.
The logic to the amount of the increases has no rhyme or reason. The new processing fees at the MRF were going to cause a hit on the budget to the tune of $135,000 for Fiscal Year 2021. The Recorder (Feb. 28) reported the DPW stating the fee increases would generate approximately $200,000 in new revenue and would go into the general fund to be accessible to all city budgets. So it’s not a stretch for seniors to consider this a tax.
As the chair of the solid waste committee in the late 1990s that initially proposed the trash fee system called Pay As You Throw, our intention was to educate residents that recycling and trash collection was a utility, much like water and sewer. As such, the amount you throw away should translate into the amount you pay. In addition, if the town offered recycling at no cost while the fee was charged for trash, then people will respond by recycling more to save money on the fees. This proved very successful in Greenfield as our trash generation dropped significantly and recycling rate almost doubled.
Let’s take another look at fees. First, how much does it actually cost to dispose a bag of trash? Mass DEP has formulas for converting volume of trash into weight. This is important because costs are determined by weight at disposal facilities. With some accuracy we can determine how much it actually costs to dispose the volume of trash contained in a bag. Actual costs should guide our sticker fee structure and not the reasons cited: they haven’t been raised in ten years or it’s similar to what other Franklin County towns charge. Comparing fees charged in Franklin County’s rural towns do not provide an apple-to-apple comparison. Greenfield’s differences are the reason the town is not a member of the Waste District.
Second, apply all the revenues generated by the town’s transfer station when determining how much to charge town residents for trash and recycling. The transfer station takes in significant money. In Franklin County, 12 of the Waste District’s towns promote the use of the Greenfield transfer station to dispose of some items and pay hefty fees to do so. If so, let’s formalize this as a subsidy.
The new fees do not take effect until July 1. Every consideration should be afforded our seniors by keeping sticker fees at current costs. In addition, consider no charges for a window entry sticker for seniors using the transfer station. Lastly, educational materials delivered annually to all Greenfield households must be designed for legibility by seniors. Greenfield is awarded approximately $12,000 in grants annually to be used for recycling education. Recycling calendars in a larger font and in color would be a good start.
Greenfield has a good DPW. We are fortunate to have hard working staff collecting our trash and recyclables at the curb regardless of weather. It is hard work and one of the most physically challenging jobs in the department. Please accept out thanks for the job you do every work day. The discussion here is not meant as criticism, it’s meant to keep the town’s service equitable in a changing and challenging socio-economic environment.
Michael Pattavina, a Greenfield senior citizen, is a member of the Sustainable Greenfield Implementation Committee.