HUNTINGTON – On Wednesday, June 7 at 6:30 p.m., the Board of Health will vote on whether to raise the transfer station bag sticker prices from $1 to $2, put a maximum size allowed on garbage bags, and reduce the annual transfer station fee from $35 to $30.
The purpose of the per-bag increase is to encourage more residents to recycle. “The town’s recycling rate is very low (averaging between 19-22 %) and we at the Board of Health are looking to improve on this,” said Board of Health member Melissa Reid.
The price increase was actually voted and passed by the Board of Health at its May 3 meeting, but selectman John McVeigh challenged the vote, citing a violation of open meeting laws. “The problem is that the discussion wasn’t on their agenda and didn’t give taxpayers a chance to voice their opinion on such a drastic change,” he wrote in a memo regarding the violation.
Following the challenge by McVeigh, the vote was withdrawn and postings of the new prices taken down from the transfer station. The meeting scheduled and posted for June 7 has the price change discussion on the agenda for 6:30. The meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. in Town Hall.
