SWANSEA — Swansea Board of Selectmen Chair Derek Heim and Town Administrator Mallory Aronstein are pleased to report that the Board of Selectmen held its annual solid waste public hearing last week and voted to lower the annual user fee for residents.
During the meeting held Thursday, Sept. 16, the Board of Selectmen set the Town’s solid waste fees for the coming fiscal year. The annual user fee for solid waste removal has been lowered from $120 a year to $115 a year. The board, at the meeting, also held a public hearing to deliberate on the setting of the fees.
Billing will now be conducted twice annually. The user fee will be billed at $60 in the first billing, which will occur later this month, and will be billed at $55 in the second billing.
The Town’s ability to bill semi-annually is the result of passing a bylaw at Town Meeting in June, and the Town has received approval from the Attorney General’s office to make the change.
Users who fail to pay the fees shall be subject to a 14% annual interest rate. A penalty fee of $25 will result when the resident has not paid their bill after a second notice.
Additionally, abatements will now only be accepted 30 days or less after the date of billing, as opposed to the town’s previous practice of accepting abatements on a rolling basis. Applications for abatements are filed with the Highway Department.
“We are pleased to be able to lower this annual fee for residents, and feel the new structure will allow us to get a better handle on the actual costs of the program and to make sure that the fees are appropriate,” Town Administrator Aronstein said.
Bag fees for residents remain the same, at $1 for small bags and $2 for large bags.
The Town’s solid waste program is funded through an Enterprise Fund, with receipts received through user fees, trash bag receipts, penalties and other additional charges. There is also curbside recycling in town, curbside yard waste collection and pay-as-you-throw trash removal.
To view the Town of Swansea’s solid waste regulations and procedures, and to access an abatement application, click here.
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