I really don't see any other choice. This town cannot keep passing the buck to the next generation to worry about. We can pay for capping the landfill with this relatively painless "installment plan," or we can get whacked with the bill, in the form of higher property taxes, in 10 or 15 years.

I'm surprised that Mr. Coulter voted against this, since he is an opponent of higher taxes. I'm curious to know his reasons.

As if the taxes in this town aren't high enough now we get slammed with this!!! Way to go Town Council

Agree dad we really have no choice - pay now or later with interest. Glad to see the Council passed this.

Not sure why Coulter voted against it either. It is not a tax increase, going out for bond would have been. This charges a user fee to those who use the service - Just like building permits, dog licenses and the like. Coulter needs to stop trying to be everyone's hero and friend and make the decisions he was elected to make.

As I said at the meeting last night, on this site a few weeks ago, and before the election, I am in favor of PAYT but would like to see at least one bag free to at least provide some relief to households and discourage dumping. By raising the price on bags 2 and above to stay revenue neutral, this would still encourage recycling, extend the life of the landfill, link cost with usage, and provide us the funds we need to cap the landfill. The article fails to note that I moved to support the program but try 1 bag free for 6 months to see what the impact would be.

As for as “making the decisions I was elected to make,” it’s not like I abstained from voting. My position was put in writing before the election, I was elected, presumably at least in part on that stated position, and I moved and voted exactly what I said before the election. Same as with the library.

There’s obviously room for reasonable disagreement or it wouldn’t have taken 7 years to get here and the last council wouldn’t have split 3-3-1 on whether to implement. I proposed what I think was a reasonable balance.

O & T, please explain how PAYT is a fiscally irresponsible decision.

i believe that i was his opinions that got him were he is, he might change a little who knows, but at least he ain't ducking and weaveing. I also red that Fish rd will not be paved this year, i for one didn't see the need for it. hey i know we get some of those firm working for NUSC and all the boatyards and get them to build here give them a deal on empty schools, just don't let someone in town do the double double secret reveres and get them to rehab cheap. And long live the LIBRARY oley!!

also i fill my bin every week. so now i have to buy bags and another bin, or did no one think of this?

how can you put an illegal tax increase on us with trash pick up included. then tax us again for the same trash pick up.

The Tiverton land fill is an asset that we don't want to loose. Extending the life of the land fill with pay as you throw saves us money.
Financial Incentive to Increase Recycling
•
RIGL § 39-3-11.2 Interim Rates (Tip Fee)
–
$32/ton if recycling between 0%-23.99%
–
$31/ton if recycling between 24%-29.99%
–
$30/ton if recycling between 30%-34.99%
–
$29/ton if recycling 35% or greater
•
RIRRC to issue a rebate to qualifying municipalities no later than September 1, 2010. This law is in effect July 1, 2009-June 30, 2010.

When the land fill closes we will have to truck our trash to Johnston. These are the rates and how they are structured. Extending the life of our land fill will save us money in the long run.

Somebody commented above that this switches to a pay-for-use model. It does not. This layers pay for use ON TOP OF a universal tax, doubling the cost of trash pickup.

I know that a number of people in town don't think that a couple of hundred dollars more per year is a big deal, but:

1. It's on top of a few hundred more in property taxes, each year, more in water/fire district fees and taxes, more in this, more in that. All while our income has decreased over the past three years.
2. My household is already going without much that could hardly be considered luxuries. Where is this additional money supposed to come from? We're already relying on the charity of family to participate in town youth sports. I've already left off buying contact lenses (and working in construction has shortened the lifespan of my glasses). We've already stopped all charitable monetary donations. We've already eliminated extended cable. I'm now using a circa 2001 cell phone for work purposes. And so on.

Do I have to feed detailed personal financial information into the rumor mill at Town Hall to get free the bags that I'm already paying for through my property taxes? Why can't I just opt out of the whole thing and get that portion of my taxes back? What happens if garbage is left at the gates of the dump in the middle of the night?

It's awfully easy for folks to talk about being financially responsible when their oil tanks don't empty out on Christmas night, as ours did.

The town has obligations that we can not ignore. The real crime is up state in our legislature. The fight needs to be at that level. As a town we are mandated by the state to do things that are not funded. Schools funding and general aid to the town are not funding the requirements. Take the fight to the legislature. There in lies our problem.

The buck stops with the people spending the money and collecting the taxes. Plenty of expenses are not mandated. No law requires labor costs to go up with every contract.

When the Budget Committee requests a 0% increase and all new labor contracts come back with 5% reductions in cost, then you can blame taxes and fees on the State House.

At the FTM we have the choice to cut or spend more. That is where the final decision is made. I think this years FTM may be a hot one. People need to show up and participate.

Joe,

That's not good enough. Here we have an instance of the Town Council increasing the cost of living in Tiverton on its own authority. The Council has control over this outcome, not the outcome of the FTM. And as far as I know, neither the Town Council nor the Budget Committee is inclined to do the work of explaining to taxpayers how the town can get its budget down to a 0% increase or even reduce the budget.

As a Budget Committee member, you can't request a 4-5% increase in taxes and then seek cover of the assertion that voters can do whatever they want at the FTM.

The council saved us money in the long run. Our charter give the authority to the council to in act policy. Beach fees are not set at the FTM . We need to raise the money. PAYT. was the cheapest way to solve the problem. As far as a budget with zero increase. The FTM will decide that. Again I say the real problem is up state.

This Pay as you throw will end up costing the town more money. People will dump illegally all over town. The town will be paying the DPW to c lean it up. The dump should have been closed many years ago when the price to cap it was much cheaper. Short sighted elected officials. The last council did not have the courage to put this in during an election year. I am being taxed to death by the feds, the state and now this poorly run town wants more money. Where does it end. I am sick and tired of increased fees and taxes. This state is dead last when it comes to business.

Rug Doctor, if you did your research you wll find out the illegal dumping doesn't increase with PAYT. I talked to towns that have this programs and told me there town has never been cleaner. If you had illegal dumping in the past it will continue, but not increase.

Mr. Coulter, Thank you for thinking of us residents of Tiverton. But onething you might not thought of. You want to give one free bag per month, what happens if the resident only uses one bag. You will never see the needed revenue to close the landfill and also this doesn't promote recycling. So you pay for what you use, like a utility bill.

Onthing that wasn't mentioned at the meeting. The state mandates that Tiverton has to be at a recycling rate of 35% by July 2012 right now we are at 25%. Once we have to go to Johnston will be paying $32.00 a ton and if you ask area towns the state continues to lower the amount of tons each town can send to the landfill each year. PAYT will be able to meet this number if not exceed it. Just look at Middletown 43% GREAT JOB TOWN COUNCIL

tom jones 35% by July 2012, With the bottle bill in mass and most of our food shopping going on there. I don't see it happening. People are taking their bottles back to the store for the nickles.

We control our cost.
Recycle.
Buy less prepackaged stuff.
Use fewer bags.
Like the utility bill analogy.

Joe,

If you look at many of towns that do a PAYT program. They reduce there trash by average of 43% the EPA says by 49%. The average household have about 29 pds of items of clothes that can be donated. You will see a recycling in the high 30's just look at Middletown.

Seeker, you on 100% correct.

First of all, if anyone believes that this will STOP a tax increase, you havent lived in Tiverton long enough. This state has one of the highest taxes around. We, the taxpayers should not have to pay for bags to give this town MORE money! We pay more than enough in taxes already! This is ridiculous and I for one will find other means. I will NOT give this town more than i do already . If we have to pay for our own bags, GIVE US A TAX DECREASE! ALl this town does is TAKE, TAKE, TAKE, and it gives NOTHING back! PLUS..am I the only one who is struglling with this rotten economy. Thanks TIverton..for making it a little harder every year!!!! Ide love to know just in whos pocket this goes. Apparently, youre not out of work and struggling!!!

Sick of Tiverton,As a member of the budget committee I am always interested in peoples ideas. How do you think we should raise the six million dollars to pay for this?
Do you attend the towns financial meeting ?

Joe..Yes , I do! Everytime I go, I get more and more DISGUSTED! Last years was a JOKE! The count was totally OFF!
First of all..I would have NEVER, EVER built a new Ranger school. I woul have built ONE MIDDLE SCHOOL in the same area and moved the middle school kids there. THEN, i would have put all the elementary kids in the old Middle School (even if we had to UPGRADE a little) . There would have been NO NEED for remodeling schools and building NEW schools and paying for heating on CLOSED schools!! There would be 3 schools in the town , one elementary, one Middle, One High! All in the same area..easier on the buses as well!
I am fed up with the economy going downhill and the toen of Tiverton taking EVERY penny that they can. An average home will pay 40.00 a month in TRASH BAGS! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!! Let me see, which bill will I NOT pay from now on. Or maybe I can deduct that from my HEATING bill which is ridiculous as well! Some people in this twon want this to be a "RICH, HIGH CLASS" town...Guess what..its NOT!! So all of these Tiverton wanna-be rich people can stop and realize ...they are NO better than anyone else. And they no who they are!! Making us pay and extra 40.00 a month for plastic bags DOES NOT make this a rich town..It makes the "heads" of the town look greedy rich wanna-be's!!

I hear your logic on the schools. I had similar ideas on that project. We lost that vote at the polls. I don't know your financial position but would offer this. For those who cant afford the bags there will be free ones. If you are on a fixed income you may qualify. People can call town hall for info to sign up. Spread the word if you know others who need help . The land fill is going to have to close. We have to pay for it. I know it sucks but what else can we do. The new council is trying to make it as easy and affordable as they can. They are also trying to extend the life of the land fill. I hear a lot of people say that trash will fill the roads and woods. I see people going back to burning it.

The land fill will still except yard waste, metal and white goods , computers and large plastic items card board and other recycles for no charge. All the recycles you put at the curb are removed with no charge. People can save money by recycling every thing possible.

Fyi folks: when the bags fees finally pay to cap the landfill, the other shoe will drop when Liberty starts charging the town another million a year to transfer the trash to Johnston. And not to mention the rates we will have to pay causing the taxes to go up anyway. The only thing that can be done right now to slow the eventual "tax in the shorts" we are all going to get is to keep the yard waste out of the landfill. Drive around in the spring and the fall (especially the fall). I have counted over five hundred bags of yard waste on 1 street in town this past fall!

How about a monthly fee for everyone...something reasonable . An amount that wont hurt the people that are having ahard time ans of course , at an affordable rate...wont hurt others who can afford it. It could be done by saying a monthly fee for so many bags and then anything more than that, would be extra. That would give every individual the option of either pay extra or work with the allowance thats given. This way people with larger families wont feel the heavier burden. A flat rate would make it equal for everyone with a limit of bags per month. (EX; 20.00 per month will get a home 4 bags a week (16 bags +/-) if a family wants more, it would be extra. Create everyone in this town equally. DO not punish the people who have larger families or babies(with more trash as diapers) .

Sick of Tiverton The council agreed that if the revenue comes in higher than expected the price could be lowered. Once the program starts we will have a clearer picture of the amount of revenue it generates.

Joe..I wish that I could believe that the Town will LOWER the bag prices..they never lower anything. That money is spent long before this town ever sees it. Tiverton NEVER lowers anything. The more money thhey get, the more excuses they will come up with to keep it. I will Predict right now....it 6 months, the town will RAISE the price of the bags! Thats how much I dont believe in this town at all or what it thinks its doing! This town doesnt care for the people in it..It cares about how much money it can rape out of people and HOW it can do it . It sickening! If it werent for the people in this town...the "heads " wouldnt be there..and thats where its going...Pushing people out of Tiverton every sticken year. And Joe, I dont know about you, my my parents struggle with medicare , prescriptions and a fixed income....and this will burden them even more. The people who brought this on have to live with themselves and this burden. Youre killing the people of this town (parents and grandparents too) and how you can live with that , i will never know. Im disgusted and I for one , do not believe that this town does anything with consideration for the people who LIVE here..they only consider what money they can put in their accounts!

Oh and one more thing before someone makes the stupid comment about leaving Tiverton...if I wouldnt take a lose on selling my house in this terrible economy , if anyone were stupid enough to buy a house in this town and pay the ridiculous taxes, and if my parents didnt live so close (as they may need me to be some day)....I WOULD NEVER LIVE IN THIS GOD FORSAKEN PLACE!

Before I head off I wil also bring this to your attention.....the cost of fuel....UP.....the cost of food...UP...the cost of living...UP.....people get a cost of living raise in their pay (if theyre lucky)...The TOWN OF TIVERTON TAKES IT EVERY YEAR!!!! WHich leaves everyone in a bigger hole every year!! Lets be honest here..you are a bunch of LEECHES!

Some good news, Electric is going down 16% according to the PUC.
The money collected for the bags is restricted to the closer of the land fill . The FTM is the only body that can change that.

Then maybe you can explain this to me: Westport, our neighbor, Fall River , our neighbor, Little Compton, our neighbor......all pay WAY LOWER taxes thean we do. And at the meetings...the first thing they say "WE NEED MORE MONEY FOR SNOW PREPARATION".....Guess what...It snowed the same amount in our surrounding areas and their taxes dont go up like ours does! Could it be that just maybe the people controlling the mmoney in this town, dont know how to do that! Whats goning to hapen this year .. we ha LOTS OF SNOW....are you going to ask for a million dollars more for next years storm based on one bad years weather! Of course you are! I can already predict it! BUT AGAIN....All of MASS had the same amount of snow and so did Little Compton!! Whos doing what with the money in this town!
And then you want 2.oo a plastic bag!!!! ARE YOU FOR REAL! This is a JOKE!

The electric has nothing to do with this town! If it did, it would have went up a LONGGG TIME AGO! Someone should look into where this money is going and WHO'S controlling it!
And did the towns people themselves have a chance to vote on this??? Of course not...why include us...we only pay the piper.

The citizens of Tiverton set the budget at the FTM. If people think taxes are too high they have to come and vote to lower them. We have the ability to set our own budget as a town . Apathy is why taxes are so high.

I was at the financial town meeting. This is where the counting was completely off. Amazingly enough, no surprise, the count from the two rooms didnt add up and STILL the committee won. The ftm is also a joke. After what I saw last year, if someone cant add two rooms of people, how can they run the finances of a town. It is all rigged so the town gets what they want in the end.

Tiverton Dad....the "buck" was passed to the new council...SO they pass the "BUCK" to the taxpayers!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!! At this rate, we wont have to worry about the future becasue if you cared at all about our kids "FUTURE" this town wouldnt raise the taxes like they do so that our kids can afford to stay here some day! At this rate , they will NEVER be able to live in the town they were brought up in! AS far as "new council" goes, they are all after the same thing, they pass the buck to the towns people and our kids FUTURE is IMPOSSIBLE!!!! I for one am NOT paying 40.00 a month for PLASTIC BAGS!!! WHen you kids are older, YOU tell them that YOU made it unaffordable for them to stay here!! AGAIN..this town SUCKS!

In regards to the not so factual comment made by Joe Sousa regarding the landfill being "capped" with yard waste rather than soil:

Oh it does Joe? Really? Then why is it that the yard waste is picked up with the trash? It is all compacted in the same truck Joey. Next time you put out yard waste, go outside and watch the truck pick up all the trash AND yard waste and throw it in the truck at the same time. Now tell me, how do they separate that when they "mix it up" and "make cover" for the landfill?

And as long as your on the budget commission I look forward to the "no tax increase" as far as trash goes because you say the bags will pay for that increase!

Well then Joe you are partly correct then. However, as I stated above, you do the math on the amount that still goes curbside and gets mixed in the trash. I don't agree with it at all but it is a fact. Many people in town do not have the means to bring their yard waste to the dump and two times a year does not cut it for pick up service. I would love to see your lawn though Joe, where do you live?

RI Politics, If you go to the town web sit you can use the maps.google.com. You can zoom in on the land fill. Next to the metal sheds and the metal pile is the yard waste pile. You can see a truck with a trailer dumping brush near the pile. Check it out and let me know how right I am. I await your apology

Joe take a quick look at Walker Farm in Barrington. Off County Road just N of the White Church bridge. That is a yard waste recycling facility!

The previous town council had talked about creating a yard waste recycling facility. Councilor Durfee who is very well informed in that issue explained, as i understand it, that it is very expensive to run a site like this. We instead rent a tub grinder and shred it. The xmass trees are also included in this process. The chips are mixed with dirt and used to cover the trash each day. This process is used at the central land fill as well. She also expressed concern about the lack of collection days. She thought there should be more pick up days in the year. The budget recommended this year I believe schedules two pick up dates. If people think there should be more they should contact the town administrator .

Might cost a little more with Liberty but not alot to run a "site". The yard waste is dumped, formed into long piles by an already on the clock highway worker, and turned every so often. The resulting "black gold" is available to all residents to come and take for their lawns or gardens.

The reason this is being done now is because former councils one after another didn't want to take the heat,same thing basicly happen with the library, kinda acting like a friend to your kid instead of a parent, NOt to say that all former council members did this, but i easier to be liked in town than be unpopular because you are doing what is best for the town. not what in your opionion is best for the town

Why don't we do away with curb side trash pick up all together? Let everyone take their trash to the dump and be responsible for their own seperating. Our neighbors inWestport do it. Here is the pdf that lists the transfer station requirements.

http://westport-ma.com/news/docs/Recycle%20Log%2011-17-10.pdf

They pay $30.00 for a sticker or you can purchase a punch card. They also pay $3.00 per 33 gallon bag. There is also a list of charges for additional items such and appliances. This way each household pays for what they dispose of.
Their demographic make up is similar. They have residents that are elderly, they have residents that are on fixed incomes, they have residents without pick up trucks, they have residents struggling to make ends meet, etc.
Is this a service that we really need?

Thats a very good point tiverton mom and perhaps we will evolve into a system like that, but we have to start someplace, hopefully this will be adjusted as in gets to the final deal

Sick of Tiverton- You keep repeating that is going to cost you $40.00 dollars a month for bags. Where did you get that number??????. You should use 1 1/2 bags a week.

Sick of Tiverton- You continue to complain about the town, but I bet you never ran for council or any other board. You complain about what is wrong. Why don't you volunteer and try help with a solution.

Several years ago, at one of the Town Financial Meetings at the high school, taxpayers voted to put $150,000 aside each year to cover the cost of capping the dump. Whatever became of that money? Where did it go? The meeting was approx. 10 years ago.
Also, the cost of our health insurance increases, raises are hard to come by at the hospital I work at. How do you expect regular working people to keep up with the tax increases, pensions, healthcare that our town gives away?

Hey TOM: do you know how many people live in my home? DO you know how much trash I put out per week? (you must be on the council). Not that its any of your business, but i do use 4 -5 bags a week. I will start burning, burying or taking elsewhere because this town isnt getting another penny. This is going to cause people that cant afford it ...to do the same! ALSO...Why would I ever want to be on the council. THe FTM is for that reason and that gets the town people NOWHERE! I would never stoop to the level of the council. Im ashamed of the TIverton Council, I dont want to be one!The townspeople go to the meetinngs and it gets NOWHERE! Its a joke! CATHY: Kudos...exactly what Ive been saying all along!! WHERE HAS THE MONEY GONE!!! If they cant add a total for 2 rooms of people, How are they suppose to run a town??

Sick of Tiverton I hope you will attend the Tax cap hearing to night and bring your neighbors. There are people in town who are trying to control the tax increases . If you don't come and support it taxes will go up faster than we want. Bring some friends to the high school tonight and let them know you want a cap on taxes.

Joe...we all know, and I dont even have to say this but....going to meetings EVERYDAY wouldnt change anything! The town gets what they want in the end even if they have to MISCOUNT the votes! Why hadnt anyone answered the question above? WHere is all the money that we have been paying (taxes) towards the closing of the dump? 15 years worth of tax money?? Did they think the town would "forget" that we have been paying into this for many, many years now! This whole thing is a joke! This towns a joke, the taxes are a joke and anyone who thinks theyre "pulling wool over eyes" are a joke!

sick i agree , took me awhile to find out where the recycling money goes, oh i mean the new money and that seems quite low, but like you i do remember the money was to be set aside i believe, onless it was just rolled into the gereral account

Another thing: you say that if the bags become too much money, the town will lower the cost....That has to be the biggest joke Ive heard in years! Quite funny to telll you the truth. Youre going to find that this 2.00 a bag is going to cause more problems than anything. Remember, when people cant afford it, they take the next best step. What this town is doing is placing another burden on everyone in it, making it more dificult to leave hear. Like I said before, the town wants this to be a rich mans town, wonder how rich it would look with trash everywhere.
We had an oportunity to have a little Plaza off of Fish Rd, more jobs, more money into the town..TIverton said NO! We dont have any McDonals, Burger Kings , Wendys ...anything like that for KIDS because thats where kids GO...more money , more jobs, Tiverton says NO! But ask the town how they will pay for anything they want....they say: TIVERTON TAXPAYERS, WHETHER THEY LIKE IT OR NOT!!! Does anyone realize that ALL the kids of Tiverton (and thats alot of kids) go next door to MASSACHUSETTS and give MA thousands of dollars a day!! We have a middle school and a high school....if we put a Mcdonalds anywhere near these two buildings....can you just imagine the income for the town! And it wouldnt end because people keep having children and the kids keep growing up and EVERY kid tries fast food (and most return). DOnt talk to me about "how can we raise money".

There are plenty of things this town could do ..BUT NO!!!! Let the taxpayers pay for NOTHING in return!! If you put a McDonald or the like in this area, the town could keep our taxes down , then we the people wouldnt mind paying for bags...BUT WE HAVE NOTHING HERE AND CANT HAVE IT !!!!!

If someone put a McDOnals or BK or Wendys right near the Middle and especially the High School...just picture the cars going through there everyday right around 2...when they get out. Most of thos kids (and I knowfor a fact) come out at 2 hungry and come home and eat a light meal or snack anyway, why not have it go back to the town to help out the taxpayers!!!

And dont forget breakfast at Mcdonals....ooooo more money there. Kids eating breakfast before school. I for one would be a weekly regular because i like their coffee. Instead the town puts a SECOND library that we didnt need!! I hate to tell you, Kids spend more money on fast food then adult do at dunkin! Where is the brains on this council. Doesnt anyone have kids!

I was told the money from all the taxes were in a "frozen" account but isnt going to be enough! FROZEN ???? When is it going to thaw? Or is that a fancy term for "GONE" ?

Sick this has been tried and shot down before but that was in the past and i have hope that with this council trying to change the way things are done in town that they will continue to follow the path they are on, A cap that cannot be side stepped unless by a town wide vote would be a good start to atracting business and jobs to this town, control devolepment than no growth, the industrail park is a prime example empty all these years only good for deer hunting and they stopped that, given the nature on the hills and velleys in there windmill would be a good thing and with improvements be made ever year the town would stand to gain with land left over for other building and more revenue

Joe...just so you know...Im a female with children. And I hate to say it but...i spend alot of money on my kids everyweek..(like I think most parents do). So why not give it back to the town that we live in. Keep it affordable so our kids can stay here too. I know alot of moms like myself, that drive their kids to FR to get fast food (yes, its not healthy , but we do it because the kids eat it) I had a verry fussy and severly allergic child who when he was younger loved McDonalds. I cant tell you how much money I gave FR . But he survived and he still loves the place but doesnt go as ofter. Altough he s till goes at least once a week. Thats alot of money form alot of kids and parents comimg into the town.

i would also like to know the amount of money in this account will try the recyclying coomitte online

Jim..I know I come off strong toned, but i am really upset about the thinking of this town. Ask them this question please ....."if you could build one town of your own from dirt, what would you have in it besides homes ?"
I would say ... schools, library, church, park, supermarket, gas station, fast food place , dunkin donuts and a Walmart (thats only because I like Walmart and its cheaper than a mall) and a movie theater.
This way no one would ever have to leave ths town and everyone would want to live here becasue I would have it all in traveling distance...which would save on gas! But i would make sure that there were things for kids too. I know that this would be expensive and we cant do that but at least start with something we all use and need.

Oh and a restaurant (other than fast food) so the adults could go out once a month (because thats all I can afford ) and eat. FYI..i also like a Big Mac or burger once in awhile too!

And as for these parents that say "My kid wont eat fast food because its not good for them" ...I have this to say "if your kid drives .... THEN THEY EAT FAST FOOD" They may not tell you, but they do! Check their car..there is always wrapper evidence somewhere. Its a known fact McDonalds and BK are RICH because of kids. ANd then they come home and say "im really not that hungry" ??? Believe me , they didnt make a salad on the way! This town needs a fast food place.

OLDAND TIRED: You menioned that we could bring out trash to the dump ourselves...but did you think that NOW the town is still going to force you to buy their bags for the dump? They are not going to allow us to bring any bags to the dump....hows the town going to suck money from us that way?

Sick of Tiverton, I have been attending multiple meetings in this town in order to learn the answers to the questions you are asking. I am a member of the budget committee . The only way to learn whats going on is to be involved. Come to the high school and look me up tonight. I will try to explain some of what is going on in town. We have a chance to control the increases in taxes . People have to speak out and join together, or we will still be complaining ten years from now.

the head of the budget commitee says he will not honer the budget cap, whats up with that joe?

Joe...if you believe that myself going to the meeting may help, ok, i will. But I really do believe that it wont do any good in the end. The town will win no matter what the people say, as I mentioned above..they will just " miscount " the votes in their favor.

Joe....how much money is in the account for capping the town dump? I used to attend the FTM, but got disgusted and fed up at the special interest groups that show up to vote on what THEY want and then leave. I've been told that several people that vote at the meetings do not live in Tiverton....they just work here.

Joe, do you have any figures as to what a potential transfer station would cost to build and how much it would be to run it each year? Also, what are we currently paying Patriot Disposal to pick up our trash and haul it to Johnston?

Rubbish and recycle collection proposed for 2011 -12 $ 556,664.
I have not seen a bid to build but would estimate at least 1.5 million to meet DEM standards. We could keep curb side pick up. The money that was being put away for the cap could be used to pay for the pick up. We still have to deal with yard wasted as well. Changes are coming to Tiverton in the next few years.

I wonder if a system like Portsmouth has in place would be more cost-effective for the town. If residents still want curbside pick-up, they can pay for it out of their own pockets. I would have no problem going to the "dump" to throw my trash away. I believe this would save the town money and the town could even charge a fee like Portsmouth does. I would rather spend my money in this way then for every bag I have to throw away.

We spend about $90,000. for employees at the dump. I would say it would be about the same. Expenses like electric and maintenance would be extra.

Our private trash pickup currently costs $550,000 and is set to go up to $556,664 if the budget passes. In Barrington, they pay MEGA $846,630 which includes trash, recycling, and brush and they transfer refuse to Johnston. $846 k is probably what we are looking at when the landfill closes.

But still...why is there no "outrage" that we are essentially filling up the landfill with yard waste? That point seems to effect no one unless we need to put a visual on what gets put IN the landfill on a regular basis. Like I said before, there is a particular road in town I know of that had over 500 bags of leaves on it put out with the trash and it all went to the same pile at the dump. It was not collected seperate or seperated at the landfill. This happens every week folks! I know because I have no choice and I had over 10 bags of leaves and yard waste get picked up in the past two weeks!

In the 1950s people burned their trash in a barrel out back. In 2012 it may be coming back.

Joe you beat me to it. Sorry was reviewing the budget!

jon devolve we have plenty of room at the industrial park for a transfer station . I would not miss curb side pick up, but there are those who would. At some point we will have to make that choice. Private pick up is about three hundred a year from Waste Management . That's trash and recycles. I know some people in Portsmouth who use them.

Joe,

When I lived in Portsmouth my wife and I paid for waste management. If this is something that will save us some money, it makes sense to get rid of it! Build a transfer station!

jon devolve Your vote is registered. Talk later I have some work to do.

jon i have friends in portsmouth who bring yard waste to hedly street everytime they cut their lawn, i tell them to bring it here to my house and i use it for garden mulch and compost, he doesn't pay for pickup but does pay for a dump ie tranfer station sticker to get rid of his waste works great, but as taxpayers we are all still on the hook for former councils letting the dump slide

joe sousa are you sure your not zero, useing a false name?

Joe....how much of the $150,00 that the town was supposed to put in an account for capping the dump, actually made it into the account? $150,000 for at least the last 10 years....there SHOULD be a lot of money in there......

Cathy Calabrese , believe it or not all the money went to a restricted account that is invested . We had to make a deal with the devil ---DEM to keep the land fill open as long as it has been. We are monitored by the state to insure the money is there. The problem is we should have been saving twice as much. The PAYT. trash bags revenue will make it up.

As a tax payer, this news really makes me upset. I am a single woman doing my best to keep my household running. The Town of Tiverton has been trying to keep buisness like a mall out for years to keep out of towners fron coming here. Well something like a mall would not only help with taxes and give the kids something to do to stay out of trouble. There are som many unused building just rotting away, maybe if the Town would work on things like that then they wouldnt have to charge people for trash bags. I work first hand with low income families and the number just keeps growing. I know they have bags for the low income families but I dont hink they really know what it is like. I just hope that someday when my generation is running the town things will finally get better!

I am not in favor of Pay as You Throw. We pay too much in taxes already to live in the town. The town seems to do everything possible to keep business out of this town. Friends of mine that have had businesses in the Town of Tiverton have been harrassed about their signs. Other businesses have moved out and left several empty buildings in NORTH TIVERTON. People have moved out of this town and there empty houses and lots have not sold or been maintained. The lot at the corner of Haskins Ave and Main Rd. looks like a dump! I've picked things up and thrown them in my trash before. Well I will NOT be cleaning any areas in the neighborhood if I have to pay for the bags! We have a young boy and his father who go on "clean up patrol" in our neighborhood. I don't think they will be doing that anymore either. I think people are going to start dumping there trash in these empty lots. It's a shame.
I wish our town "leaders" would allow more businesses in this town. We don't even have a grocery store any more. No one wants to come here because of all the restrictions and because of the high taxes. It used to be a nice town....
The only thing this town has allowed is HUGE houses on Ford Farm!

@CATHY...exactly what i was saying all along!! No grocery store, no McDonalds or the like for kids. This town SUCKS! And its cheaper to get a dumpster!I alreayd heard people saying that they will dump their trash in empty lots. That should be a pleasure for the town to CLEAN! The heads of this town are NOT smart at all..lol. Is actually quite funny! Like a joke!!

@SARA... I also mentioned the mall before too! More income, more jobs! Also, is everyone aware that we PAY FOOR THE HEAT in the schools that are CLOSED all winter long! Its nice to keep the rats warm!!

I think it is wrong to place the blame for the land fill short falls on the current council. Previous councils past up two alternatives that I am aware of .
One was a Trash-to-energy facility that burn garbage and uses that heat to boil water to create steam. The steam spins a turbine that generates electricity. This process not only creates electricity from garbage, but it also reduces the garbage to ash. The volume of the ash that needs to be landfilled is 75 percent to 80 percent less than the volume of the original garbage. There are two kinds of trash-to-energy facilities – mass-burn and RDF.

The second was Bedminster who would operate the Town's landfill. They'd also operate and construct a Materials Recycling Facility (MRF), building a state-of-the-art co-composting facility in the industrial park.
Both of these problem solving solutions were rejected by previous town councils. The way we did business in the past has lead to the problems we face today. Get informed and lend a hand to solve these problems. The solutions are still available today. Look at the Bedminster Nantucket plant and see what previous councils past up. Trash to energy is used in Mass and Conn. why is it band in RI?

I have been a resident for 15 years and only once have I used the land-fill. I think those using the facilities should pay by the ounce, not pound. Let the users, contractors, and yard waste haulers pay the bill for capping the land fill, not the people who have been paying taxes to run all of the duplicate trash removal systems we have in this town and shame on the council for not doing their duty.
If we must go to a pay-as-you throw system that each tax payer should get a $ 50.00 dollar refund from the town to off-set the taxes we are paying without getting any benefits, just more taxation.

haveing had to buy extra bins aT LEAST ONCE i aassume that reading now for the first time about this one bin recycle plan that the town will take the blue and green bins i have now abnd trade them for a new bin at no cost CORRECT,?or will we get ripped off again, the more i recycle the more bins i need, so how come bins aren't free now?

It's time for the residents of Tiverton to BOYCOTT the pay-as-you-throw plan and let the trash build on the road side because our councel is forcing extra taxes and expenses on all of us. BOYCOTT THE BAG.

How about the simple fact that WE PAY ENOUGH ALREADY!! This town is the worst and I think the people who handle the money NEED TO BE EXCHANGED FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN ACTUALLY COUNT!!! We pay enough damn taxes already!!! And soon to be more!!! I for one, am getting a dumpster...NOT giving this town another penny!

I dont get the payt because we pay for that already! The increase doesnt surprise me...nothing this town does surprises me...time to get rid of the big shots and put people in that care about people. Two dollars a bag plus increase our taxes...again I ask..FOR WHAT..WHAT DOES THE TOWNS PEOPLE AND TAXPAYERS GET FROM THIS?? A bill in the mail....we need to do something to stop them!!!

I do attend those PATHETIC, JOKE meetings.... where is the 15 mil dollars that have already been collected towrds the closing of the landfill for years now?? Do you think all the taxpayers are stupis and cant add just like the big shots who run the show?? I can add and multiply too!! This town has collected 15 million towards the closing already.....ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! WHeres that money?? OR SHOULD I SAY WHOS POCKET!!!!!! As far as the bags go.. I WILL NEVER, EVER, E V E R give this town a dime ..i would rather bury it in my yard than in the towns "pocket" !

AND...just like Swansea and Somerset... I am going to fight to get my taxes reduced because I will no longer , nor ever need TIVERTONS disposal again!!!
This bag cost is a joke , a cover up and Just an excuse to get more money from the taxpayer..Let me guess... you dont live in Tiverton....

ANd onr more thing Tom....do you how many people live in my home?? What gives you the right to remark on how many bags I need....is that the crap that you used to get this to pass in the first place. You dont know my living situation nor do you pay my bills and until then, dont worry about how many bags I use or my recycling. Worry about your own sitaution and the ones to come because this PAYT is going to cause more problems than good. I for one am all set with this! Gas prices went up, food cost went up, general cost of living went up, THE TOWN WANTS AN INCREASE IN TAXES IN JULY, and you can talk about 2.00 a bag on top of what we are going to be it with in July !!! If all the taxpayers were smart, they would find other means of disposing their trash and then YOU can pay to close the landfill ALONE! You and the whole crew should be ashamed of yourselves and sit back and look at how we see you!

ne last thing that i mentioned quite awhile ago..but of course, got no answer......last years meeting was such a joke...they couldnt even add up 2 rooms of votes. THE VOTES WERE OFF 200 people!! Of course that was overlooked though and coincidentally, the vote passed! IT DID NOT!!! The counting was sooooo pff it was a pathetic joke! And this is the people that handle the money....now thats FUNNY!

Tom : Heres my impression of the townl and Im not alone!!

My parents are still alive and lve in this town and have lived here for 60 + years. They have paid taxes for a majority of this time so that we could live in a good town with a good school. Now they are struggling woth medicare and medications and general cost of living ...BUT ... the council says

"HEY MOM AND DAD, thanks so much for all youve done , and i know life is tough right now ..but... you know that last 5.oo in your pocket....well..im going to make sure the town gets it for plastic bags mom and dad, so sorry, i know you paid taxes all these years, but...you'll just have to move if you dont like it!!"
and then to their kids....".so sorry kids, I wish this town could be somewhere that you can enjoy some day, but....im making it so that you can afford to live here either....maybe you can live with grandma and grandpa"

Sick,

I answer your question, yes I live in town with a wife and three kids. I know exactly what your talking about when it comes to our parents. But you have to agree, that your parents will generate one small bag a week at a dollar. The comes out to 0.14 cents per day to help the recycling rate i our fine town.