Refuse district approves $1,680,600 FY 21 budget

Transfer station spending increases 6.36%
Mon, 01/13/2020 - 7:15am

A loss in  recycling revenue is resulting in the four Boothbay Region Refuse District towns paying more to operate the transfer station. District trustees unanimously approved a $1,680,600 Fiscal Year 21 operating budget Jan. 9. FY 20’s recycling revenue of $10,000 was far less than the anticipated $30,000 Station Manager Steve Lewis budgeted a year ago. Anticipating another year of poor recycling revenue, he budgeted $10,000 for the next fiscal year. 

The district is requesting $1,318,990 in municipal funding from members. Boothbay Harbor pays the largest share with 37.17%, or $490,269. This is a $25,111 increase. Boothbay is the second largest contributor at 35.57%, or $469,165, a $22,857 increase. Southport’s share is 17.06%, or $134,537, a $24,124 increase. Edgecomb’s share is10.20%, or $134,537, a $6,808 increase. Each town’s share is based on a formula the trustees developed in 1988. It uses population, state property valuation and total taxable sales.

The towns would have paid more if trustees didn’t decide to use Giles Rubbish funds to offset transfer station management costs. In May 2018, the district bought trash pick-up business Giles Rubbish, but this is the first year trustees used their new property’s revenue for the transfer station. Trustees transferred $20,000 from the Giles account to the transfer station’s. Trustees also approved a rate increase for construction building debris from seven to eight cents per pound or from $140 to $160 per ton. 

In other action, trustees approved the Giles Rubbish FY 21 operating budget of $825,100, up from $810,100.

Lewis said there wouldn’t be a February trustees meeting.