8/22/2011 BOARD OF SELECTMEN Minutes

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i August 19, 2011 Board of Selectmen Mashpee NIA,02649 Dear Board Members, Jun Levy, Chairwoman, Sheldon Gilbert, Vice Chairman, Marion Baker, and Charles Gasior were appointed by your Board to serve as members of the Mashpee Recycling Committee (MRC). Catherine Laurent has represented the Town on behalf of DPW and Mike Richardson rdson has served as liaison from the Board to the MRC. Ire addition, Jonathon Leavitt, not a member of the MRC, has attended virtually all meetings and maintained a significant history of articles published in the Enterprise Newspapers about municipal efforts to Ileal with reductions in trash and an increase in recycling. The late Ed Baker attended meetings as well. The proposed program to achieve a substantial reduction in trash and a significant increase in recycling, namely PAYT, was narrowly defeated by the Board when Mr. Myers was a Selectmen by a vote of 3-2. Subsequently, the Board's Subcommittee on Solid waste and the MRC voted unanimously to recommend that the Board of Selectmen implement a PAYT program for Mashpee. This was based on reviewing three options, two of which were determined to be ineffective in achieving the goals established by the Board of Selectmen. The recon-rnendation was rejected by a 4-1 vote with little or no acknowledgement or discussion of the recommendation to implement PAYT and no recognition of the efforts made by the MRC. Most recently,the Board has chosen to establish yet another Conittee to study the solid waste problem. Often, we hear about how difficult it is to encourage enough people to volunteer to be members of Committees to help the Town manage its affairs. Yet, the Board has given no singular valid reason to the MRC or the members of the recently disbanded Town Subcommittee why PAYT should not be Implemented other than to wait to see bow the PYTprogram recently started in Sandwich fres. We will not speculate as to the reasons the Board has remained adamant about not implementing PAYT, even on a modest timetable of a minimum of one year from the date of authorization. There has been little or no communication from the Board to the NMC about its deliberations, and to be truthful, we cannot imagine what the new Subcommittee is dutifully exploring as an alternative to PAYT. It is the Board's obligation; better yet it's duty to take action and to be responsive to the well thought out recommendations that have been offered by the MRC to implement PAYT. we have been very patient and now believe that the Board has to take some positive action that will demonstrate it's willingness to consider PAYT and that it is seriously trying to Ileal with the solid waste problem and the potential increase in costs for disposing of trash that is now n the horizon. Unless the Board can offer good and valid reasons for delaying a decision on PAYT, particularly now that Sandwich has very quickly demonstrated a high degree of success in its first month of PAYT implementation, the Board should proceed to negotiate with the MRC to phase in, in a deliberate manner, PAYT prograrn for Mashpee and permit the MRC to help schedule the activities that will ensure success. I believe it is fair for us to say that we have been devoted volunteers for the Town. It would be entirely irresponsible to continue to dismiss our recommendations and not to engage the MRC fully in a discussion of your concerns. The MRC is committed to meeting YOUR mandate to substantially reduce solid waste and increase recycling. Let us join together to make this happen. Mas a ecyciin o mittee ne Levy Marion Baker Charles Sheldon Gilbert asior