Hanover Officials Consider Moving Transfer Station to Enterprise Fund, Adding User Fees

Town proposes fees to address budget shortfalls, maintain services

HANOVER, MA - September 9 - Hanover officials are proposing to move the town's transfer station to an enterprise fund model, potentially requiring residents to pay annual fees for trash disposal. The proposal, presented at the September 9 Select Board meeting, aims to address budget shortfalls and maintain other essential town services.

Town Manager Joe Colangelo outlined the plan, which would shift the transfer station's $1.5 million annual operating costs out of the general fund budget. Under the proposed model, residents would pay an annual sticker fee ranging from $260 to $300 per household to use the facility.

"We do not have to offer transfer station services as a town," Colangelo said. "Transfer station services are not required services of a municipality."

The proposal comes as Hanover faces significant budget constraints. Colangelo projected that even with maximum property tax increases allowed under state law, the town would start the next fiscal year with a $250,000 deficit.

Select Board Chair Vanessa O'Connor emphasized the difficult choices facing the town.

"We cannot expect to have the services of some of the towns around us that many consider very affluent towns, and continue to not allow more building in the town and not want more residents in the town, and to demand that we have very low taxes," O'Connor said. "It just is not feasible."

Colangelo noted that only 13 out of 136 municipal transfer stations in Massachusetts are funded primarily with property taxes, as Hanover's currently is. Board Member Greg Satterwhite noted that Hanover is the only town charging for full-day kindergarten while providing a free transfer station.

Some residents expressed concerns about the additional cost burden. Mark Anderson, a resident, questioned whether the move was essentially "a tax under the name of a fee" to free up funds for other services like schools.

Others supported the proposal as a way to potentially preserve funding for schools and other essential services. Rachel Hughes, a resident with three children in the school system, urged prioritizing education funding.

"When I think about priorities and when I think about what I want this town to be known for, I really hope that we think about our kids, our schools, our libraries, our senior centers," Hughes said.

The Select Board is considering holding a Special Town Meeting in December to vote on the proposal. If approved, the new funding model would take effect July 1, 2025.

Board members emphasized that discussions are in the early stages and that they will continue to seek public input before making any final decisions.

"We will continue this discussion," O'Connor said. "I do think we do have to do the diligence of letting everyone, at least initially as they're absorbing this, start to give us their feedback."

Bonnie Clark, a former member of the transfer station study committee, spoke in support of the proposal. She highlighted the complexity of waste management issues and the need for innovative solutions.

"We definitely have to experiment," Clark said. "We definitely have to experiment, and I would ask you to be open to the experimentation."

In other business, South Shore Vocational Technical High School officials presented plans for a proposed $276 million new school building project. The project will go before voters in a district-wide special election on Jan. 25.

The total local cost after state reimbursement is projected to be between $166 million and $168 million. Superintendent Tom Hickey said Hanover's share of the project cost is estimated at 11% based on current enrollment figures.

"We are projecting that a total project minus an MSBA grant will probably result in a range of about 166 to 168 million dollars at the local level," Hickey told the board.

As part of the building project process, the vocational school is seeking to amend its regional agreement to change how each member town's debt share is calculated. The proposed amendment would move to a four-year rolling average rather than fixing debt shares at the time of borrowing.

"This is an improvement to how future debt shares of any kind would be calculated," Hickey said of the proposed change.

The Select Board will consider placing the regional agreement amendment on the warrant for the special town meeting in December.