Wayland Board of Public Works Keeps Transfer Station Sticker Fee at $165 for 2024

WAYLAND — May 16, 2023 — Wayland Board of Public Works votes to hold transfer station sticker fees steady and advances MWRA water connection. The board voted 3-2 at its May 16 meeting to keep the full-year transfer station sticker at $165, unchanged since June 2019, despite a projected $34,000 shortfall in the enterprise fund's fiscal year 2023 finances and rising recycling tipping fees that have swung from a $14-per-ton credit to an $88-per-ton charge over 15 months. Vice Chair Michael Wegerbauer, who led the no-increase argument, said "the rate payers are doing a service to the town" and noted the fund holds $189,000 in retained earnings against a $100,000 target. Chair Clifford Lewis and member Tsung Chiang voted in favor of a $10 increase. Separately, the board voted unanimously to waive interest and late fees — estimated near $1,000 — on a disputed $2,246 water bill for a 5 Crest Road homeowner, to be credited after payment of the outstanding lien. DPW Director Tom Holder confirmed a May 30 kickoff meeting with the MWRA and said engineering firm Kleinfelder is preparing a scope of services for the admission process following town meeting's recent overwhelming approval of the MWRA connection article.