Townsend Board of Health raises hauler permit fee, approves sticker grace period

TOWNSEND -- May 26, 2026, Townsend Board of Health raises hauler permit fees and approves a pay-as-you-throw grace period for the July sticker rollout. The board voted unanimously at its May 26 meeting to adopt revised hauler regulations setting the annual permit fee at $350, up $100 from the previous $250, effective September 1, 2026, a step health staff said is warranted by the added monitoring burden of the town's pay-as-you-throw program and the growth of private dumpster customers. A $25 late fee was retained. The board also unanimously approved a grace period from July 1 through July 10 allowing residents still holding a yellow sticker to continue trash service while awaiting their new purple sticker by mail, with pickup suspended after the 10th for those without a valid sticker. The enterprise account carried a balance of $148,177.69 as of May 1, with a $42,000 grant application due by June 30, and staff identified $6,778.75 in pay-as-you-throw bag costs misposted to the operating account that will be corrected. The board approved a $3,553.24 invoice warrant and continued enforcement action at 61 Edward Road to June 8.