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02/16/2023 AC Minutes 2 will be reopener clauses in any new contract to allow the possibilities of going to automated collec- tion, of allowing for trash metering, or of accommodating a more robust food composting program. Currently, there is a fee of $70 to $80 per ton to drop off the collected recycling material at the recy- cling facility. This cost is expected to escalate to $100 per ton next year. About 90% of the mate- rial collected in the recycling pickup is accepted for recycling processing. The tipping fee for trash is currently or will soon be $88 per ton, and may soon be less than the tipping fee for the recycling stream. Over the next two to three years, the tipping fee for trash is expected to increase very sig- nificantly. In response to a question, Mr. Pinsonneault said that the success of the proposed composting pilot program would be checked by monitoring the amount of trash collected, via weighing the collection trucks or otherwise estimating the amounts of trash collected. In regard to food composting, Black Earth does have estimates of how much material they collect. Per a recent State ban on disposal of mattresses and box springs in the trash, the Town pays its con- tractor for picking them up along with white goods. The Town has found a contractor that will take the mattresses and box springs at $45 a piece compared to a more typical $100. A proposal to cre- ate a revolving fund and charge a fee for the collection of mattresses and white goods, etc., will be presented to the Select Board most likely after the annual town meeting ends. The annual cash flow through a revolving fund is estimated to be about $230,000. The current trash collection is a manual process with partial automation. Full automation entails us- ing specified containers which would have a specified size and could facilitate charging a fee per container. The current Town bylaw allowance of 6 barrels per week is very generous compared to the limits in many other municipalities and may have negative effects when the Town applies for certain grants. There is consideration of changing the Town bylaw that says the Town must provide a free way to dispose of trash. Mr. Pinsonneault noted that several requested program improvements are not recommended by the Town Manager. One of these is related to maintenance of the new streetscape in Lexington Center that may not be urgently needed as the work will be under warranty for one year. The water and sewer budgets will be increasing because of increases in the MWRA assessments. Preliminary assessments just issued by the MWRA show a combined increase of 5.2% (the White Book contains 10% placeholders, but those should be updated before the Annual Town Meeting). The new automated water metering system is just about fully implemented. There will be increased software costs to keep the system running, and that will also affect the water and sewer budgets. On the other hand, the budget for meter replacement will likely decrease. Mr. Levine asked about replacement of the 350 or so non-LED streetlights with LEDs. Mr. Pinson- neault said that those are compact fluorescent streetlights that use less energy than the metal halide and high-pressure sodium vapor and other streetlights that were replaced with LEDs several years ago. The DPW is working with Eversource to analyze whether it makes economic sense to install LEDs in the remaining lights. In regard to the capital program, there is a need to repave some of the municipal parking lots. Fund- ing for a lead and copper water line survey and replacement program will be requested. The DPW has asked that the cost of a consultant for the water line program be funded with ARPA funds. There is work going on to analyze the alternatives for replacing the water towers, including testing the current site and determining whether it makes sense to repair the foundation under one of the tanks to prolong its useful life.