If Maine voters approve the Palesky Tax Cap in November, town governments will likely be forced to make significant budget cuts. The Acadia Disposal District (ADD) examined possible impacts of the Palesky measure and is recommending to its member towns that they consider eliminating all costs associated with solid waste management from town budgets.
The ADD handles the solid waste management for Cranberry Isles, Mount Desert , Tremont, Trenton , and Southwest Harbor . ADD is evaluating Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT), a system in which a fee is charged for disposal of all trash, including each bag, container or items such as refrigerators, mattresses or wood waste. Such a system transfers the cost of disposal from the tax rolls to the disposer. The costs of solid waste management could be significantly reduced or completely eliminated from town budgets.
Funding for solid waste management is one of the larger items in town budgets:
Town Solid Waste Budget
Cranberry Isles $ 90,000
Mt. Desert $350,891
Southwest Harbor $357,344
Tremont $128,899
Trenton $159,994 Continued on next page >>
