O.K. First the good news: In 2006 and 2007, citizens of the Boothbay region have saved over $1.68 million dollars recycling at the Boothbay Region Refuse Disposal District.

The total for recycled tonnage in 2007 is the same as last year - 12,380.64 tons with a cost savings of approximately $900,000.

Unfortunately, operating costs for the next year's budget will be impossible to retain.

Operations Manager Steve Lewis has determined that, if all remains status quo at the Boothbay Region Refuse Disposal District, next year's budget, and therefore municipal requests, will be up 4.6 percent.

In an impromptu meeting with treasurer Harold Orne and trustee, Tom Carbone some ideas for decreasing that amount to the municipalities was discussed.

"One way to reduce the cost to the municipalities would be to increase the CDB fees which have remained unchanged for five years," said Lewis. "If all disposable waste fees increase $5, it would take $50,000 away from the request right off the top."

This would mean shingles and sheetrock would go from $10 to $15 per yard and CDB would go from $15 to $20 per yard.

Lewis cited the cost of fuel as the number one factor for the increase in the 2008 - 2009 budget.

The facility does purchase its fuel as a member of a consortium, but what the "lower price" will end up being next year is anybody's guess.

Said Chairman Rob Hopkins, "The only other ways I can see would be to either make budget cuts, but I can't see where we could do that, or, close one or two days a week instead of raising the CDB to compensate."

Trustee Palmer Payne questioned what the facility would really save by closing. The unanimous verdict - not enough.

Lewis said that additional increases include disposal fees and tipping costs, over which the district has no control.

The following materials are those the district pays to recycle:

Demolition wood chips to Biomass (power) plants (shipped 1,098.6 tons in '07) - cost: $1,26.58; tires to BDS Recycling (shipped 70.75 tons in '07) - cost: $5,306.25; waste oil to Clean Harbors (shipped 5,400 gallons or 21.6 tons); cooking oil to Baker Commodities (4,750 gallons or 17.6 tons); 886.55 tons at a cost of $46,860.90 of asphalt to Commercial Paving and 155.62 tons of sheetrock to Commercial Paving for $7,329.70 with the total expense, $60,623.43.

Revenue for the district includes performance credits received from the Municipal Review Committee. The district is a charter member of the MRC and is charged lesser tipping fees, $45 rather than $74.79, over the last few years.

The facility received $76,029.09 in performance credits for the period of January 1, 2007 to September 30, 2007. Lewis anticipates the receipt of $22,152.29 for the period of October 1 to December 31, 2007.

"The combination of these performance credits, recycling revenue and the increase in the CDB fees enable us to lower the increase to the municipalities," said Lewis.

The motion made to increase all disposable waste (shingles, sheetrock and CDB by $5 per yard, effective April 1, 2008 passed, with trustee Mike Leighton voting against.

"We feel that the implementation of these increases will help to reduce the assessment to the towns by half of what it would be if we did not increase the disposable waste fees," said Payne.

The total proposed municipal request for 2008 - 2009 is as follows: Boothbay - $322,204 (cost share 34.13 percent); Boothbay Harbor - $384,863 (cost share 39.54 percent); Edgecomb - $93,928 (cost share 9.65 percent) and Southport - $162,355 (16.68 percent).

For the record, last year's assessment to the towns was as follows: Boothbay - $322,874; Boothbay Harbor - $365,275; Edgecomb - $89,811 and $149,840, Southport.

The proposed total operating budget amount for 2008 - 2009 is $1,432,850.00, up $127,050.

Because trustees Chuck Cunningham, Payne, Bruce Cameron, Hopkins and Leighton had been able to review the proposed budget prior to the January 10 meeting, it was agreed to wait.

A special meeting will be held on Thursday, January 17 at 4:30, to vote on the budget.

Carbone, making a pitch for the plans to buy a used or new baler to compress magazine and newspapers, pointed out that we stood to gain approximately $20,000 per year.

This revenue, after an initial expenditure of $10,000 to $12,000, would come from baling paper bags; all recycled household paper (from the green bins directly across from the dumping bins). One of the currently operated balers is for all cardboard and the other for newspaper and magazines.

The board agreed Lewis would continue pricing balers and report back to the board at the next meeting.

The board has decided to hold a public meeting to determine whether or not the facility will continue to accept compost materials in 2008.