WHITMAN — Oct. 20, 2026 — The Whitman Select Board voted 3-0-1 Tuesday to keep the annual trash rate at $435 for fiscal 2027, declining the DPW Commissioners’ recommendation to lower it to $420 as members cited indirect costs the rate is meant to recover and a Waste Management contract extension still being negotiated. Bills are expected to be mailed in November.
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Dawn Byers moved to set the trash rate at $435 for fiscal 2027 26:04. After first calling the result three to one, Chair Justin Evans clarified the tally as 3-0-1, with Vice Chair Dan Salvucci abstaining.
The current-year rate is $435, and the prior year’s was $385. Speaking for the DPW Commissioners, Chair Kevin Cleary said the commissioners met the previous Wednesday and concluded that the $420 rate they proposed last year would still cover direct costs. The commissioners recommended $420 last year as well; but the Select Board instead chose $435 to account for indirect costs.
The town is negotiating a two-and-a-half-year extension with Waste Management, trying to fix as many costs as possible, with a meeting the following week that Cleary hoped would finalize it. He put the expense at roughly $1.9 million to $2 million, rising to perhaps $2.1 million over the life of the contract. Tonnage stays consistent at about 3,900 tons of trash and 1,400 tons of recycling, he said, urging residents to check the recycling flyer because contaminated loads bring penalties.
Town Administrator Sabrina Chilcott said holding the rate at $435 works with the current numbers but warned against going lower.
Shawn Kain, who backed $435, described last year’s rate as already a compromise because it didn’t account for all indirect costs calculated by the town.
Kain also warned that fees set too high could push residents to private haulers. Byers said that before considering $420, she would want a reconciliation of the past year’s revenue at $435 against actual expenses, but leaned toward keeping the rate level.
Evans said the intent of a majority of the board last year was to treat trash more like an enterprise account, noting that the former treasurer-collector had recommended establishing one, though the town has not done so. He called a level trash bill a win given the other costs the board is weighing for next year. Members asked for an update to last year’s indirect-cost calculation.
