Details of transfer station plan discussed

SALISBURY — The Board of Selectmen met with the public for an informational meeting about the new transfer station Tuesday, March 3.

First Selectman Curtis Rand took the lead on the presentation. Several questions were raised by audience members (about 35 people attended), mostly concerning the new Salisbury-Sharon Resource Recovery Authority (SSRRA).

Former Selectman Peter Oliver expressed concern with a line in the ordinance that states, “The Board of Selectmen may remove said Voting Representative... with or without cause.�

“It puts a lot of discretionary power in a politically controlled entity,â€� Oliver said of the “without causeâ€� clause.  “If two people on the Board of Selectmen have an axe to grind a [voting representative] could find himself ‘out.’â€�

Radio talk show host Mike Flint called the clause “blatantly political.�

Further muddying the waters is the language specifying staggered terms for the voting representatives, who will be, initially, the selectmen themselves. “This is very close to a conflict of interest,� Flint said.

But Selectman Jim Dresser, who is slated to take on an initial one-year term on the transfer station board, said he hoped to find a replacement as soon as possible after the authority is established. “I personally know I am not the best person for the job.�

Selectman Bob Riva added, “By the time the transfer station is operating, my [two-year] term will be over.�

First Selectman Rand’s term on the board would be three years.

“We’re two or three years from the transfer station opening,� Rand noted. “There’s easily enough time to get new members in place.� 

The authority will have six members plus two alternate members.

In the meantime the Transfer Station Recycling Advisory Committee will remain in place. Rand speculated that some of its members might find themselves on the SSRRA.

“If people want to step up and say they really want to be on the SSRRA, we can think about it,� said Rand. “But the attorneys recommended the selectmen be the initial members� while the building committee finishes its work.

“I think it’s important to have a selectman on SSRRA at all times, probably the first selectman. This is not a power grab, but having a selectman on provides continuity,� Rand said.

“I’d be very cautious if this wasn’t a 50-50 agreement with a neighbor town. Otherwise I wouldn’t recommend it.�

And Rand pointed out that, in the event SSRRA members were removed and voters objected, the selectmen must face re-election every two years.

Charlie Vail asked about the number needed for a quorum — four — and the possibility that a majority vote on an issue could be done with a count of three to one, should two of the six SSRRA members be absent for some reason. “It’s the tyranny of small, even numbers,� Vail said.

And he asked about the town’s exposure in the event of an environmental problem — a spill of hazardous materials, for example. Rand replied that the town’s insurance should cover such eventualities, but said he would obtain more information.

Flint and George Parsons also wondered why the town is not leasing the land to the authority, and expressed some concern that Salisbury could be on the short end of the stick should Sharon decide to pull out of the partnership and the authority be dissolved. 

Rand replied that the way the agreement is set up, “if either town pulls out the other party can’t be left holding the bag.� Should the SSRRA cease to be, the land reverts back to Salisbury.

The selectmen are anxious to get the ordinance establishing the SSRRA to a vote this month if possible, and certainly by their self-imposed deadline of June 1.

Rand said in a phone interview Wednesday that answers to the questions raised during the meeting will be posted on the town Web site, and that the town meeting and vote would likely be preceded by a question-and-answer session, similar to the routine for the vote on acquiring the Luke-Fitting property.