MADISON — The Budget Advisory Committee and the Board of Selectmen gave their backing Wednesday night to a $2.6 million municipal budget that does not include funding for curbside recycling.

The issue of whether to do away with the curbside service was the subject of much debate between members of the two boards and residents, some of whom argued that recycling is “the right thing to do” while others said that eliminating the service is a necessary precaution in a tight fiscal year.

With the $2,646,328 budget finalized by officials Wednesday night, it now will go to residents for consideration June 13 at Town Meeting.

“We’ve had long discussions about what government has to do and what is the role of municipal government,” Vice Chairman of the Board of Selectmen Jack Ducharme said during a joint meeting of the board and the committee. “The right thing to do is to make sure we don’t have a bunch of people coming to us in February pleading with us because they can’t stay in their homes because they can’t pay their taxes.”

The decision to eliminate curbside recycling — a cost of $38,000 — comes as the town’s largest taxpayer, Madison Paper Industries, announced last month that the mill will close in May. In addition to being the largest source of tax revenue in Madison, the mill is also one of its largest recyclers — contributing about 90 tons of cardboard per year for which the town gets $20 per ton in waste management credit.

The selectmen voted 5-0 to eliminate curbside recycling from the proposed 2016-2017 budget last month shortly after the announcement from the mill, and on Wednesday the advisory board confirmed the decision with an 8-5 vote in support of eliminating recycling pickup.

But Recycling Committee Chairwoman Mary Tomlinson said recycling is “the right thing to do” and urged both boards to consider mandating the practice as a way of reducing the amount of money the town spends on waste management while retaining curbside pickup.

The twice-per-month practice is used by about 160 households in Madison, according to an independent audit that Town Manager Tim Curtis said he and office staff conducted this winter. There are about 3,000 households in Madison.

In 2015 Madison residents recycled about 87 tons of recyclables, including about 58 tons through curbside pickup and about 28 tons that were taken to Waste Management in Norridgewock, according to Curtis. That doesn’t include the 90 tons of cardboard recycled by Madison Paper.

If the town were to eliminate curbside recycling and residents chose not to recycle but rather to throw out those items into the trash, it would add only about $3,000 to the cost of waste management, Curtis said.

“From a fiscal standpoint, it doesn’t make sense to keep $40,000 in the budget to save $3,000,” he said.

Tomlinson said she estimates that at one point as many as 27 percent of Madison residents were recycling, but that after the town changed contractors about three years ago, there were some problems with service that have deterred people from participating.

She said the town could save as much as 50 percent in their waste management budget if more people recycled.

Resident Ellen Parker said she has been recycling for over 50 years and produces barely one bag of trash per week, but that if curbside recycling is taken away she will not take her recyclables to a transfer station in Norridgewock or Skowhegan — the two options for Madison residents should curbside recycling be eliminated.

“I probably will stop recycling,” she said. “It will make me sick to my stomach, but I will not risk getting a flat tire (at the transfer station).”

Advisory Board Committee Chairman Ron Moody argued in favor of letting residents decide whether to keep or cut curbside recycling when the municipal budget is presented at the town meeting.

“It’s something that impacts so many people in town so we should give them a chance to tell us they don’t want recycling,” said Moody, who last year argued a similar point in proposing that town residents should decide on whether to keep or cut the budget for a local police department. In 2015 residents were presented with two budget figures for police services — one from the advisory committee that would have allowed for the town to retain an independent police department and one from the Board of Selectmen that allowed the town to contract with the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office.

School Administrative District 59 Superintendent Todd LeRoy, who is also a member of the advisory committee, said he was against eliminating the program. “I see the cost savings, but my question is, ‘Is it really the right thing to do?’ I would bet the numbers (of people participating) are growing and I would ask to consider the impact we’re having on landfills. Are we really doing the right thing by breaking away from having a place to take recyclables?” LeRoy said.

“We need to do something different,” said committee member Doug Denico. “The recycling program as it is isn’t working and if we say no maybe someone will come along with something better. We need to challenge people to do something different.”

Rachel Ohm — 612-2368

rohm@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @rachel_ohm

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