April 8, 2011
Vote to support bottle bill among items on the agenda of Tuesday's Board of Selectmen meeting
By Ken Powers April 03, 2011 - WESTBOROUGH, Mass. – Included among the 20 agenda items on the Board ff Selectmen's agenda for its meeting Tuesday night are a vote on supporting changes to the bottle bill, scheduled to be voted on in the near future by the legislature.Also on the agenda is a discussion regarding adopting a state law that was passed and signed last summer which contain provisions for the sale of wines from a licensed farm winery at approved agricultural events in Westborough, as well as a vote by Selectmen on the creation of a Deputy Chief position within the Westborough Police Department.
To view the complete agenda for the Board of Selectmen's 6 p.m., meeting on Tuesday, to be held in the Selectmen's meeting room inside Town Hall, click here.
Selectmen Tim Dodd, who supports the changes to the bottle bill, will present the matter for discussion.
The Westborough Board of Selectmen (l to r) George Thompson, Leigh Emery, Rod Jane, Lydia Goldblatt and Tim Dodd.Photo by Ken Powers (file photo).
In addition, the bill reestablishes the Clean Environment Fund that uses forfeited deposits to improve recycling and other environmental projects, and the bill would also provide relief to redemption centers by increasing the handling fee – which is not paid by the state – which have not been increased in 20 years.
Dodd said projected revenue from the changing of the bottle bill, state-wide, is expected to be about $38 million
To date, 165 of Massachusetts' cities and towns support the change in the bottle bill, including Grafton. Among the state legislators that support the change in the bill are Sen. Jamie Eldridge, D-Acton, who is Westborough's state senator, and Rep. Carolyn Dykema, D-Holliston, who represents Precinct 2 in Westborough.
A public survey conducted by MassINC, which describes itself on its website www.massinc.org as "an independent think tank using non-partisan research, civic journalism and public forums to stimulate debate and shape public policy," 77 percent of Massachusetts residents polled on the subject support the change to the bottle bill.
"To me this is a no-brainer," Dodd said. "I believe this bill will help the environment by encouraging young people and others to recycle. Additionally, funds from deposits of bottles that are not returned will be used to improve environmental efforts in the Commonwealth. Right now, deposits on bottles that are not returned go straight into the state's general fund. This bill will allow for the funds to be dedicated solely to environmental protection efforts."
Dodd will also present for discussion by the board the issue of adopting the state law that was passed and signed last summer which contain provisions for the sale of wines from a licensed farm winery at approved agricultural events in Westborough
The legislation, "An Act Relative to Economic Development Reorganization," was co-sponsored by Sen. Eldridge.
According to the legislation, agricultural events including farmers markets, fairs, and festivals must be approved and certified by the Department of Agricultural Resources before a winery can apply for the appropriate license from a local board. A board that accepts the statute can allow events, certified by the Department of Agricultural Resources, to sell Massachusetts-made wine at their event.
"At our meeting, we will discuss whether we want to accept the statute. If we do, it would allow any certified agricultural event to sell wine locally produced in Massachusetts," Dodd explained. "Although we do not currently have a farmer's market in Westborough, we may in the near future. Accepting this provision now will allow us to be ahead of the curve and to plan on how we can accept this exciting new law."
Dodd said if the Selectmen were to vote to accept the statute, it would just mean that the Town of Westborough has accepted the law. Groups certified by MDAR would need to apply to the Board of Selectmen to receive a permit to sell the locally-produced wines at their event.
http://www.thedailywestborough.com/Articles-c-2011-04-03-76144.113122-Vote-to-support-bottle-bill-among-items-on-the-agenda-of-Tuesdays-Board-of-Selectmen-meeting.html
