Weston Selectmen Express Frustration on Pay-As-You-Throw Issue

Weston selectmen spoke out against some of the more vocal opponents of pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) trash on Tuesday night, saying they had been surprised and shocked at the reaction of people who had come to a .

For now, the board has decided to postpone the issue indefinitely, at least for the current iteration of the board. 

"I was very disappointed in the tenor of the whole discussion the other night," said Selectman Steven Charlip.

The discussion came about as the board was in the middle of approving a tentative warrant article list for Special Town Meeting in November. A citizens' petition on a yes or no about PAYT trash was filed and will appear on the warrant. 

However, the petition would not be binding, just advisory.

Selectman Michael Harrity said he thought maybe it was worth it to gauge the reaction of the town before making a final decision on the issue.

"Let's get the will of the town on this. We just didn't understand how emotional and concerned people were about this," he said.

But Charlip and Chairman Doug Gillespie disagreed, saying they didn't want a repeat of the public hearing.

"If people are going to get as worked up and nasty as they were two weeks ago on the floor of Town Meeting, we don't need that kind of tenor at Town Meeting," said Gillespie.

Charlip, who called the tone of the meeting "barbaric and rude," said while he supported the PAYT issue, and didn't want to set a precedent about referendums on selectmen's policy decisions, it wasn't worth it to divide the town even further.

"The genie is out of the bottle and there is no way people are going to be inclined to listen to the facts anymore," he said.

For now, residents have been advised to buy transfer station stickers as usual. The stickers will be valid until Sept. 30, 2012.