Ayer Rate Review Committee votes to raise transfer station permit fees

AYER -- October 14, 2025, Ayer Rate Review Committee unanimously recommends raising transfer station permit fees for calendar year 2025, leaving bag prices untouched. The committee voted to send a recommendation to the Select Board proposing a $5 increase on the standard resident permit, bringing it from $105 to $110, and a $10 increase on the second-vehicle permit, bringing it from $30 to $40, the first increase for the second permit since fiscal year 2019. Senior permits are unchanged. The projected revenue of roughly $296,000 leaves an estimated $2,382 cushion above the amount needed to cover operating costs, after last year's books closed with only about $3,000 to spare. A public hearing before the Select Board is set for November 18, 2025, alongside the annual tax classification hearing.