RENSSELAERVILLE — Residents will have a chance to weigh in on a new fee schedule for the Rensselaerville transfer station at a public hearing on March 27 at 6:45 p.m., at the town hall.

The town board is looking to update the fee schedule after the city of Albany drastically increased its own fees to use the Rapp Road Landfill.

As The Enterprise has previously reported, the fee increases are expected to cost the town an extra $24,900 — not including another $10,000 related to increased recycling costs — most of which comes from the general waste fee, but includes mattress disposal as well. 

At the town board’s Feb. 27 meeting, Councilman Randy Bates questioned whether the increases would continue.

“If they’re going to charge individually for mattresses, what about couches?” he asked. “What about other furniture? What about other large objects that we take in? Is this going to be an endless fee for everything?” 

Bates also expressed frustration that the change was made “without any input from local government.” 

“We have to do something; otherwise we’re going to be so upside down,” Supervisor John Dolce said after explaining that the 2025 budget, adopted in November, didn’t account for the increases, which took effect in January this year. 

There are no easy alternatives to using Rapp Road landfill, which is the destination for waste for most of the municipalities in the Enterprise coverage area. 

The landfill was already a source of stress for the towns that rely on it, albeit more distantly, as it’s expected to close in May of 2028 when it reaches capacity, unless the city can figure out ways to slow the intake of waste.