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Trash authorities raise fees, towns claim it's retaliation

By Associated Press

February 22, 2008

HARTFORD, Conn. - The state's trash authority has approved a 25 percent increase in the fees that 70 towns and cities must pay for disposal of trash.

The Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority approved the increase Thursday. A spokesman says the increase is needed by the CRRA to close its Hartford landfill and ship waste out of state.

However, a lawyer representing the towns says the increase seems like retaliation against the towns that had successfully sued the CRRA.

David Golub says the increase equates to about a $28 million budget increase for CRRA, about the amount that the towns were awarded recently in a lawsuit against the agency.

The CRRA spokesman says he's surprised by the towns' reaction.