Trash Crisis Averted ... For Now. Council Vote Set for Tuesday.
Written by: Dan Shibilia
After four councilors blocked emergency trash funding last week, Mayor Beauregard and the City Council have reached a tentative deal to keep the trucks rolling. But the vote isn't done yet.
Methuen's trash standoff appears to be heading toward a resolution — but residents won't know for certain until Tuesday night. Mayor D.J. Beauregard announced Thursday that the city is moving forward with a plan, developed in partnership with the City Council, to ensure that trash and recycling pickup continues without interruption.
The mayor has called an emergency special meeting of the City Council for Tuesday, April 28, at 7:00 p.m. at which the Council will take a formal vote on the proposal. Until that vote happens, no funds have been transferred and no services are formally secured.
"At its core, this is about putting taxpayer dollars to work to pay a critical bill that provides essential services our residents rely on."
— Mayor D.J. BeauregardThe plan includes a transfer of funds to cover current solid waste disposal costs — the tipping fees at the heart of this week's crisis — along with additional measures aimed at controlling long-term expenses. As part of the deal, the city would implement enhanced enforcement of its solid waste ordinance, including public education and penalties for violations like contamination and improper disposal. The administration says those enforcement efforts are designed to reduce overall waste tonnage and bring down the disposal costs that have put the city in this position.
The plan also includes a new accountability provision: monthly reporting to the City Council on enforcement actions and progress toward cost control goals.
How We Got Here
The crisis traces back to the FY26 budget process, when the City Council trimmed the tipping fee line item — the charges the city pays to dispose of collected waste — over warnings from the Beauregard administration. When those costs came due, the city found itself short.
A funding transfer to cover the gap was brought before the full Council on April 21. A majority of councilors supported it, but four voted against, blocking the supermajority required to pass. Mayor Beauregard warned publicly the next day that trash and recycling service was now at risk, directing residents with service complaints to call the Office of the City Council at 978-983-8510.
Since then, the mayor's office says it worked with Council members to negotiate the path forward announced Thursday.
📅 What's Next
Tuesday, April 28 · 7:00 p.m. — Emergency special meeting of the Methuen City Council. The Council will vote on the funding transfer and the accompanying enforcement and accountability measures.
If approved, funds will be transferred and tipping fee costs will be covered, securing services for the remainder of FY26.
If the vote fails again, service disruption remains a live possibility. Residents should monitor city communications.
The Bigger Picture
This episode is the latest in a pattern of mid-year funding scrambles in Methuen. The tipping fee situation follows the same contour … a line item cut over objection, then a crisis when the bill came due.
The enforcement and monthly reporting requirements built into this deal suggest both sides are trying to address the structural dynamic, not just patch the immediate hole. Whether that accountability mechanism changes how the FY27 budget process plays out will be the real test.
For now, the trucks are still running. Tuesday's vote will determine whether they stay that way.