Dighton Board of Health Tables Bag Bids, Approves $3,000 for Swap Shed

DIGHTON -- April 28, 2026, Dighton Board of Health tables trash bag contract bids and approves swap shed funding amid a staffing dispute. The two-member board, Chair Tammy Mello and Clerk Vincent Hebert, meeting via Zoom on April 28, voted unanimously to table both the Pay As You Throw bag bids, which came in approximately $2,000 above the prior contract, and a Waste Reduction Committee recommendation to raise large bag prices, directing Health Agent Elizabeth to survey neighboring communities about sticker-based alternatives and solicit additional vendor bids before the May 19 meeting. The board unanimously authorized $3,000 from an approximately $18,000 Resource Recovery Development grant savings account to cover a handicapped-accessible side entrance for the town's incoming Swap Shed trailer at the transfer station, bridging a gap between a $6,000 grant and the unit's roughly $9,000 cost. Both members expressed sharp frustration that a staffing void left by departing Buildings Department staffer Nancy had no contingency plan, with Hebert stating the town is "biting your nose to spite your face" by blocking the health agent's authorized extra hours over a missing memorandum of understanding. The board also waived the Dighton Lions Club's Cow Chip Festival permit fee for a second consecutive year.