Swampscott Select Board Votes to Cut Recycling Pickup to Every Other Week in January

Select Board · Meeting of July 7, 2026

Swampscott Select Board votes unanimously to move curbside recycling to every other week beginning January 1, projecting $168,000 in annual savings. The board, chaired by Danielle Gittens, also approved approximately $285,000 in fiscal year 2026 year-end budget transfers, down from $663,000 the prior year, with fire department overtime totaling $795,000 as the largest single overage. Finance Director Patrick Luddy presented a preliminary recommendation of a 4 percent sewer and 3 percent water rate increase for FY27, which the board sent back for further analysis, asking for comparator scenarios and historical MWRA flow data before a vote ahead of the August 15 billing cycle.

Hotel Delamar Director of Business Development Dixon Mallory presented updated construction drawings for the planned 57- to 58-room boutique hotel in the former Hadley School, confirming a reversed traffic-circulation layout to address neighbor light-pollution concerns, a two-level speakeasy restaurant in the existing sub-basement, and a November 2029 target opening. The board deferred a vote on optional additional trash barrel pricing, debated in a range of $150 to $200 annually, to its July 21 meeting, directing staff to bring comparator community data.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
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• The complete report — 3,586 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of July 7, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.