Braintree Council Tables Ivory Street Recycling Center Closure, Demands Budget Transparency

BRAINTREE — June 16, 2026 — Braintree Town Council tables permanent recycling center closure, pressing administration for alternatives before a January 1, 2027 deadline. The council voted unanimously Tuesday to table Order 2726, which contemplated closing the Ivory Street Trash and Recycling Drop-Off Center on January 1 to close a $178,000 shortfall in the DPW budget — a gap driven partly by a new trash collection contract that added $257,583 to FY2027 costs alone. Reduced hours at the site still take effect July 1. Multiple councilors criticized the administration for allowing the closure to pass unmentioned through roughly four hours of Ways and Means budget hearings, with Councilor Flaherty saying the omission "undermines the transparent quality of the budget process" and Council President Morin urging the mayor to "be more forthcoming." The council separately approved a unanimous $65,000 transfer to fund the first year of a new AFSCME school custodian contract covering approximately 40 employees, the third labor agreement the administration has brought forward in recent months.