After 12 years, Hopkinton and Webster are adjusting the fees at the joint transfer station to fully cover waste disposal costs.

Currently, only 75% to 80% of the transfer station’s operational costs are covered by the fees to dispose of waste, but the proposed fee schedule aims to eliminate this shortfall.

David Hemenway, chair of the Webster select board, said that the revision is necessary to “stop hemorrhaging taxpayer money.”

“We continue to lose money at every transaction at this point thanks to increased prices to service our waste which will only prove to increase taxes by increasing budget line item without associated revenue offsets that we should be getting,” said Hemenway at Monday’s joint select board meeting.

The new fee structure will not impact residents bringing regular trash and recycling to the transfer station but will affect commercial haulers. The tipping fee for commercial haulers is set to increase from $70 per ton to $120 per ton. This adjustment is essential as commercial hauler fees must exceed the $93 per ton cost Hopkinton pays Waste Management to dump trash at Turnkey Landfill in Rochester.

The Northeast Resource Recovery Association, which assists municipalities with waste management, recommended that Hopkinton’s commercial waste hauler tipping fees should be at least $150 per ton.

Hopkinton’s revised commercial hauler fee is lower than those in neighboring communities such as Warner, Boscawen and Concord, where fees range from $155 to $350. In Concord, the rate is $155.

“I don’t love being so much lower than surrounding towns,” said Sabrina Dunlap, Hopkinton select board chair agreeing to the revised price. “I also think it’s defensible.”

The towns have also decided to increase the permit sticker price from $1 to $5. However, residents can still use their current stickers for now.

Additionally, fees for disposing of bulky items, electronics, and construction and demolition debris will also see a hike.

Before these new rates are finalized at a joint meeting on June 17, residents will have the opportunity to share their feedback at public hearings. Webster’s hearing is scheduled for June 3, while Hopkinton will hold its meeting on June 10.