In 2008, the Town executed a Host Community Agreement with Waste Management for the operation of High Acres Landfill. Renewals are considered approximately every five years.
Tax Rate Scenario
In 2020, in response to concerns about the effect of the landfill on town tax rates, we illustrated a scenario. The below graph shows the actual tax rates beginning in 1999, and what happened to them in 2008. It also shows a forecast, based on historical trends, of how the tax rate would have grown without the presence of the landfill.
For forecasting purposes, a modest 2% increase per year was used. We were asked in 2024 to update the graph:
Regarding Complaints or Concerns about Odors or other Operational Issues at High Acres
The hotline and verification system were developed in coordination with the NYSDEC, the town of Macedon, and the town of Perinton (where a large fraction of the landfill is.) All involved in the development of this system concluded that the dedicated NYSDEC Hotline provides an efficient, verifiable, and actionable way to address, investigate and respond to complaints. The Hotline alerts Waste Management, the NYSDEC and both Towns of any neighborhood concern, and provides the opportunity to investigate and report on those concerns through a third party trained investigator.
The results of those investigations are then communicated via email to the NYSDEC and Towns immediately upon completion. NYSDEC continues to encourage the use of the hotline as the preferred method of reporting complaints and as the most reliable method for proper identification. NYSDEC's observations in the field included numerous instances where email reports of odor could not be corroborated, despite DEC staff presence at the reporting location within a short period of time.
There is also a FAFE app developed by private citizens. Reports received through that app are considered less reliable for numerous reasons. The precise location is not always provided; there have been observed inconsistencies between the reported wind direction and the reported impact; and reports from various locations at the same time contradict each other. Furthermore, the duration of an impact also cannot be ascertained from the App settings. For these reasons the Town of Macedon discourages the use of this app.
The NYSDEC Hotline program is available 24/7 and provides a convenient, consistent method of reporting and corroborating reported concerns.
The n-butanol Scale
Regarding odor reports, investigators have been trained to use the 8-point n-butanol odor intensity scale (ASTM E544-10). Each odor-related hotline call is investigated according to this scale. Odors generally become objectionable when their intensity reaches 3 on the n-butanol scale.
- Very Faint (0.5-1.0) - an odor that would ordinarily not be noticed by the average person but could be detected by an experienced inspector or a hypersensitive individual.
- Faint (1.0-2.0) - an odor that the average person might not detect unless it were called to his attention.
- Distinct, Easily Noticeable (3.0) - an odor of moderate intensity that would be readily detected and might be regarded with disfavor. (A possible nuisance in inhabited areas.)
- Strong (4.0 +) - an odor that would force itself upon one's attention and that might make the air very unpleasant (a probable nuisance, if found in inhabited areas.)
To reach the NYSDEC Hotline, dial (585) 453-2416, 24x7.