To be exempt, or not to be exempt?

That was the question on the table at the Monday, Feb. 23, public hearing, where the Goffstown Department of Public Works requested exemption from the town noise ordinance for trash and recycling pick-up.

Though Public Works has always seen itself as unofficially exempt from this law, the department now wants to make it official on the books.

But many residents who attended Monday’s meeting felt trash and recycling pick-up shouldn’t be exempt from the law.

“To me, unofficial exemption is violation,” said resident Charlie Carr. “I think snow-plowing vehicles are the only public service vehicles that should be exempt.”

Carr said he lives on a deadend street where the trucks have learned to back all the way up the street and pick up items on the way down.

“That means they’re going, ‘beep, beep, beep, beep,’ all the way up the street. (The noise) lasts longer and is louder,” said Carr.

Bob Dunn said he could almost set his clock by trashpick up operations, as the truck faithfully comes by at 6:25 a.m. each Wednesday.

Wendy Nault said she has filed complaints with both the town offices and Public Works. “I live on a dead-end road. You can hear the trucks coming,” said Nault. “If it’s an exemption for them, it should be for everyone.”

Wayne Perreault was concerned if Public Works became exempt, trash pick-up operations could begin at any time.

“This ordinance as it sits right now just says it will be exempt from the ordinance,” said Perreault. “They could start at 1 a.m. They could pick up at midnight if they wanted.”

In a letter from Superintendent of Schools Stacey Buckley, Buckley stated it was optimal for trash collection prior to the start of the school day for safety reasons and volume of noise.

“It is a noisy intrusion and does disrupt the educational process while this is happening,” Buckley wrote.

Director of Public Works Carl Quiram said he sent feelers out to various other communities about the start time of their trash pick-up operations and received back eight responses.

Manchester, Londonderry, Laconia, Concord and Durham all begin operations at 7 a.m. Keene begins at 6 a.m. Merrimack and Nashua have no restrictions and also work under the pick-up and go home policy.

“I would be in favor of a 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. pick-up time,” said selectmen Chairman Nick Campasano.

The Board of Selectmen will not make a decision on this ordinance until March 9.