Outsourcing Of Glencoe Garbage Collection Approved

From the Village of Glencoe: At the August 24 Village Board meeting, the Glencoe Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve a franchise agreement for garbage collection services with Lakeshore Recycling Systems, Inc. (LRS), the Village of Glencoe’s current recycling collection provider. The transition of the service, currently provided by in-house Village staff, is scheduled to begin November 1, 2017. Leading up to this transition, both the Village and LRS will be in contact with residents regarding service level selection, billing, cart options and other important information.

“Our Village has a long history of proving exceptional services, a legacy your Village Board is committed to maintaining. We are also committed to spending your tax dollars wisely.” said Village President Lawrence Levin. “By outsourcing collection to LRS, we are able to continue providing the high quality service options that exist today, even adding to them, while stretching tax dollars even further.”

The Village Board’s decision to transition to a private garbage hauler was based on the findings of a comprehensive staff analysis conducted over the course of the last 18 months. Following extensive evaluation and discussion, the Village Board determined that an outsourced garbage collection operation would allow the Village to reduce the overall costs of providing garbage services to the Glencoe community, hold flat or minimize rate increases to residents, retain and enhance service levels, and reduce the Village’s long-term capital costs by over $1.5 million. Additionally, outsourcing also allows for the reallocation of current garbage collection staff to other critical maintenance needs throughout the community, such as water system maintenance, sewer cleaning and tree trimming.

Following a resident survey and a request for proposal (RFP) process, LRS was recommended as the most favorable service provider based on overall costs to the Village and quarterly resident fees, service level options, an excellent customer service history and familiarity with the community. LRS will continue offering current service levels (curbside or top of drive, once-weekly or twice-weekly collection) with a standardized cart system in addition to increased options such as food scrap composting during yard waste collection season and a second spring clean-up day for bulk items. Residents will have access to LRS customer service representatives Monday-Saturday as well as to an online service request website. LRS has also agreed to offer a garbage collection hardship program for those who are unable to bring their garbage carts to the curb (more details on qualifications for this program are coming soon). Finally, LRS has committed to using one compressed natural gas (CNG) garbage hauler, further reducing Glencoe’s carbon footprint.

The 5-year contract term with LRS ensures predictable pricing while holding LRS to very high standards of service for Glencoe residents. Further, those residents who have curbside, once-weekly collection (the base-level service) will see no increase in quarterly rates, with marginal quarterly fee increases for premium service levels.

The Village and LRS will communicate next steps to residents, including information on how to make service level selections, in the coming weeks. More information, including a FAQ, can be found online here. Resident questions may be directed to Adam Hall, Management Analyst, at ahall@villageofglencoe.org / (847) 461-1115.

Image via the Village of Glencoe