Contributed photo
Contributed photo
Leaf Collection Alternatives to be Discussed
at Lake Villa Township Annual Meeting
Lake Villa Township is seeking public input at the annual township meeting regarding alternatives to the imposed leaf burning ban placed upon the township by the Lake County Board.
Township officials will lay out options for residents at the Lake Villa Township Annual Meeting on Tuesday, April 12. The annual meeting takes place at the Lake Villa Township Center at 37908 Fairfield Road.
Residents affected by the burn ban will be able to weigh in with their thoughts regarding township leaf collection and disposal at the annual meeting.
Supervisor Dan Venturi said the current Waste Management waste hauling contract covers the unincorporated area of Lake Villa Township and provides for seasonal yard waste pick up option for an
additional cost of $75.39 per year. Venturi noted Waste Management could remove yard waste from smaller yards, but it may not be a solution for larger or heavily wooded lots.
The first option under board review will be to purchase a leaf vacuum truck and collect leaves from residential properties in Lake Villa Township. However, Venturi said the issue the township is reviewing is how to dispose of the leaves after they are picked up.
“We looked around for a disposal site, but there aren’t many places that can take in the amount of leaves we are anticipating after we collect them,” Venturi said. “We’ll need a disposal site to let them decompose over the course of three or four years.”
The cost for the first option will be about $250,000 the first year, then about $150,000 in subsequent years. Venturi said the first year is higher because the township will need to purchase a leaf vacuum truck and two waste haulers to move the leaves to the disposal site. After the first year, the cost will
specifically be for maintenance and labor.
The second option is to reach out to the county board for guidance on how to best withstand the economic and disposal impact of this unfunded mandate, Venturi said.
“We can send the Lake County Board a letter to ask them to give us a place to dispose of the leaves,”
Venturi said. “Alternatively we would ask the board to amend the ban to allow a reasonable burning period, consistent with the time frame for burning woody yard waste. I have a feeling they will not help us much. They kind of put it on our shoulders to take care of this problem ourselves.”
The Lake County Board voted January 11 to enact permanent open burning restrictions within
unincorporated Lake County. This means burning non-woody yard waste, such as leaves, is prohibited after the ban goes into effect June 1. Burning woody yard waste is allowed annually between November first and March 31. Woody yard waste generally consists of sticks, branches and tree limbs.
The Lake County Board voted by a 13-to-7 margin to approve the burn ban. Lake County Board Members
covering areas affecting Lake Villa Township – Linda Pedersen in District 1, Dick Barr in District 3 and Kevin Hunter in District 5 – voted against the county approved leaf burning ban.
People who would like to weigh in on the decision are asked to appear at the annual township meeting at 6:30 p.m. on April 12.
For more information, please reach out to Lake Villa Township Center at (847) 356-2116 or send an
email to supervisor@lakevillatownship.org.
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