Wauconda garbage rates to increase; all will get wheeled carts
Wauconda homeowners will pay a little more for garbage pickup under a newly approved village contract with Waste Management.
They'll also have to bring their trash to the curb in wheeled carts provided by the company.
Those carts previously had been optional and available for a rental fee. Residents no longer will be charged separately for carts.
The village board approved the pact with Waste Management on Tuesday night. Waste Management has had the exclusive garbage-hauling contract in Wauconda since 2005.
This deal extends that arrangement until Aug. 31, 2020.
The fee for garbage service with a 96-gallon cart will be $19.23 per month for the first year. To save a little money, people can request a 64-gallon cart and pay $18.63 per month.
Rates will increase slightly in the years to come based on inflation, officials said.
Built into the rates are fees for two new services: the removal of unwanted electronics and other household items, and curbside leaf collection.
"Just rake them out to the curb ... and Waste Management will collect those," Village Administrator Doug Maxeiner said.
The fees for those two services will represent $1.88 of the monthly bill, officials said.
Garbage service had cost $16.63 per month under the previous contract. It was $18.04 per month for people who rented trash carts.
For the first time, senior citizens will pay less than other people for garbage service. Their rate will be $17.44 per month for the 96-gallon cart or $16.77 for the smaller container.
That's a 10 percent savings.
The new rates will appear on December bills, Public Works Director Brad Fink said. New trash carts will be delivered in January.
The board agreed to extend the village's contract with Waste Management in August, but the terms of the pact hadn't yet been finalized.
Village officials considered offers from a few garbage haulers, Trustee Tim Howe said, and Waste Management's proposal was the best for the town,
"It was head and shoulders above everything else we had to choose from," Howe said.
In addition to setting rates for basic garbage collection, the contract includes other services and fees. For example:
• Seasonal yard waste removal will cost homeowners $90 per year.
• Yard waste stickers will cost $2.25 each.
• Waste Management will serve village facilities and festivals for free.
• Recycling carts can be upgraded annually for free.