Bartlett considers new garbage contract

A proposal for a new five-year contract with Bartlett’s current waste hauler will likely be approved by the village board next month after some pending alterations.

The village’s current three-year deal with Republic Services — formerly known as Allied Waste — is set to expire at the end of December.

The company has proposed a five-year agreement that would lower the monthly cost of service for all residents by 2 percent in the first year, to $20.87 for single-family homes. The monthly cost would increase by 3 percent in the second and fifth years of the contract and by 3.5 percent in the third and fourth years. The existing contract includes a 4 percent hike each year.

If the village signs the new contract, Republic Services will provide one 95-gallon garbage toter to each household. Senior citizens will receive 35-gallon toters.

The proposed rates are slightly higher than other municipalities in the area, such as Elk Grove Village, where the monthly cost is $17.22; and Streamwood, where the monthly cost is $17.40.

But Village Administrator Valerie Salmons pointed out that all the current perks in the agreement with Republic will stay in place, including one-day collection throughout the village on Tuesdays, free Christmas tree collection, free bulk item pickup and a 10 percent discount for senior citizens. There also is a no-strike provision in the contract that Village President Michael Airdo said has been beneficial in the past.

“You can’t overlook all these extra bundled services that we’re getting with Republic,” Trustee Dennis Nolan said. “I think our residents have been accustomed to good garbage service.”

Other trustees said comparing other communities’ rates is like comparing “apples to oranges” because of the extras in Bartlett’s contract. They noted that the company is providing free garbage and recycling collection, portable toilets and hand washing stations for the town’s 4th of July celebration. The village also receives a 5 percent annual franchise fee from the company.

Many trustees agreed with a suggestion by Nolan to keep the rate of the yard waste bags — which are set to start at $3 per bag in 2013 — the same throughout the five years. There also is a request to clarify in the contract whether residents who want to switch the size of their garbage toter can do so.

The village board is expected to make a decision on the contract in November.