McHenry County Blog

Allowing McHenry County government and municipalities to seek referendum approval to purchase electricity for homes and businesses makes sense.

Especially since Jack Franks, Mike Tryon and Pam Althoff voted to raise electric rates. (Dan Duffy voted, “No.”)

Something similar is being proposed for three unincorporated subdivisions at tomorrow’s meeting:

• Covered Bridge Trails north of Crystal Lake
• the Crystal Lake Manor east of the Vulcan Gravel Pits
• Fox Lake Vista near Fox Lake

No referendum will be held.

No mention of whether the subdivision residents want such service imposed upon them.

Maybe they do.

The resolution says residents in affected areas have been notified and meetings have been held, but no still referendum has been held as will be the case with electric aggregation.

State law doesn’t require referendums.  It defers to the judgment of the County Board members.

That’s what I found about 11/12 down tomorrow’s County Board packet.

Here’s the rationale:

“…certain areas have been identified in unincorporated McHenry county that because of the density of homes and mature tree cover would benefit from a comprehensive solid waste collection program

“…the designation of an exclusive contractor for waste disposal services should

• reduce overall waste disposal cost,
• improve recycling rates,
• improve air quality,
• reduce wear and tear on streets and
• provide a viable alternative to the open burning of yard waste in certain areas of unincorporated McHenry County…”

Heading up the hill in Wonder Lake, I saw these two garbage trucks. The one on the left if Marengo Garbage Disposal. The one on the right is Waste Management, I believe.

Cities and villages have and use such power.

Both Crystal Lake and Lakewood, for example, both contract with Marengo Disposal Company (“MDC” is on the side of the trucks).

If a waste collection company thinks it’s unprofitable to cover part of the county, it won’t do so.

Maybe residents of selective subdivisions can save money by bidding out garbage collection.

The costs Covered Bridge Trails, the Crystal Lake Manor and Fox Lake Vista will pay for the next three years.

A company called Prairieland Recycling and Disposal is set to get a three-year contract Tuesday night.

From what’s in the packet, however, I can’t tell if the above prices, increasing about 8% over three years, are a good deal or not.

Now I could tell you tales about the consolidation of the waste disposal industry back in the 1960′s and 1970′s that are not all that savory.

About that time, Illinois Attorney General Bill Scott brought in an anti-trust expert from Washington who, if he did anything (was allowed to do anything?), it escaped my attention.

Including how the Veuglar’s bought a junk yard dog (so to speak) to protect themselves.

But, that doesn’t have anything to do with this apparent government-imposed consolidation.

I’ve been raking every day this week.

My village of Lakewood isn’t as advanced as it used to be about 1980 when Vueglar’s would bring its sucker-upper truck to remove the leaves from the edge of the streets.

I adapted by accumulating containers to put the leaves in.

When I was told this year that contractor MDC was requiring them to be put in bags, I was so incensed that I considered running for village board. (Anyone who wants to include bringing back “rake your leaves to the edge of the street and we’ll do the rest” in his or her platform for village board will have my enthusiastic support.)

Some may be motivated strongly by the potential taxpayer expense involved with the proposed SportsPlex, but my hot button issue this year is leaves…more specifically being forced to put them in bags.

What I dislike most is having to bag other people’s leaves that end up along the public right-of-way along Lake Avenue. Today I filled over 20 bags of them.

I wonder what the village would do if I just left them there.

But, back to the “Message of the Day.”

Here’s a balloon I found while raking.

All of the air or helium has leaked out of this red balloon. I think it says, "Gymboree, Play & Music."

It is spent, just like I am.

Huntley Village President Charles Sass

That’s the biggest news I picked up while taking a look at the Village of Huntley’s Committee of the Whole meeting Thursday night.

The meeting was over in 35 minutes..

The most lengthy item was a 10-year liquor store owner pleading not to allow a Walgreens to sell beer and liquor nearby at 9950 Route 47.

I have always been amazed at how many people are employed collecting garbage in Chicago.

Didn’t there used to be four men on each truck?

Now there are three. Mayor Richard Daley talked earlier this year about cutting the number to two.

Why not one?

I don’t remember garbage trucks out here having more than one person, even before the machines were attached to lift the containers automatically. Maybe two when someone was being trained.

One morning I saw two MDC garbage trucks going in different directions.

One was picking up garbage, the other recyclables. The recycling containers now have yellow lids.

I don’t know why the guys in the picture on Douglas Street were out of their trucks. In the middle photo, you can see that for an ordinary pick-up, they don’t have to.

That proves it can be done.

When you see Daley announce one man per truck, you’ll know he’s serious about saving money.

The trucks from from EDC Environmental Services, which used to be called MDC Marengo Disposal Company. They now say “MDC” on the trucks.

I’m driving on Spruce Lane after taking my son to South Elementary School and you see above what I saw.

It struck me as humorous enough to go home and get my camera.

If a casino can name itself “Circus Circus,” why can’t my message of the Day be “Recycle, Recycle?”