Trustees Talk Trash, Could Affect Condo Owners

Mount Pleasant trustees Monday night will talk about — and possibly vote on — the village's contract with Advance Disposal (formerly Veolia), and the outcome could hit condominium owners square in their wallets.

According to documents obtained by Patch, service with Advance Disposal was never really legal because the contracts were never signed by the village. Still, the company has been collecting residents' garbage, and Mount Pleasant pays Advance Disposal from the village's property tax levy — which costs each property owner about $154 per year.

Because some condo owners, through their homeowners associations, have been billed separately for private trash collection in additon to the tax levy, some residents could see red over the amount of green they've been paying.

It's important to note that with private service comes door-to-truck collection. According to an executive summary prepared by staff, Advance Disposal has agreed to continue this service at no extra charge through the end of 2015.

But because garbage trucks are heavy and the asphalt driveways in condo developments aren't built to withstand this kind of traffic, the village would require each homeowners association to sign a waiver releasing Mount Pleasant from any liability for damaged roads in the developments. Advance Disposal may require the same type of agreement as well.

Mike Devine, who lives in the Regency View condo development off of Durand Avenue and Ohio Street, has been advocating for village garbage service for years and is more than willing to sign a waiver. Currently, he pays $13.99 a month for garbage pick up in addition to his taxes.

"I've been saying this for the last four or five years," he told Patch. "I'd sign a waiver, of course I would, and I bet the association would go for that, too."

Devine said without the trucks coming into the development, he would be required to move his garbage 220 yards to the nearest curb on Durand Avenue. A older neighbor, he added, uses a cane and can't possibly get her trash out to the curb.

Board faces three scenarios

As outlined by staff, trustees have three options:

• Contract for garbage services strictly at the curb of the nearest village roadway. Only the Greenridge condos at Spring and Emmertsen would be exempt because it was built before the "standard municipal garbage/recycling contract language;"
• Contract for services that include private collection practices in condo properties with the damage waiver. If the association declines the waiver, collection points revert back to the nearest roadway; or
• Go with one of the first two options for the rest of 2013 and then cease municipal trash collection starting in 2014. This means removing garbage from the tax levy altogether and charging residents monthly.

Meg Andrietsch, president of the condo association at Mariner II on Mariner Drive, said her development has been on the village's collection route for at least the last 25 years.

"The roads through here aren't built for that heavy traffic, so we'd be perfectly fine keeping our garbage collection the way it is," she said.

In the staff executive summary distributed to board members, the recommendation is for trustees to not vote on this matter until the March 25 meeting so Interim Administrator/Police Chief Tim Zarzecki could send a letter to the appropriate condo developments outlining the options. The staff also asks that Zarzecki invite representatives to the March 25 Village Board meeting.

It's unclear whether trustees will take any action at the meeting on Monday, which is set for 7 p.m. at Village Hall, 8811 Campus Drive.