Oak Park resident Robert Parks shared a petition with trustees at the June 11 village board meeting – signed by 1,875 residents – asking to delay leaf bagging for collection until 2025.
“The entire village should not be punished for one person’s bad mistake,” Parks said, referring to a car that caught on fire last fall after it was parked on top of leaves. “The final outcome should be determined by all stakeholder citizens.”
But he and the petition signers did not have their wish granted Tuesday night.
The village board voted 4-3 to continue the leaf bagging requirement for collection this fall.
Parks and other residents also asked for a referendum to vote on leaf bagging before its implementation. The board effectively denied that request.
The original decision was made April 30 after trustees voted 5-2 in favor of leaf bagging. This ends the longtime practice of raking leaves into piles on the streets. Some officials said bagging is intended to increase safety.
The leaf pile method can lead to fires – which village officials have said happen almost annually – lack of visibility, clogged drains that contribute to flooding, and parking and biking issues. Leaf piles can also obscure children who are playing from oncoming cars.
Critics, who include residents and some members of commissions, including the aging in communities commission and disability access commission, claim the cost and physical demands are unjustified.
Hurdles to reversing the decision
Lakeshore Recycling Services has stated it is unable to guarantee leaf collection in 2024 with the street-pile method, according to village officials. After the decision to switch was made in April, LRS adjusted its village operations.
That included cancelling special equipment needed to pick up leaves in the street and reallocating resources to purchase a new collection truck. LRS also already made staffing changes to accommodate the leaf-bagging program. Returning to the leaf-pile method may not have been possible for them, village officials said in a report.
If the board had decided to switch back, the village’s public works department would have had to create a program with necessary staff and resources for leaf collection. Village staff would then pursue other service providers, but said they are “not confident” they could do so in time for the season.
Switching back would have been costly. The village would have potentially needed to pay for a new service provider while still likely being contractually obligated to pay LRS for the bagging program. The total cost for that was not known, officials said. Given the additional costs associated and other factors, a majority of trustees were not supportive of delaying the program.
Board discussion
Village President Vicki Scaman, who originally opposed leaf bagging, reiterated her wish that there had been more education and community buy-in for bagging leaves before the final vote.
Trustee Ravi Parakkat also opposed the original decision to bag leaves. He said he’d like to put the issue on a referendum for the community to vote.
Trustee Chibuike Enyia moved to delay the switch at the June 18 meeting, seconded by Parakkat. They, along with Scaman, voted to postpone leaf bagging to 2025, but were voted down.
Enyia said he doesn’t want to create an undue burden on residents who aren’t used to the extra work of bagging, especially individuals with disabilities and elderly residents.
“You don’t want to start a program knowing that you’re setting someone up to not be successful,” he said. “We want to start these programs getting off on the right foot.”
Some residents said they are concerned about a larger inventory of trees on their properties, saying they’ll have to spend four figures on bags annually, Trustee Cory Wesley said.
But Rob Sproule, the village’s public works director, said that’s a “pretty unlikely situation.” Because bags cost about 50 cents, residents would need to use 2,000 bags to spend four figures. He estimated the change will cost about $7 per household.
Residents who don’t want to buy bags can use any rigid container, such as a spare garbage can. As long as it’s filled only with leaves and placed at the curb for pickup, it will work.
Trustee Susan Buchanan also said she hopes residents will leave the leaves, a sustainability initiative the village is encouraging as an alternative to bagging, to improve the village’s ecosystem.
If residents rake their leaves into the street, Sproule said village staff will educate them about the new program and give out materials to help ensure compliance. A code enforcement officer would then likely follow up. Enforcement measures could be taken if residents do not comply over time, he said, but the village’s intention is to gain compliance, not collect fines.
But some residents might not comply easily.
“I have had some interactions with folks who suggest that they intended to engage in some civil disobedience around leaf collection,” Trustee Brian Straw said.
Resident concerns
Parks, during his public comment at the June 11 meeting, said about half of the residents who signed his petition against leaf-bagging were hearing about the change for the first time.
“Most were dismayed by the speed of the decision and lack of adequate information and opportunity for input,” he said.
Another resident echoed that concern. He also said after years of muscle memory raking leaves into street, some residents might forget or simply be unaware of the change, leading to a mix of bagged and street-raked leaves.
Parks said purchasing bags or hiring people to bag leaves is costly, as is the equipment to assist mulching, if the resident wants to do so. And leaving the leaves in place is “unworkable” if there’s too many, Parks said. It raises concerns about mold and fungus growing, he said.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Dan Yopchick, the village’s chief communications officer, presented a plan to disseminate the information and to engage the public about the issue, adding that staff is confident there’s enough time to spread awareness. The village plans several measures, including an FAQ page that is now available on the village’s website.
In April, Erica Helms, the village’s environmental services manager, proposed adding leaf collection to the sidewalk shoveling program, creating a coupon program to reduce the cost of bags and handing out complimentary bags. Those plans are in the works.