Cook County sets solid‑waste service area countywide, schedules fee hearing after public comments on equity

Cook County commissioners voted Feb. 25 to establish the countywide solid-waste service area necessary to consider a proposed solid-waste fee and to set a public hearing for an ordinance to enact a fee on March 11, 2025 at 10:00 a.m.

Brady explained the vote is the preliminary step required by the county’s bond advisor before setting a fee; establishing the service area does not itself set a fee. The request presented to the board covered establishing the service area as the entirety of Cook County and scheduling a hearing to consider fees tied to a potential transfer-station financing plan.

Three members of the public addressed the board during the hearing, raising concerns about the fairness of proposed assessments. A Schroeder Township resident asked the board to reconsider how assessments would be allocated among property parcels, noting that lodging and restaurant operations (particularly tourist-serving businesses) produce a disproportionate share of cardboard, glass and plastic and might not be equitably charged under a parcel-based assessment. Another resident warned that creating an assessment district could be a less transparent form of taxation and urged the levy process for broader accountability.

Commissioners discussed possible approaches to equity, such as charging commercial users differently, assessing lodging by number of beds or units, and obtaining data to estimate commercial versus residential waste volumes. Commissioners asked staff to solicit business input and to refine fee scenarios; several commissioners expressed a preference for tourism‑adjusted comparables and for public outreach before finalizing any fee structure.

The board approved the motion to establish the service area and to set a March 11 public hearing on an ordinance to enact fees; commissioners emphasized the board would continue to solicit public and business input before any fee ordinance adoption.