Jackson board delays vote on $20 yard-waste access fee; approves 2026 operational changes

The Village of Jackson Board of Public Works on Aug. 26 discussed a proposal to charge an annual $20 access fee for the village brush and yard-waste site and voted to postpone a final decision on the fee until the board considered related curbside brush-collection changes. During the same meeting the board recommended the village board approve a set of operational changes for 2026 governing curbside bag and brush collection and yard-site operations.

Public Works staff member Jack told the board the village provides access cards for the brush/yard-waste site on Eagle Drive to about 750 households and currently spends roughly $15,000 a year grinding or otherwise processing material brought to the site. “I am proposing that we implement a annual $20 fee that will grant you access to the site for the entire year,” Jack said, adding the village would turn all cards off on Dec. 31 and reactivate cards when a household paid the new annual fee.

The proposal drew questions from board members and residents about who would pay if a card sits unused, whether the fee would push residents to leave material at the curb, and whether commercial contractors use the site. One resident said, “I would pay the $20 fee because I use it,” while several others warned that people without trucks or trailers might not be able to use the site and that some residents might instead leave brush at the terrace or curb.

Board members discussed tradeoffs between revenue and participation. A board member asked whether removing free access would reduce illegal dumping; Jack said the village can identify license plates if improper items are dumped and that a tub grinder vendor can accept knotted piles dropped at the site instead of requiring neatly stacked 4-by-4 piles.

Rather than approve the fee, the board voted to delay the decision until the curbside-pickup proposal was discussed. Board member Kripke made the motion to hold the fee vote until the curbside pickup item was considered; Heckendorf seconded. The motion carried.

On the related item, the board voted to recommend the village approve operational changes for 2026 that the public works staff presented. The approved changes, as discussed at the meeting, include:

- Curbside bag collection weekly from May through November or until the first major snowfall; bag pickup will end with the first major snowfall and resume after the spring thaw. - Limiting standard curbside brush collection to two seasonal pickups (spring and fall), with written allowance for additional pickups or special storm-response pickups on a case-by-case basis. - The yard site (Eagle Drive) to reopen in spring (described in discussion as “April” where feasible) and close near the first major snowfall; the yard will accept untied or knotted piles and the village will use a tub grinder vendor so material does not need to be pre-stacked into 4-by-4 piles. - Public communications to be updated to clarify rules, promote use of the yard site, and note that the village may perform limited storm-response pickups when warranted.

The board voted in favor of recommending the village board approve the operational changes for 2026; the motion passed with one nay.

The board asked staff to refine language and outreach before the village board takes final action, and left the separate question of an annual $20 access fee to be reconsidered after curbside-pickup policies were finalized.