Geneva postpones decision on outsourcing school crossing guards after lengthy committee debate

The Geneva Committee of the Whole on July 7 debated whether to contract out management of the city's school crossing guard program and voted to postpone a decision to a July 21 meeting.

At issue was a proposed three‑year agreement with All City Management to operate the city's crossing guard program. City staff told the committee that the program has six regular crossing guards and one alternate; police or community service officers covered crossings more than 30 times last school year when guards were unavailable. The vendor's proposal would pay guards $23.50 per hour while billing the city a daily/shift rate of $41.90 that includes on‑site supervision and recruiting, staff said.

Why it matters: Council members said pedestrian safety is a priority but raised questions about cost, long‑term outsourcing, local hiring and liability. Several aldermen urged trying higher local wages, more aggressive recruitment of alternates and incentive pay for reliability before turning to an out‑of‑state contractor.

During more than an hour of discussion, council members pressed staff on multiple topics: the actual length of shifts (staff said guards work half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the afternoon), the distinction between independent contractors and city employees, employer liability and workers' compensation, and recruitment challenges for alternates. Chief Pasarelli said when officers must cover crossings, their patrol availability for responding to other calls can be reduced.

Alderman Pasky and others urged exploring pay increases and recruitment strategies as alternatives. Alderman Bowling and Alderman Kilberg said they preferred keeping crossing guards local and recommended trying higher pay or incentive programs first. Mayor Burns said community members serving as crossing guards can increase neighborhood familiarity and trust.

Outcome: After discussion, the Committee of the Whole voted 9–1 to postpone the contract decision to the July 21 meeting to allow staff to provide additional cost, liability and timing information.

What comes next: Staff will return with clarifications requested by the committee, including a clearer breakdown of the vendor's daily rate versus hourly pay, the city's total annual costs under current staffing, and a risk/claims summary related to worker classification and liability.

Speakers quoted or summarized are identified by name and role as they appeared in the meeting record.