Oak Park board approves two-year renewal of waste-hauling contract with LRS after debate over service and SLAs

The Oak Park Village Board voted to renew its contract with Lakeshore Recycling Systems LLC (LRS) for municipal refuse, recycling, food‑scrap, yard‑waste and special‑collection services for a two‑year term, approving a board resolution that staff said carries a not‑to‑exceed amount of $3,000,800 for 2027.

The renewal — moved by Trustee Wesley and seconded by Trustee Levin Jacobson — passed on roll call with six "yes" votes and one "no." President Vicki Skammen cast a yes vote; Trustee Taglia voted no.

Board members said they were persuaded by staff's cost comparisons and by LRS commitments to address service complaints. Public Works Director Rob Spruill told trustees staff had evaluated multi‑year metrics and presented two tables comparing costs and service data over 2022–2025. Spruill said aligning the renewal with the West Cook Suburban Regional Disposal Project review in 2028 offers an opportunity to rebid collection and disposal together.

"LRS has put forth a number of items to try to address the questions and concerns that have been brought up by the board," Spruill said, including extending the fall leaf‑collection program from six to eight weeks at no charge, year‑round stickered yard‑waste pickup for all residents, assigning a dedicated LRS representative to the village 311 system, piloting 32‑gallon compost containers, and running an electric hauling truck on compost routes.

A resident who identified himself as Michael told the board he opposed the renewal and detailed repeated missed pickups, smashed or moved carts, bulk items left behind, and long customer‑service hold times. "Every garbage day I walk through the alley to pick up garbage that was left behind," he said. "When I call customer service, it’s long hold times, 45 minutes plus."

An LRS area representative, George, described new technology his team was using to improve responsiveness, including a geotagged photo app for drivers and a goal to replace up to 1,000 aged carts this summer. "Our drivers can take a photo using the new app, and the driver who comes to replace the cart can actually find where it is based off of the geo‑location," he said.

Trustees raised a mix of concerns. Some urged testing the market through a competitive bid; others said locking in the agreement now would avoid bidding in a higher fuel‑cost environment. Trustee Brian argued a two‑year extension locks in favorable terms amid recent fuel price uncertainty, while Trustee Jim and others said recurring complaints from residents merited more market testing.

Several trustees asked staff to negotiate and return with formal service‑level agreements, performance credits and measurable standards. Village Attorney Greg and staff advised that the board could approve the two‑year renewal and direct staff to work with LRS on binding performance standards to be returned as an amendment for board approval.

The board’s approval included direction to staff to negotiate specific SLAs and performance measures and return with contract amendments for board action. The motion carried with votes recorded as: Trustee Wesley (yes); Trustee Levin Jacobson (yes); Trustee Eder (yes); Trustee Enya (yes); Trustee Straw (yes); Trustee Taglia (no); President Vicki Skammen (yes).

Next steps: staff will work with LRS to develop the performance standards and return an amended contract for board consideration. The board also asked staff to publicize the village 311/app tool so residents can more easily report missed pickups and track responses.