LRS tells Monmouth council it has hired staff and established daily yard‑waste pickup after April service hiccups

Joseph Swan, general manager for Western Illinois and Eastern Iowa at LRS, told the City of Monmouth council on June 1 that the trash‑collection problems residents reported in April stemmed from a series of staffing disruptions and have prompted multiple operational changes.

Swan said LRS took over the city’s yard‑waste pickup on April 1 and experienced “a little issue with uh some trash collection in April,” when a regular driver was sidelined by a car accident. The short‑term replacement driver was slower and missed stops, and Swan said the company responded by overhauling schedules and adding personnel. “So in May this last month I actually hired three additional drivers,” he said, and the company has added an operations manager with prior experience at Republic to organize routes.

Swan described specific fixes: a dedicated person now picks up yard waste each morning on trash days for each section; LRS has authorized a full‑time yard‑waste position for Monmouth (aiming to fill it by July); the company has substantially increased its driver headcount; and it will provide a local phone number residents can call so complaints don’t go to a distant call center.

Swan attributed the earlier service problems to the sudden absence of the regular driver and to a recent Illinois “flex hours” rule that allows short‑notice time off, which he said increased day‑to‑day variability in staffing. He also said the regular driver, who had been off recovering, has returned to the route and is working with a helper while he recovers.

Council members asked for follow‑up; Swan said LRS wants to be a “good partner” and invited council and residents to use the forthcoming local phone line to report missed pickups so the company can resolve issues quickly.

The council did not take formal action on the presentation; the report concluded with council acknowledgment and thanks to Swan.