Waste War Special Series: Elgin City Council Decides On Next Waste Hauler

Our season three special series on Waste continues with this episode in which Tia, Kendra, and Erik unpack what happened at the August 28, 2024 city council meeting.

• Every council member weighed in with their opinions
• There was a motion to enter contract negotiations with Lakeshore Recycling (LRS)
• There was a amendment to that motion to NOT move forward with LRS and instead enter contract negotiations with Waste Management (WM)
• The mayor tossed in the equivalent of a 3rd grade math problem for the council to solve (spoiler alert ... apparently no council member has passed 3rd grade math)
• WM officials spoke. LRS officials spoke. WM truck drivers spoke. Elgin Sustainability Commission members spoke. Even a three-time-losing city council candidate spoke and leveled serious allegations at a current council member.

In short, it was a s***show, which is not unusual for the Elgin City Council.
 
If you want to subject yourself to a few hours of torture, you can watch the Committee of the Whole (COW) and Regular City Council meetings on the city's YouTube channel by CLICKING HERE.
   
Inspired by local students recently going back to school, Tia led Kendra and Erik through a discussion where each council person received a letter grade for their effort and participation.
   
This episode might be one of the longest ones in The Elgin Watchman's three seasons of podcasting, but we promise . . . you won't want to miss this episode.
 
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