Morton Grove Sends Out Info On Waste Station

After 22 residents spoke out on Aug. 13 against the idea of a waste transfer station coming to Morton Grove,  the village has prepared a special edition of its newsletter devoted to explaining the issue.

The newsletter will be at the post office today and residents may receive it in their mailboxes as soon as Saturday.

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"It's a way to provide a little information to residents who may not know all the details about a possible transfer station and what's really involved," said Ryan Horne, village administrator.

"It's a way to clear the air, or clear the confusion that's out there."

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In the newsletter, Mayor Dan Staackmann writes that Morton Grove officials take any threat to residents' life, health or property seriously and wanted to communicate information about what's going on with the waste transfer station.

Some of the points the newsletter makes include:

• Any business is free to buy land in the village and apply for a permit to use that land for its business purposes--in this case, a waste transfer station.
• When Lakeshore Waste Services indicated it might apply for a waste transfer station, the village took a proactive move in March  that set laws and boundaries to protect the village. It's called a Host Benefit Agreement, and it's described as a "my house, my rules" document.
• The Host Benefit Agreement allows the village to set rules on noise abatement, pest control and cleanliness of a facility if it were to be built. It also potentially saves the village $200,000 in fees it could have been liable for, and mandates the facility will pay the village some income, expected to be at least $250,000 annually.
• Morton Grove officials' hands are tied in many ways because of state law, which says a facility such as a waste transfer station should be permitted if it meets nine criteria (outlined in the newsletter). If Morton Grove officials were to speak out against the waste transfer station, the company could charge bias and bring a lawsuit.
• Similarly, state law in effect says Morton Grove officials cannot express an opinion on siting a waste transfer station in the village, and must remain impartial when talking about it.

The newsletter may be viewed in its entirety here.

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