We have received a number of inquiries regarding the brush pick-up fee that is now itemized on your Groot Industries service invoice and wanted to provide some clarity regarding the program.
The Village over the years has contracted a twice a year brush collection program for all single-family homes within the community. The program is funded through what is called a “pass-through” collection fee that was in our contracts with Republic Services and now Groot Industries.
The charge of $4.35 fee is a “pass-through” fee that Groot Industries collects on behalf of the Village. The Village then applies that collected fee to pay a separate contractor to perform the twice a year brush collection program for the single-family homes. The fee charged for the program is charged to each single-family home per billing cycle.
The Village had the same program with Republic, although it was at a lower rate that did not cover the full cost of the program and it was not broken out as a separate item on your bill. Since the Village does not have a general property tax like our neighboring communities, this was the method chosen to fund this Village program.
Additional information (PDF)