Spring Valley City Council weighs leaf vacuum options

The Spring Valley City Council on Monday night discussed at length the leaf-burning ban instituted just weeks ago and what to do about it now that the leaf vacuum is out of order.

The city, which has opted to vacuum up leaves rather than allow citizens to burn them or anything other than twigs and branches, has received favorable response until recently when the city’s only leaf vacuum truck broke down and appears to be irreparable.

The discussion centered around the possibility of purchasing a new vacuum truck, which would be more efficient and deliver near twice the capacity (25 cubic yards to the old machine’s 14) but at a substantial cost, estimated to be about $330,000.

“There are some people that are not too happy that they have their leaves ready to pick up, but right now we don’t have the machine to do it,” said Spring Valley Mayor Melanie Malooley-Thompson. “We had a lot of complaints about people burning not just leaves but in some cases garbage, and we did something about that, allowing just twigs and branches and no burn barrels. Now in order to continue the (burn ban) policy for our citizens, we have to determine what our options are regarding the machine.”

New officer on the way

The council also passed a resolution to hire a new police officer. A recent resignation left the force one full-time officer short, a vacancy that will be filled by Spring Valley resident Ralphie Romo. Having already passed his aptitude tests and received the approval of the city’s Police and Fire commissioners, Romo needs to pass only his physical and be sworn in by Police Chief Adam Curran to be placed on active duty.

The council also agreed to make a donation of $250 to Illinois Valley Center for Independent Living, which the mayor reminded the council had recently moved its offices from La Salle to Spring Valley.