The DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference voted overwhelmingly Wednesday night to adopt a resolution opposing a plan that would divert money from the solid-waste management fund to other purposes.
DuPage County Board Chairman Gayle Franzen has proposed in his budget for the next fiscal year that the county take advantage of a new state law that allows solid-waste fund money to be used for other public works-type programs.
Franzen wants to spend at least $12 million in cash now earmarked for solid-waste-related activities in DuPage on two flood-control projects. Franzen’s plan has attracted opposition from municipal officials who have said the $20 million cash balance in the solid-waste management fund will be needed in the future.
The cash accumulating in the fund comes from a $1.27-a-ton surcharge imposed on the garbage dumped over the years into two DuPage landfills–Greene Valley near Woodridge, which shut down last year, and Mallard Lake near Hanover Park, which is expected to close next year.
