BUCHANAN — Buchanan city officials needed to hire seasonal
workers or else use a private company to provide leaf pickup services, according
to the St. Joseph Herald-Palladium.
The city typically hires seasonal labor to help full-time staff
with leaf removal, but some council members wanted to explore contracting to
save money, according to Assistant City Manager Joe Vander Meulen. However,
council members voted to stick with seasonal labor this year.
Temporary employees are paid $8 per hour for seven weeks of work
as needed. They are also eligible for unemployment compensation at the end of
their term.
An analysis performed by Vander Meulen showed that contracting
out for this service could have saved the city an estimated 14 percent in
providing the service for this year. It would also free public works employees
to provide other services around the city, such as maintaining parks, repairing
signs and more street sweeping, according to Vander Meulen.
Reference: St. Joseph
Herald-Palladium, "Privatizing city leaf pickup is off the table," Oct. 10, 2007
