County Legislative Committee Endorses Electronic Recycling Bill, Reviews Transit Governance

The Will County Legislative Committee voted Thursday to support proposed state legislation that would extend and expand Illinois’ electronic recycling program, while also reviewing potential changes to regional transit governance that could affect county representation.

The committee unanimously endorsed House Bill 3098 and Senate Bill 2414, companion bills that would extend Illinois’ electronic recycling program, which is set to expire at the end of this year.

“We passed the first bills in 2007, which took effect in 2008, calling for manufacturers to fund electronic recycling for residents,” said Marta Keane, recycling specialist for Will County. “That has been pretty much the way that it’s been staying. We’ve had to come back and revisit the bills several times, the last time in 2017, and that is sunsetting.”

The new legislation would make several improvements to the program, including allowing businesses, schools, and churches to participate in electronics recycling events, with a limit of seven items. Currently, the program is restricted to residents.

“Under this new bill, we’re actually going to be able to provide services to anybody up to seven items. We’re not going to worry about whether it’s coming from a business or residents at that point, which is really nice,” Keane said.

The bills would also remove penalties for counties when collection events don’t meet minimum weight requirements, which Keane said could encourage more counties to participate in the program.

The committee also received an update on proposed transit governance legislation from Mike Mahoney, a representative from the county executive’s office. Mahoney reported that the “United We Move” bill, introduced by organized labor groups, represents the most favorable transit governance structure for Will County among proposals being considered in Springfield.

“We’re getting very close to what people would consider great representation for Will County,” Mahoney said. “It keeps our seat at the RTA, it keeps our seat on Pace, it keeps our seat on Metra, and with the RTA, it keeps a function of a super majority vote in place so that one region cannot dominate another when it comes to votes on transit capital, transit funding, transit scheduling.”

Mahoney noted that the county has been actively engaged in transit governance discussions since opposing a previous consolidation proposal two years ago that would have reduced Will County’s representation.

The committee delayed action on a proposal to support a $3.5 million state appropriation for the Joliet Area Historical Museum to renovate the former Joliet Correctional Center, citing concerns about a potentially conflicting bill that would transfer the property to the Will County Forest Preserve.

“There’s the conflict here with this bill being brought forward by Representative Larry Walsh Jr. for the same property as another bill being brought forward by Senator Ventura for the same property,” said Committee Member Judy Ogala. “One is for the forest preserve’s advantage and one is for the historical society’s advantage.”

The committee voted to postpone consideration until more information is available about the competing proposals.