Brimfield OKs GFL for garbage contract

By MOLLY RICHESON
and JEFF LAMPE
For The Weekly Post

BRIMFIELD – The Brimfield Village Board has approved GFL Environmental of Peoria tohandle the village’s waste-disposal services.

 The board voted at its July 1 meeting to allow GFL, which is in the process of acquiring G&O Disposal of Elmwood, to take over an existing contract with no changes through 2027.

G&O Owner Gary Maness spoke at the meeting and said then he expected a smooth transition between companies, adding that all employees were keeping their jobs and that garbage pickup schedules would remain unchanged.

On Tuesday, Maness said, “There’s no finalized paperwork. We’re exploring the idea.”
G&O Disposal is a family-owned business started by Onie Maness in Peoria Heights in the 1970s. The business relocated to Elmwood and since 1995 has been run by Gary Maness.

G&O also handles garbage collection in Elmwood, Yates City and Peoria Heights, rents dumpsters and has several commercial accounts.

In 2021, Toronto-based GFL purchased Peoria Disposal Company and its affiliates.
In other business at the July 1 meeting, the board approved a new contract with the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission to develop an updated comprehensive plan, contributing $6,000 toward the total expense of the project.

According to the Tri-County website, the comprehensive plan is meant to be “a journey to thoughtfully plan for its future.”

The board also discussed an agreement that was presented to the resident at 105 E. Calhoun St. The agreement would allow for a designated number of ATVs and/or golf carts licensed under the owner’s name with the village and stored in a designated location.

The agreement had not been signed by the resident as of the July 1 meeting, which could prompt legal action.

Salary increases were approved for Village Clerk Holly Johnson and full-time employee Matt Sollenberger. Johnson will receive a pay increase of $2.50 per hour, equivalent to $240 per month, and Sollenberger will receive a 3% pay increase, equivalent to 71 cents per hour.

The annual budget appropriation ordinance (Ordinance 2024-3) was also approved after a public hearing in which there were no comments from attendees.

The Village Park will no longer have Wi-Fi after a new contract was presented with a $25-per-month increase for services. The board decided there was no longer a need for Wi-Fi and voted to not renew the contract.

The board also discussed possibly replacing a 21-year-old secondary pickup truck owned by the village. The truck has mechanical issues but still runs and needs some work. A suggestion was made to look at a smaller vehicle to replace the truck for traveling to Peoria when needed to save on gas mileage and to reduce the number of miles placed on the main plow truck.

Kevin Challacombe will look into options on a reliable secondary vehicle and will get a value estimate on the older truck for further discussion.

The village also approved a $1,000 donation to the annual fireworks display in Elmwood.