The Village of Valmeyer opened bids for garbage and recycling service during its Aug. 3 meeting. 

The lone bidder, Reliable Sanitation Service of Waterloo, is expected to  begin operating in Valmeyer in September.

The village was notified by its current refuse collection company, Robert Sanders Waste Systems of Alton, that the company would cease operations in Valmeyer at the end of August.

The bid from Reliable Sanitation was for a five-year contract with garbage pickup once per week and recycling pickup twice per month. 

After some discussion of the amount of large items included in Reliable’s “large item pickup” four times per year, the board decided to allow village customers four items per pickup date rather than opting for the slightly less expensive two items per household.

The village is expected to pass an ordinance at its next meeting to raise the monthly sanitation fee for residents from $15 to $18 to reflect the increase as a result in the change of providers.

Under new business, video gambling was a topic of conversation, but no action was taken. 

The village received a report from the Illinois Municipal League about a “push tax” that Valmeyer, as a “home rule” municipality, could implement. The tax would charge one cent for every time a video gaming customer placed a bet on a video gambling machine. 

The “push tax” legally would impose a fee to the  person who is gambling. 

For example, for 20 bets or “pushes” placed on a machine, a 20-cent charge would apply to the player. During discussion, the board noted that the tax, in effect, would be incurred by the establishment that operates the machine. 

There are currently two businesses in the village, Mike’s Service & Convenience Store and The Corner Pub, that offer video gambling machines.

Trustee Butch Ford commented that he did not think that imposing an extra tax on businesses, especially in current economic conditions, was something he would feel comfortable doing. 

The other board members concurred, and the discussion concluded without at motion to vote on establishing the push tax.

It was also reported during the meeting that the village had been allotted $169,658.37 in American Rescue Plan Act funds. The funds are to be used for COVID-19 expenditures or related “negative economic impacts,” including infrastructure improvements.

The funds need to be earmarked for spending by 2024 and eligible projects need to be completed by 2026.

Valmeyer Village Administrator Dennis Knobloch discussed the upcoming Union Pacific “Big Boy” No. 4014 steam engine and its upcoming travels through the Bottoms.

The engine departed Cheyenne, Wyo. Aug. 5. and is scheduled to depart from Chester on Aug. 28 around 2:50 p.m. 

Knobloch estimated the train would be on the tracks in the Valmeyer area between 5-5:30 p.m. Aug. 28 and advised the board that the old town may have heavy traffic as visitors try to get a glimpse of the engine as it moves through the area.

Lastly, the Village of Valmeyer announced last week that a new playground at the corner of Woodland Ridge and Willow Ridge is up and ready for use.

“We hope the children of the village enjoy the new park,” the village posted on Facebook.