Baxter Estates residents, be on the lookout for an email asking whether you would like the leaf pickup program to continue.
The Village of Baxter Estates Board of Trustees debated the program’s future during its meeting on Wednesday, June 12.
After nearly discontinuing the service last year, the board once again expressed concerns that the program may need to end.
“Do we want to consider not doing this? We have a lot of new residents who come in, a lot of young families who do not expect us to pick up their leaves,” Mayor Nora Haagenson said.
Village Clerk Meghan Kelly said the program is the village’s most time-consuming contract, due to constant calls from residents about uncollected leaves.
Trustee Maria Branco said she believes the leaf pickup program is a safety issue.
“It’s been very windy this year,” she said, “and the wind will drag the leaves onto the streets while it’s raining, leaving wet leaves on the streets.”
Deputy Mayor Charles Comer said he worried that removing the program now would anger residents, especially given the recent tax increase.
For the 2025–26 fiscal year, the village adopted a budget of $1,497,099, up significantly from $915,659 the year prior. The property tax levy rose from $691,887 to $796,462, a 15.1% increase. The tax rate jumped from $118.38 to $149.24 per $100 of assessed value, an increase of more than 26%. To authorize the tax hike, the village passed Local Law No. 1 of 2025, overriding the state’s property tax cap.
Comer suggested sending a letter to residents asking for their input on whether the village should continue the service. He said the letter would mention the recent tax increase and note that eliminating the leaf pickup service, which may cost the village about $30,000 per month, would be one way to cut expenses.
The board ultimately decided that an email would reach residents more quickly than a letter, and will await feedback before deciding whether to send a formal letter.
They did note that leaves would still be picked up through garbage collection on a specified day each week from April 1 through December 15.
The board voted to table the decision pending more community input.
