The City of Des Plaines, Ill., will advertise bids for an outsourced street sweeping services pilot in an effort to save money, Journal & Topics reported.
The city spends $44,000 per year on repairs to the sweepers and an annual labor cost of $89,000 with benefits, according to a memo presented at city council meeting. Average annual vehicle depreciation for its sweepers is $35,000. The Public Works Division estimates that the city’s current in-house sweeping system costs $177,000 annually, while the cost to hire a contractor would be $90,000. The division recommended bidding out a portion of the street sweeping in 2018 to complete its analysis.
If the pilot program is successful and the city moves ahead with fully outsourcing street sweeping, the city will re-assign two street sweeper operators, not fill a vacant mechanic position, and sell the current fleet, the newspaper reported.
