Arlington Hts. may cut back on summer help.(News)

Fewer college kids will likely be hired this summer by the village of Arlington Heights to cut grass and trim bushes. During a Wednesday night hearing on the village's proposed $101.3 million budget, officials said they plan to rely more on private contractors in the growing season than the temporary summer workers.

Public works Director Al Sander told trustees the college kids typically start when school is out, which is well after the growing season begins. And they usually stop working in late summer, well before the end of the growing season, he said.

That means regular public works employees are tapped to complete such tasks when the summer help isn't around, which is a waste of resources, he said.Having a private firm do the mowing and landscaping may not save much money, but it should save manpower and make operations more efficient, officials said.

Overall, 16 helpers were hired last summer, said public works Deputy Director Bob Burns. That number will, if approved in the budget by the village board, decrease by five or six people this summer, he said. A similar cutback has occurred in recent years.

Meanwhile, hand-held computers may soon replace the pens and paper meter readers currently use in Arlington Heights to record data on water use. The village's proposed budget calls for the purchase of seven of the computerized devices for a total of $50,400.The hand-held machines should make life easier for the meter readers, who now manually write down readings, as well as property owners who can expect fewer errors.

Also at the hearing, trustees Steve Daday and Dwight Walton asked about the village's lack of curbside leaf pickup, which village officials have been reluctant to allow because of expense. Questions by board members also touched on increasing the sharing of resources - such as equipment - between local governmental entities to save taxpayers money.