Minn. Supreme Court Orders St. Paul Trash Collection Question Be Put To Voters

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The future of St. Paul's trash collection system will be put to voters in November.

The Minnesota Supreme Court ordered Thursday that an appeals court ruling be upheld requiring the city to hold a referendum on its controversial overhaul of the trash collection system.

Last October, the city implemented a system wherein a consortium of trash collectors were assigned to specific neighborhoods. As a result, residents could not choose their trash collector, with some residents seeing a spike in prices.

Additionally, there was no way for residents to share services or opt out of the system.

In response to the overhaul, upset citizens wrote up a petition, gathered thousands of signatures and sued the city.

Looking forward to Nov. 5, the ballot will include a question about trash collection, as well as races for school board and city council seats, the Pioneer Press reports.

In Thursday's order, the Minnesota Supreme Court did not elaborate on the decision, saying it just issued the order to allow officials more time to prepare the November ballots.

Mayor Melvin Carter released this statement Thursday night about the decision:

We respect the decision from the Supreme Court and appreciate their clarity on how to proceed. The city will continue to ensure that garbage service continues uninterrupted, as we prepare for a referendum this fall.

St. Paul City Attorney Lyndsey Olson also released this statement:

We appreciate the swift action of the court in providing today's ruling. We have already taken the necessary steps to ensure we can comply with the court's order.