Final day to protest garbage collection rates is upon us

City Council convenes "trash bash," looking to raise rates to over $1,000 a year

In the first two parts of this three-part attempt at a Pulitzer, we were discussing the City of Davis’ proposed $303.96 a year increase in the cost of solid waste collection and the role of Proposition 218 governing such attempts.

We got to the part about our right to protest, but ran out of ink before explaining the stringent rules concerning how one may protest.

As noted here, under Prop 218’s requirement for the City to hold a public hearing, “The City Council will hear and consider all objections or protests to the proposed solid waste rate increases.”

Basically, to protest you must actually be someone who will be directly affected by the rate increase, not some odd couple passing through town and stopping to get a Double-Double at In-N-Out.

“Hey, Gladys, let’s take our burgers down to this burg’s City Council chambers and protest their solid waste rate increase.”

“Sounds like fun, Henry.”

Okay, that kind of subversive activity is not allowed, even if you have 20 pounds of solid waist hiding under your T-shirt.

It bears repeating that “A majority protest against the proposed solid waste rate increases will exist if at the end of the Public Hearing there are written protests submitted by a majority of the customers subject to the proposed solid waste rate increases.”

And, most importantly, “The City Council cannot adopt the proposed solid waste rate increases if a majority protest exists.”

Power to the people.

Still we haven’t answered the question as to how you can formally protest and be sure your vote is counted.

Prop 218 has an answer for that, too, explained by the clever headline “How to Submit a Written Protest.”

Fire away. I’m all ears.