Trash Tax: The fight against mandatory trash collection gains momentum, affecting county proposal - KGET 17
Trash Tax: The fight against mandatory trash collection gains momentum, affecting county proposal | KGET 17
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A fight against mandatory trash collection is making unprecedented progress.
The fight is against the county’s compliance with a state law to ensure that organics are recycled. The county is required to have every property owner to use three separate bins for household waste, green and food waste, and recyclables.
However, in some rural areas, the mandate would place a new fee of more than $500 on property tax bills to pay for the program.
“We have a lot of needs in rural Kern County,” said Scott Toland, who gathered petitions of the mandate. “But two things we don’t need are higher taxes and three trash cans.”
According to Kern County Public Works, the department has received more than 5,200 protests throughout 14 different areas, and out of all the protests, six of the 14 areas affected by the tax have submitted the required number of protests to achieve a successful majority protest as required by Proposition 218 — stopping the mandate in those areas. Those areas include Boron, Frazier Park, Kern Valley, McFarland, Mojave and Tehachapi.
Kern County Taxpayers Association Executive Director Michael Turnipseed shared that is not easy.
“To get the amount required — it’s almost unheard of,” said Turnipseed. “And to have it happen not just in one area, like the Kern River Valley, but five, six, seven, eight other collection areas is really an astounding thing.”
However, Turnipseed shared that the biggest question now is what the Board of Supervisors will decide Tuesday.
“The state law requires it, so the county’s forced to do this. And the interesting part will be if they petition, and the petitions win, and they can’t enact the fee, who else is going to pay for it?” said Turnipseed. “Probably all the other taxpayers in Kern County will end up paying for it.”
County supervisors will determine what the next steps will be at Tuesday’s board meeting at 2 p.m.
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