Opponents of St. Paul's organized trash collection delivered nearly 6,000 petition signatures to stop it, only days before trucks roll down alleys to start picking up garbage from the new city-issued bins.
The petition drive will not head off the city's new trash collection system before it begins Monday. Still, opponents want a citywide vote as early as next year on a system they say will cost them more money for poorer service.
"People feel strongly about their right to choose services," said Patricia Hartmann, one of the organizers of the petition drive.
If election officials determine that the 5,887 signatures are valid, the question could appear on the 2019 ballot, said Ramsey County Elections Manager Joe Mansky.
Opponents needed to turn in at least 5,000 signatures (8 percent of those who voted in the most recent mayoral election) before the end of the day Thursday to have their petition considered. Mansky's office now will start comparing the names of those who signed against St. Paul voter registration records to determine if the signatures are valid.
If people signed the petition but recently changed their name or moved — or haven't voted in the past four years — their signature might not count. That's why petition organizers collected as many signatures as they did and are still gathering more, Hartmann said.
"The victory is that the people get to weigh in at all," said Hartmann.
Starting Monday, St. Paul residents can no longer choose their own trash hauler. The City Council reached agreement with a consortium of 15 haulers to standardize rates, pickup days and neighborhood assignments. The contract limits neighborhoods to a single garbage pickup day with a single hauler, a move city leaders say will cut pollution and wear and tear on city streets and alleys.
