The people chosen to represent the city of Fresno made a clear choice. When a petition made it clear the public didn't support the council, its members supported the public's will.
The Fresno City Council voted on a residential trash privatization contract for the fourth time Thursday night. The third vote, was supposed to be the last.
Then a grassroots petition garnered 27,000 signatures, and the deal with Mid-Valley Disposal was thrown back to the city council, where their hand was forced. The council could repeal the ordinance and end the whole messy debate, or they could deny the repeal.
They chose the latter, which set forward another vote. The council decided to let the public settle trash privatization on June 4th, rather than wait for the general election.
That will cost the city a million dollars. More funds will be spent on intense campaigning over the next three months.
The mayor wants the $2.5 million dollars per year from Mid-Valley to shore up the city's budget deficit. The council heard other presentations on Thursday, including a report by the city manager's office that the financial gap was not as wide as they believed.
TXT 24
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