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alcibiades_mystery

(36,437 posts)

97. Privatizing Streets and Sanitation will cause an all out war in Chicago

Sat Sep 19, 2015, 07:40 PM

Sep 2015

I don't doubt that people have it in mind, but Chicago Streets and Sanitation is perhaps the most embedded and powerful group of public sector workers in the whole country.

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Emanuel to ask residents to pay $9.50 monthly Chicago garbage bill? [View all] KamaAina Sep 2015 OP

What's wrong with a sanitation levy? Renew Deal Sep 2015 #1

if you're paying taxes & pickup is on the city, it's double dipping to charge more wordpix Sep 2015 #95

Let's arrange to have all the garbage dumped at Rahm's mansion Pope Sweet Jesus Sep 2015 #2

Welcome to DU! KamaAina Sep 2015 #4

I drive by Rahm's house every day alcibiades_mystery Sep 2015 #70

I have never had free pickup. forthemiddle Sep 2015 #3

I never paid for it directly until I moved to CA. Gormy Cuss Sep 2015 #15

it's never free hollysmom Sep 2015 #54

When I lived in LA MurrayDelph Sep 2015 #75

Indeed. In our part of Oregon, you choose your garbage hauler and pay for the service. Shrike47 Sep 2015 #103

well, if you call taxpayer support "free" then we have it here in New Haven. CTyankee Sep 2015 #84

Hmmm...my city adds a garbage fee to my water bill - and they are Dems. jonno99 Sep 2015 #5

i wasnt ever "free" you paid for it with taxes now what youre doing is paying for it twice saturnsring Sep 2015 #55

Chicago was the only place I ever lived with free garbage pickup MohRokTah Sep 2015 #6

Cheaper than my city Retrograde Sep 2015 #7

I pay over $50 per month. Nye Bevan Sep 2015 #8

About half of what we pay in the Chicago suburbs. Gidney N Cloyd Sep 2015 #9

I always got a water bill about the same time as the real estate tax bill. greatauntoftriplets Sep 2015 #20

Is the water bill a flat rate? My vague recollection is that city houses don't have water meters. Gidney N Cloyd Sep 2015 #24

I never knew how it was figured, but I didn't have a water meter. greatauntoftriplets Sep 2015 #25

some do some dont. mopinko Sep 2015 #29

I pay for mine. I have never lived any place where it was a free service. Throd Sep 2015 #10

That's because in no place is it free or ever has been. former9thward Sep 2015 #47

$11 a month here in SW Virginia. It's added to the water bill, so there's no escaping it. Buns_of_Fire Sep 2015 #11

charge by the pound. the biggest wasters pay more. do they have seperate for recyclables? nt msongs Sep 2015 #12

My city in Japan has a good system for trash pick-up Art_from_Ark Sep 2015 #76

In my town... bobclark86 Sep 2015 #13

They get it free now? MineralMan Sep 2015 #14

I assume it was paid for through local taxes, which have not been raised. No government madinmaryland Sep 2015 #56

I don't pay for ohheckyeah Sep 2015 #16

You are lucky passiveporcupine Sep 2015 #69

We also can go anytime ohheckyeah Sep 2015 #71

I live in Chicagoland, Cook County suburb and... Freethinker65 Sep 2015 #17

It's free? LittleBlue Sep 2015 #18

Its not free. former9thward Sep 2015 #49

I have no problem with this and it isn't really republican. NCTraveler Sep 2015 #19

God help they tax rich people to make up the revenue loss. nt valerief Sep 2015 #27

I fully agree with you and that is a part of my post. NCTraveler Sep 2015 #41

I don't Agee. Poor make garbage too yeoman6987 Sep 2015 #104

The city is broke. AngryAmish Sep 2015 #21

How did the city go broke? Rex Sep 2015 #22

By not having enough revenue to match the expenses. AngryAmish Sep 2015 #23

And why have they not raised enough revenue? KamaAina Sep 2015 #28

Taxes have not been raised in a long time AngryAmish Sep 2015 #30

because some people think tax is a 4 letter word. mopinko Sep 2015 #31

So what caused that to happen or do you not know? Rex Sep 2015 #32

Never seeing past the next election, mostly. AngryAmish Sep 2015 #33

Much of it done by the Daley administration, too, IMO. greatauntoftriplets Sep 2015 #34

Thanks, so they drew from the well until it was bone dry. Rex Sep 2015 #35

Because children can't vote. Throd Sep 2015 #44

Compound interest is not intuitive AngryAmish Sep 2015 #61

And this is not unusual in largecities nadinbrzezinski Sep 2015 #66

Chicagoan here as well...we need to raise revenue alcibiades_mystery Sep 2015 #72

Just what the privatizers want. Wonder how much they'll have to pay for the fire dept. nt valerief Sep 2015 #26

I'm worried that Chi town is going to go the way of Detroit. nt Rex Sep 2015 #36

If we don't get Republicans out of our govt, it'll be every city in the nation. nt valerief Sep 2015 #37

Very depressing but the absolute truth, they are all self-destructing and taking us with them. nt Rex Sep 2015 #38

Chicago and Detroit are Republican bastions. Throd Sep 2015 #45

Chicago hasnt had a republican mayor in over 80 years Travis_0004 Sep 2015 #50

Ummm...Ok - but sadly Ram is a dem...nt jonno99 Sep 2015 #57

Corporate dem, not a progressive. valerief Sep 2015 #67

republicans? Can be blamed for a lot but not Detroit or Chicago yeoman6987 Sep 2015 #105

The Department of Streets and Sanitation is not a private entity alcibiades_mystery Sep 2015 #73

Nothing to do with privatization 1939 Sep 2015 #78

I live in the state of New York, and the amount I pay for the fire department is specifically listed PoliticAverse Sep 2015 #79

It should be part of property taxes, not a separate fee. valerief Sep 2015 #114

In Milw suburb fire protection fee is on water bill...it's $11 and change per month HereSince1628 Sep 2015 #108

We (can) haul our own to the dump. PotatoChip Sep 2015 #39

Garbage pickup comes out of taxes now, so it isn't "free" hedgehog Sep 2015 #40

Exactly. I can't believe people are saying it's free. pintobean Sep 2015 #43

This fee actually wouldn't be a flat tax, it would be a regressive tax. Shoulders of Giants Sep 2015 #83

Thank you for clarfying that. You are right that it's a greater burden on the poor. hedgehog Sep 2015 #85

I have paid for garbage pickup for decades and doc03 Sep 2015 #42

I pay more than that to have my garbage and recycleables Ilsa Sep 2015 #46

In the pre metro days garbage was paid out of taxes in the city and privatized in the county TheKentuckian Sep 2015 #48

Is this a TIF issue? surrealAmerican Sep 2015 #51

Free? Should be but isnt most places. see how they get us used to paying for shit randys1 Sep 2015 #52

Cities can't print tax money. former9thward Sep 2015 #99

You think trash collection should be free? Really? WillowTree Sep 2015 #106

I hate Emanuel but he is no worse than Mayor Daley... Stellar Sep 2015 #53

Costs me more than that! I've never heard of it being free. They should pay up - it's a service. Lil Missy Sep 2015 #58

They are paying for it. It's one of the city services paid by property taxes. n/t Gormy Cuss Sep 2015 #60

Property taxes will go up, too alcibiades_mystery Sep 2015 #74

Disaggregating services allows city governments more flexibility in raising prices Gormy Cuss Sep 2015 #90

Privatizing Streets and Sanitation will cause an all out war in Chicago alcibiades_mystery Sep 2015 #97

Although condo users and apartments have had to pay for a while Travis_0004 Sep 2015 #80

"pay up" LeftOfWest Sep 2015 #107

That's not bad. I pay $17.00 a month here in Arkansas. LiberalArkie Sep 2015 #59

We pay ours every month on our water bill Omaha Steve Sep 2015 #62

I don't know what the problem is. Snobblevitch Sep 2015 #63

Wring every dollar out working folks bastard. lonestarnot Sep 2015 #64

Many cities, both blue and red, charge for it nadinbrzezinski Sep 2015 #65

This post makes no sense. I pay $17 a month. Like I do for... Logical Sep 2015 #68

We'd be happy to pay $9.50 a month. blue neen Sep 2015 #77

I wish mine was only $9.50 a month. xmas74 Sep 2015 #81

In general, I'm opposed to governments gaining money through fees instead of taxes. Shoulders of Giants Sep 2015 #82

You got it. KamaAina Sep 2015 #87

Exactly. Gormy Cuss Sep 2015 #91

I just looked at my water bill and the garbage part of the bill is around $13. Waldorf Sep 2015 #86

Oh my god! Paying for a service is just wrong!!11 REP Sep 2015 #88

Sounds cheap to me. In our area, they are trying to encourage recycling, pnwmom Sep 2015 #89

Excuse me? I'd be THRILLED to have a mere $9.50/month payment. Not every municipality has PUBLIC WinkyDink Sep 2015 #92

true, my town is charged by the ton and charges taxpayers accordingly wordpix Sep 2015 #96

Rahm is a corrupt asshole whether or not this particular action is justified yurbud Sep 2015 #93

Lucky them. Our's is $30 and month which includes jwirr Sep 2015 #94

Chicago has recycling alcibiades_mystery Sep 2015 #98

Good to hear. I think the point to the garbage tax is jwirr Sep 2015 #100

I pay almost that much in rural West Virginia tabasco Sep 2015 #101

In our Chicago suburb we pay about $20 a month. These complaints fall on deaf ears from me... tritsofme Sep 2015 #102

I'm actually supportive of per-unit/item pricing for trash disposal... Chan790 Sep 2015 #109

The city has system for having special pickups for hazardous stuff... CTyankee Sep 2015 #110

My trash bill is more than that. craigmatic Sep 2015 #111

Our area pays $5.50 a month, on the utilitys bill, we all have wells for water. oneshooter Sep 2015 #112

In St. Paul, MN, trash collection is done by private MineralMan Sep 2015 #113