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Call Kurtis: City Charging Yard Waste Fees To People With No Yards

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) -- The people who live at Tapestri Square on U Street want to know why the City of Sacramento is charging them $10.35 a month for a yard waste container. They say they don't have yards.

Mignon Little and neighbor Alfred Murillo just have patios with nothing more than potted plants and they turned down yard waste containers.

"It doesn't make sense," said Little.

People who live at Tapestri Square pay the Homeowners Association at least $105 a month, which covers landscaping and taking away the yard waste. Mignon says she's called the city five times no one will drop her charges.

"They didn't tell me anything. I didn't get any sense they were going to look into it," said Little.

But neighbor Jeff Fine got different results when he called the City of Sacramento. He was told, he could opt out.

"People who call, and complain a lot get an exemption and people who don't , don't, said Fine.

Little said, "Either we all pay the fee or none of us pay the fee."

So what's going on?

Erin Treadwell from the Sacramento Recycling and Solid Waste Division said, "we're doing our best to make amends."

Treadwell says starting in July of 2013, property owners in Sacramento with less than 5-percent vegetation could opt out of the city's yard waste program.

So why did Mignon Little have such a tough time getting help? Treadwell said, "It is unfortunate that Mrs. Little didn't get all the information regarding the exemption she was eligible for."

After we got involved, Treadwell says some residents at Tapestri Square have now received a letter, letting them know they can opt out of the yard waste program and collect refunds dating back to July of 2013.

It's all Mignon Little wanted. She said, "We don't have yards or shrubs so how could we use that service?"

If you think you may qualify for this exemption, call 311 and ask to have your property assessed.

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