We reported earlier  that the Bloomington City Council voted on June 27, 2016,  to reject the citizens’ petition for a Charter Amendment as “manifestly unconstitutional.”  The petition, with over 2,500 signatures, had been recognized as sufficient by both the Bloomington Charter Commission and the City Clerk. 

On July 19, the citizens group behind the petition filed suit against the City of Bloomington, arguing essentially that the Mayor and City Council have incorrectly denied the citizens their right to amend the city charter.  Hennepin County District Court case number 27-CV-16-10786 has not been assigned a hearing schedule at this time.

In an apparent counter-move, the city has accelerated the start-date for the new hauler assignments to start 2 months early, the week of August 8 rather the first of October. There was no mention of this in the August newsletter mailed to residents which included an extensive feature regarding organized trash. The only notice: an August 4 posting on the city website “Starting August 8, garbage haulers will begin switching carts as part of the City's garbage and recycling program. This process will continue until the end of September. Residents must put all their carts at the curb on their regular trash day. This includes trash, recycling and yard waste. Please have your carts at the curb before 7 a.m. and leave them out until the end of the business day. Once your containers have been exchanged, your newly assigned hauler will serve as your “subcontractor” and will service your containers.”