SAN DIEGO — Should single-family homeowners in San Diego pay a separate fee for trash service?
Dozens of homeowners packed a rally Friday night in Ranch Bernardo to blast the idea.
Currently, their property taxes cover this city service, while most San Diegans living in condos and apartments have to pay for private haulers.
The 'People's Ordinance' was a law passed more than a century ago, providing for free trash collection for San Diego's single-family homes.
Measure B would amend that, allowing the city to charge. While supporters say it is more fair, many homeowners are trashing the idea
"It just feels like it's one more tax," said Carmel Mountain homeowner Reggie Degner.
"We pay enough taxes in this state," added Rancho Bernardo homeowner Kelly Batten. "It's just one more thing."
At a rally in Rancho Bernardo Friday, opponents of Measure B argued that the 'People's Ordinance' already allocates existing property tax revenues for trash service.
"We are already paying for trash through our existing property tax revenues," said Measure B opponent Carl DeMaio. "It is simply not true that it's free. This is a tax hike: it's double taxation."
"This was an ordinance created over a hundred years ago," pointed out San Diego City Council Member Joe LaCava, who proposed the measure.
LaCava said that while the ordinance has been modified over the years, single-family homeowners do not pay for trash services, while most San Diegans living in apartments and condos are on the hook for paying for private hauler service.
"We think that is fundamentally unfair," he told CBS 8. "We should really level the playing field."
While critics of Measure B believe a trash fee could cost between $350 and $700 a year, the Office of the Independent Budget Analyst estimates a monthly fee between $23 and $29.
Currently, the city spends more than $42 million a year to collect trash, which is expected to rise to $48 million a year over the next five years.
Proponents say Measure B would then allow the city to invest more in core city services.
"Public safety, our parks, filling our potholes: that's the opportunity that presents itself by voting yes on Measure B," LaCava said.
Some homeowners are concerned that if this measure passes, fees for other services will be imminent.
"After they do the garbage tax, they'll go to another line item and sneak that one in too," said Degner. "It just seems like it is a slippery slope."
LaCava said that that in all likelihood, a new fee would not be imposed until 2024, and that homeowners would only pay for the services they receive.
The city would first have to go through a state-mandated process , including public input, to decide on a fee scale and which services would be included, such as bulk item pick-up.
"Single family homeowners range from people who have very large incomes but it also includes people who have very low incomes," LaCava added. "So we are going to be very sensitive to that in terms of what kind of rate we charge."
To take a closer look at Measure B, click here.
WATCH RELATED: Measure B: The argument for and against new trash fees (Oct. 12).
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET CBS 8:
ADD THE CBS8+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE Roku | Amazon Fire