Loose-in-the-street green waste pickup may become more expensive for residents, according to comments made by City Council members Tuesday night. During a discussion of green waste at Tuesday’s council meeting, the council asked city staff to prepare detailed plans for raising the rates on loose-in-the-street pickup and reducing the level of pickup service from weekly to biweekly. Council members did not make any final decisions on the issue. Gerald Celestine, a founding member of Friends of Fremont Park, said Wednesday that he thinks loose-in-the-street pickup works better than container pickup for Central City residents. “We have more trees,” he said. “We have much more green waste.”

A city staff proposal to eventually stop loose-in-the-street green waste pickup and move to container pickup will not work for all city residents, Interim City Manager Gus Vina said in an interview Thursday. In tree-laden areas such as Midtown, a container is not adequate to hold all of the fallen leaves, Vina said, explaining why he pulled the green waste issue from the City Council’s agenda on Tuesday. “I want to make sure I’ve challenged staff enough on creativity and the solutions that are possible,” Vina said. The plan that Vina delayed would have encouraged moving away from loose-in-the street pickup and raised rates for residents who continue that method of pickup. Assistant City

About 65 Pocket and Greenhaven residents gathered Thursday night to learn about current city issues. City staffers briefed the citizens on the city budget, green waste pick-up services and other topics during the community meeting, which was organized by City Councilman Darrell Fong. Attendees were fully engaged throughout the meeting, asking plenty of questions. It began at 6:30 p.m. and by 8:30 p.m. few had left John F. Kennedy High School on Gloria Drive. City Finance Director Leyne Milstein presented information to the group about the city’s $35-$40 million budget gap for the 2011/2012 fiscal year. She noted that the $35-$40 million represents about 20 percent of the net general fun

The City of Sacramento is proud to offer many options for our customers to recycle their Christmas trees. Preparing Your Holiday Tree for Recycling Cut trees longer than 6 feet into 3-foot or shorter pieces. Remove trees from stands or plastic bags. Remove ornaments, lights, nails, tinsel and metal rod supports from trees. Artificial trees will not be accepted. Containerized Yard Waste Customers Option 1: After cutting your tree into 3-foot or shorter pieces, place your holiday tree in your yard waste container. Make sure the trimmed pieces fit completely into the container with the lid closed Option 2: Place your tree out for loose-in-the-street collection by 6:00am on your regular