I thank the Mayor, Hagan, and Polasek for being on top of this issue for fiscal responsibility. If the City staff can justify having to raise rates for recent inflation, etc., that is something we will have to live with. I just don't want this to be a ploy, and wool pulled over the coucil eyes fund ANOTHER huge pay raise for the City Manager.

My beef is that City Council touted the program as a cost cutting measure. Now they want to raise fees. Makes no sense and speaks to their lack of credibility and honesty in promoting the program in the first place

I could see where picking up limbs and appliances and stuff would cost more because it takes more time and more people to pick it up. So why not put this a "pay as you use" type thing instead of across the board rate. Some people probably never use this service so is it really right to charge them. The city could have people make appointments to set up a time for the men/women to come and pick up their stuff and at that time the customer is handed a bill for service that the guy also turns into the office. They wouldn't have to go out every day or even every week but the items could be picked up more often and our city would look better than only picking it up 4 times a year.

Thank you 3.  AMEN.  I have the sneaking feeling that the whistle blower works for the advocate.

Do you have to be reported to be deleted; OR,  is it just random deletion?  Some one whines right?

Our policy is clear: No personal attacks. Otherwise your posts will be deleted. Thanks for complying.

I think some of the posters (and you know who they are) have gotten chummy with Advocate personnel and have an easier time getting items deleted – items they just don’t like because it touches a nerve, because they cannot handle the truth about themselves, and they cannot tolerate retorts to their venom.

who got my posts deleted - how lame is that

Ok darlin - I stand corrected.
I did not appreciate your original comment about "stop whining" as this issue is not about the cost of garbage collection - it is about the credibility and honesty of city officials (as many comments have also stated below).

I think several of you are missing the point. The point is not the cost of garbage collection, the point is the "city" told us that the new automated collection would reduce costs. Now, before it is even fully implemented they are doing an about face and saying that rates must be raised at the same time services are being cut. This entire issue goes to the credibility of what our city leaders say. I personally don't have any problem with paying more for a much needed service, I do have a HUGE problem with being intentionally mislead or outright lied to by the leadership. I heard the term "bait and switch" applied to this situation by Mr. Hagan. At least on the surface it appears this is exactly what has happened.

n2m... I don't know why you chose to be so hateful to me this morning but I am far from ignorant...

who says my crap is from afar? You jumped to a false conclusion on that one, buddy. I live right here in Victoria County! I am 500 yards outside the city limits and therefore have a MUD water company....

You say I'm ignorant? My my my! you know this as a God-given fact because??????

I will GLADLY pay your city water/garbage/sewage bill as opposed to what I pay to AquaTexas for my water/sewage. Ask anyone else who lives in my neighborhood and they will tell you to quit whinning and count your blessings!

For all of you people complaining about paying $13.00 a month for garbage collection --- you could live where I live. I am paying $32.59 per month for Waste Management to pick up my trash once a week. Nearly $400.00 a year! And they will only pick up household garbage. No brush, no lawn clippings, no large items. Oh and to make matters worse, we USED to have courteous drivers... if they spilt some trash, they'd pick it up. Now, it's like a game to see how much they can spill on each street! If they "accidentally" forget to pick up your garbage that week, you cannot call a local number to complain... you have to call Houston and be put on hold for 20 minutes. Only to be told that there's nothing that can be done you'll have to tough it out til the following week. That bill is seperate from our water and sewage bill, which runs anywhere from $140.00 a month up to $300.00 a month... and you can be conservative, but it's like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates.... you never know what you're going to get. So stop complaining and realize things could be much worse!
*PS - For the sake of preventing further personal attacks on my "intelligence", (see news2me's post above), I DO live in Victoria.  I live in the Brentwood addition, 500 yards outside the city limits, and therefore have a private water company.  And GARBAGE COLLECTION is a seperate bill. 

Armstrong "did not understand"? I guess he was distracted by his part-time job of getting involved in criminal investigations.

Once again, Councilman David Hagan is standing up for taxpayers and not allowing the City Manager and others try to bambuzle us with their BS. When the city moved to an automated trash collection system the citizens were told that it was being done to reduce costs. Now, just months later, the same city officials who said that costs would be reduced are now saying that they are going up instead and that rates will have to increase. What nonsense! Thank you David Hagan for not sitting back and simply apologizing like the Mayor, but for "shining the light" on this abuse of taxpayers and for calling for an investigation into this matter.