Missouri's Supreme Court has rejected oneof several legal challenges to a series oftrash districts in St. Louis County.
In a 5-2 ruling released today, the Court ruled that the county did not violate a portion of its charter when it established the districts in 2008. The plaintiffs, residents of the county, argued that voters had to approve the new districts. The court disagreed, saying voter approval is only needed if the county is collecting money for the services. In this case, the court said, the trash companies themselves are collecting the money.
The court also ruled that the taxpayers could not sue on behalf of haulers who did not win contracts for the new districts. That's the subject of another lawsuit - the judge in that case deferred her ruling until August so today's ruling could be issued first.
The county formed the districts in 2008 to reduce the number of trash trucks on the road in unincorporated areas. Full subdivisions can opt out and hire their own hauler, but individual household cannot.
