The community's frosty reception will cause Auburn to drop a proposed tax decrease and flat rate for trash disposal.

City Manager Mark Palesh made his decision to drop the budget's plan to reduce property taxes by 11 percent and impose a $108 annual fee for garbage collection after, to his surprise, Auburn city councilors told him they wouldn't support it.

"I think it's wrong to punish the poor block with the $50,000 houses and the lower incomes or the lower assessed value," Councilor Matt Smith said.

The break even point is about $70,000. Property owners with higher assessed values would save more money on the tax cut than the $108 trash fee. Homeowners will lower assessed value would not.

The city boasts 3,150 single family homes assessed for $70,000 or more, City Assessor Sue Chandler said. This leaves 2,486 single family homes assessed for less than that key amount.

Rick Colavito, chairman of the Solid Waste Advisory Committee which came up with the plan, said a flat fee would prove more fair to residents than forcing a floating rate that would allow some residents to pay $70 while others paid $200 for the same service.

"Well, the alternative isn't fair," Smith responded to that concept. "It's not fair to have the lower income people to take up the burden. It should be the high income residents."

Read the full report in Thursday's edition of The Citizen.