Jim Minkler, of Minkler’s Lawn Care, said the revision—requiring grass clippings to be bagged instead of piled by the side of the road—is “ridiculous.”

The change, which had been revoked in the past, is needed to protect the city’s Public Works equipment from extensive damage, director Greg Fincher has said.

Minkler told council members during their May meeting, in which the revision was approved, that the new requirement could add as much as $120 a month for his customers with larger lawns.

“This back-door tax is wrong and unjust,” he said.

One load from a Walker-style riding mower would yield two bags worth of clippings, Minkler said in a later interview. Minkler uses 55-gallon, heavy-duty bags to collect the clippings, and their price increases every time he goes to buy more, due to the petroleum used to make them, he said.

For a customer with two loads of clippings, the new ordinance will cost them $48 more per month, Minkler told council members. Those with 3.5 loads would pay $84 more a month. Those with five loads (the equivalent of a one-acre yard) would pay $120 more a month, on top of their usual $150 monthly fee.