The City of St. Paul is under a local state of emergency. It's not a natural disaster - but it could have been just as disruptive.
It's all about garbage collection.
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter declared a three-day emergency to make sure that the city's new garbage collector, FCC Environmental, is able to provide service.
The company purchased a site at 560 Randolph to maintain and fuel its roughly 30-truck fleet. But neighbors appealed to the City Council to keep the company from expanding the parking lot.
The council upheld that appeal, leading to this point where FCC Environmental says they don't have the infrastructure to serve the city.
"State law and common sense dictate that failure to pick up the trash would be unacceptable," Mayor Carter says about the state of emergency.
Carter's declaration temporarily overrules the council, suspending zoning regulations to allow the company to begin using the site for garbage collection.
"It temporarily adjusts regulatory and zoning requirements so that routes can launch and garbage gets picked up as scheduled."
About 65,000 households will be using FCC environmental.
Neighbors also voiced concern about the potential smell that could come from the facility. The council is set to meet on Wednesday to take up the issue again.