SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- San Diego residents are ramping up their efforts to push back on proposed trash and recycling fees, protesting the rate that could total more than $50 a month. On Monday, a contingent of residents at a public forum held by the city in City Heights expressed concern about the proposed rate structure ahead of a final vote on the trash fee — the first of its kind for the city after more than a century of no-cost trash pick-up. "I’m on Social Security now and so I have to think about the future," said one resident, Mary Otero Gonzalez. What to know about the biggest Earth Week cleanup event in San Diego County Voters opened the door to end the city's longstanding waste management practice with the passage of Measure B in 2022. "It barely passed. It was 50.5%," said Larry Halford, another resident who was skeptical of the city's trash fee proposal. On that ballot, fees were estimated around $23 to $29. "Two years later, it’s not $25. It’s $55, around that. And it promises to go up to at least $65 and maybe more in two years. We consider this a classic bait and switch," said Halford. The Environmental Services Department presented the preliminary estimate of $42 to $53 per month with additional fees for more containers, plus built in increases for the coming years, to the San Diego City Council last month. Staff with the department said the change from the 2022 estimates is due in part to service enhancements it plans to implement in the coming years, including weekly recycling pick-up, curbside pick-up of large items and free bin replacement. These upgrades are set to be presented to the city council for approval in April. "City council can look at the results of what the cost is and what the fees would be to fully recover those costs they can choose to approve up to that, they can choose to approve less than that, or they can choose to approve nothing at all," explained Jeremy Bauer, assistant director for the city's Environmental Services Department.  While homeowners have not directly been billed for the waste collection, it has never truly been "free." It is paid for out of the city's general fund, which is largely made up of property and sales tax revenue. Charging these new fees could bring in up to $60 million for the city, a major help as it looks to close a $250 million budget deficit. City settling lawsuit over affordable housing policies’ impact on low-income areas The City Heights meeting Monday was full of people passionately opposing the proposal, however, one man shared he found the fees fairly reasonable. "With water going up, electric going up, who wants another bill?" said Steven Cordova. "But I think at the end of the day you want to be fair to the situation and be as positive as you can and I thought there was a few silver linings to it." Environmental Services will be working to make any necessary revisions to the cost of service study and are looking to present that to city council April 14. A final vote is scheduled for early June. Residents can formally oppose the fees under Prop 218. ...read more read less