Back in May, the Portland City Council reversed its traditional policy of picking up leaves for free in certain neighborhoods—instituting, instead, a $30 annual fee for most residents inside one of Portland's 28 "leaf removal districts."

It was one of the smaller components of a painful budget compromise, forcing residents in leafier, nicer neighborhoods to pitch in, a process largely marked by outrage over sewer and water rate hikes. But this month, leaf collection notices started dropping into mailboxes—with warning that a bill would eventually follow—and now some people are scratching their heads about how the fees will work or raising questions over wording that focuses on residents, not homeowners.

Check out this Tweet sent to Mayor Sam Adams:

So, quickly, here's the deal: The notices put the onus on "residents" because that gets the city around state rules that limit property tax levies. If you're lucky enough to own the place where you live, you have to pay up. If you're just renting a house, you still have to pay up—a la garbage fees—unless you work it out with the landlord. If you rent an apartment, it's your property manager's problem. And rich neighborhoods are paying as much as less-rich neighborhoods for the same level of service.

Whatever you do, don't throw the notices away, because the city will get its collections dogs after your landlord, and that's rarely a fun thing to explain to the person holding your lease.