Jacksonville City Council member Matt Carlucci is proposing to raise garbage fees while protecting low-income residents against fee increases.
Published on January 2, 2025 at 4:02 pm
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Jacksonville City Council member Matt Carlucci is proposing to raise garbage fees while protecting low-income residents against fee increases.
Carlucci said Thursday that he will introduce two bills to address the growing debt in Jacksonville’s solid-waste fund.
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The solid-waste fee has been in place since 2008 and has not increased since 2010.
“We cannot continue down this path of mounting debt,” Carlucci said in a news release. “These bills offer a sustainable solution to ensure our solid-waste services are adequately funded while addressing the needs of our most vulnerable residents.”
Residents currently pay $12.65 per month for solid-waste services. The fee is far below the actual cost of residential garbage pickup, Carlucci said.
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To bridge the gap, the city has been “loaning” itself money each year, with the loan projected to reach $100 million by the end of this fiscal year. It could rise to a half-billion dollars by 2030 if no action is taken, Carlucci said.
Carlucci’s first bill proposes aligning that fee with the actual cost of service, at $30.40 per month. This could be done in one step or phased in over several years to minimize the effect on residents, he said.
The fee would continue to appear on customers’ property tax bills as a non-ad valorem assessment, paid through the same methods as property taxes.
“If you do not have a mortgage, you will pay the solid-waste fee to the tax collector in the same manner that has been in place since 2010, and as you would your property taxes,” the news release states.
The second bill sets up an exemption for low-income residents, shielding them from fee increases. The proposed exemption would request that the Mayor’s Office and city attorney coordinate with each Beaches community, as well as the town of Baldwin, to create a process to include them in the relief effort.
The solid waste fee itself applies only to the city of Jacksonville, as the Beaches each have their own solid-waste disposal fees.
Carlucci plans to introduce the bills at first City Council meeting of 2025, set for 5 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall.
The bills also willbe discussed at each of six Citizen Planning Advisory Council gatherings this month.
