Jacksonville City Council raised garbage fees but also provided relief for people who can't afford the increase.
Published on February 19, 2025 at 3:25 pm
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Q: Jacksonville City Council voted last week to raise people’s trash fees. The fee would rise from $151 to $324 this year and eventually to $384 in 2027, with gradual steps up over the next two years.
But council also supported relief for people who can’t afford the increase. Council members voted to cap the garbage fee at the current $151 for households that make up to 150% of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, that is $48,225 per year.
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A similar exemption exists on Jacksonville’s stormwater fees, which raises a question for Jacksonville Today reader Ellen M.
Ellen asks whether a person can qualify for the both the stormwater exemption and the solid waste exemption at the same time.
I realize it is early to ask, but it is important to find out soon since the more-than-doubled solid waste fee will go into effect this year.
A: Good news, Ellen. A person can receive both exemptions if they qualify.
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“The intention of the legislation was for citizens who meet the income threshold to qualify for both the stormwater and waste fee exemptions — and for the application process to be streamlined for both,” says the city’s chief communications officer, Phil Perry.
Perry notes that the adjusted fee will start on the next tax bill. But it still needs to go through a public hearing and final vote by the City Council in May and June, he says.
