CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – Clay County property owners will pay more for garbage collection starting this fall.
Commissioners voted Tuesday night to approve increases to disposal and collection assessments, beginning Oct. 1, and those increases will appear in November’s tax bills for 2023.
The increase comes to about $1.75 a week -- or $91 a year. For a full breakdown, click here.
The county says the reason for the increase is simple: The county’s disposal costs have gone up 60% on average, and the collection assessment rate has increased by less than 10% since 2006.
But over the same time frame, inflation has increased 48%.
Now those added costs are being passed on to residents.
“This is such a bad time to be adding more taxes to... everything else that’s going on,” one resident said during public comment. “I’m paying now over $300 a month now on my homeowner’s insurance, through no fault of my own.”
By law, the money can only be used for garbage service, not any other, and some residents said the county needs to improve customer service.
“You’re going to have to meet prices, but please, put some teeth in whatever contract you’re going to do,” one resident said. “I’m tired of these guys asking for more money, us giving them more money, and we have no say in the quality of their services.”
The county says if the assessments were to increase or change again in the future, it would require another vote from the commission.
People are advised to reach out to their commissioner if they have chronic issues with waste pickup.
For questions regarding either assessment, please contact the County’s Environmental Services Department at (904) 284-6374 Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. or at assessmentcoordinator@claycountygov.com.