Gainesville City Commission passes ordinances allowing billing of stormwater and garbage fees on property tax bills

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – During the afternoon session of the June 4 City Commission meeting, Commissioners passed ordinances allowing them to bill stormwater and garbage collection fees on property tax bills; they also directed staff to reach out to legislators to “tell their story,” perhaps with a tailgate at a UF football game.

Solid waste and stormwater fees

While introducing the second reading of the ordinances, Mayor Harvey Ward said that even if the items passed, “we’re still waiting until the last possible minute to discuss a resolution to activate these things, in hopes that we don’t have to actually do that.”

Both fees are currently billed on monthly GRU utility bills, but the GRU Authority recently failed to approve an agreement to continue billing them, forcing the City to implement ordinances that would allow billing those fees on property tax bills. Alachua County already bills both fees on property tax bills.

Ward has sent a letter to the Authority, asking them to reconsider their 2-2 vote, but the Authority has not officially responded; the next authority meeting is on June 10.

Commissioner Casey Willits made a motion to adopt the solid waste ordinance on second reading; multiple Commissioners seconded the motion.

The motion passed unanimously, with Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker absent.

The next agenda item was the second reading of the ordinance allowing the City to bill stormwater fees on property tax bills. 

Commissioner James Ingle made a motion to adopt the stormwater fee ordinance on second reading, and it was seconded. 

Referring to the Commission’s earlier discussion in which they awarded the City’s residential solid waste contract to GFL, Commissioner Bryan Eastman said that the increased costs associated with billing garbage collection on property tax bills would result in a rate increase of about one dollar per month for residential properties. He said, “I hate raising rates on folks, but that’s what will happen unless the GRU Authority chooses to… go in a different direction.”

Ward added, “I’ll point out, as well, that this places the burden onto landlords, who will undoubtedly, at some point, pass that on to renters.” Renters currently pay the fees on their utility bills.

Willits said the City “should be prepared to be clear, if the GRU Authority tries to take credit for bills going down,… that we’re prepared to say, just like the legislature, this is just a shift to where you’re paying for it.”

Ward said the only winners in this would be intergovernmental partners and nonprofits (because those entities pay stormwater fees on utility bills but do not pay property taxes, so they may not pay the fees if billed on the property tax bills).

The motion passed unanimously, with Duncan-Walker absent.

Gainesville Legislative Days

During commission comment, Commissioner Ed Book made a motion to direct staff to create Gainesville Legislative Days, “where the City can tell their story and host elected officials at the state level.” Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut seconded the motion.

Ward said the City could do “some kind of tailgate thing” at UF football games, when state officials often visit the city. He said that would be “a lobbying opportunity and an advocacy opportunity that we just whistle right past every year…  So, however we do that, let’s have a conversation about how that looks and where that is, and that sort of thing, rather than just saying no, we’re gonna do it right here at City Hall Plaza, which is beautiful, and we’re proud of it, but it’s a lot easier to get in front of them where they already are.”

Willits said, “Are you suggesting a tailgate? A City tailgate? Whoo!” and Ward responded, “I absolutely am.”

Book agreed that the effort would require “maximum flexibility.”

The motion passed unanimously, with Duncan-Walker absent. 

Change in dates for the Commission’s fall recess

Ward asked Commissioners if they would mind moving the Commission’s fall recess from the end of September to the first week of November, leading up to Election Day. He said they would formally discuss it at their next meeting.