Stormwater, solid waste charges moving from GRU bills to annual property tax bills
Press release from the City of Gainesville
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Gainesville property owners will notice an important change when Truth in Millage (TRIM) notices arrive in mailboxes this month.
Beginning Oct. 1, charges for City stormwater and residential solid waste services will appear as non-ad valorem assessments on annual property tax bills. This means they will no longer be included on customer billing statements from Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU). The transition comes after a decision by GRU leadership to remove charges for City services from monthly billing statements.
The assessments will be noticed by property owners within city limits when they receive the annual TRIM notices mailed this week by the Alachua County Property Appraiser. The TRIM notice is not a bill. It is an opportunity for neighbors to preview proposed property taxes and non-ad valorem assessments before final rates are adopted. After property tax and assessment rates are adopted, the annual tax bills will be mailed by the Alachua County Tax Collector beginning Nov. 1.
As with property taxes, payment of the special assessments will be handled online, by mail, or in person through the Alachua County Tax Collector. This new arrangement also lets property owners who receive these charges take advantage of the same early-payment discounts that apply to property taxes.
“This year’s TRIM notice may look different because charges many neighbors have been accustomed to seeing on their GRU bills are now listed as an annual assessment alongside their property tax,” said Gainesville Mayor Harvey L. Ward. “We want people to understand exactly what they’re seeing, why the change is occurring, and what they can expect moving forward.”
City leaders want people to know the new payment system will not impact level of service. The transition will cause no interruption in the regularly scheduled collection of garbage, recycling, yard waste, and bulk waste. Similarly, the City will continue consistent operation of the infrastructure system that collects, conveys, and manages stormwater runoff.
“Our goal is to make this transition as straightforward as possible,” said Gainesville Public Works Director Gail Mowry. “Residents should know they can rely on our crews to keep doing the job. Our schedules and responsibilities are not impacted by changes in billing methods.”
The City’s fire assessment has appeared on the property tax bill since 2010, providing funding for dedicated, equitable, and stable fire protection services within city limits. To support the work of local nonprofits, the Gainesville City Commission pays the assessment on behalf of religious and charitable organizations.
“Our firefighters respond wherever they’re needed, regardless of whether a property pays the fire assessment,” Ward said. “Gainesville has chosen to continue helping many nonprofit and faith-based organizations by allowing them to avoid much of the cost of fire protection. I think it’s important those organizations and the broader community understand the City made a conscious decision to subsidize the cost of their fire protection.”
Mayor Ward estimates the City provides approximately $800,000 in fire assessment subsidies for qualifying religious and nonprofit organizations, representing a high level of financial backing for organizations serving Gainesville residents, visitors, and neighborhoods.
For those property owners who may have difficulty paying their non-ad valorem property tax assessments, the City has a Non-Ad Valorem Assessment Hardship Assistance Program (NAVAHAP). The program provides reductions in qualifying fire, stormwater, and solid waste assessments for eligible low-income and senior homeowners. Applications for Fiscal Year 2027 are being accepted through Aug. 31.
The Gainesville City Commission’s next budget meeting is a public hearing scheduled for Sept. 10, at which commissioners will set the tentative millage rate and final assessment rates and will approve the first reading of the Fiscal Year 2027 Financial and Operating Plan. The second and final public hearing on Sept. 17 will include setting the final millage rate and the second and final reading of the Fiscal Year 2027 Financial and Operating Plan.
Residents seeking additional information about the assessments, billing changes, or available assistance can visit the City’s special assessment webpage or contact Public Works at 352-334-5070 or pubwrk@gainesvillefl.gov. Questions about NAVAHAP may be directed to 352-334-5024 or citybc@gainesvillefl.gov.
These special assessment will replace our property taxes after Amendment 3 passes. If you think you are getting tax savings by voting yes on Amendment 3, think again!
So instead of paying each month you now have to pay one lump sum for these annual fees. And mark my words, when property tax reform passes the city and county will fall over themselves establishing new fees to keep their money pipeline flowing.
1. The fees are limited by statute (both in type and amount).
2. Doesn’t it make more sense for each household to pay the same amount (non ad valorem) for municipal services instead of a tax that increases every year based on a home value estimated by the property appraiser?
Not only is it not true that more expensive homes use more core services (law enforcement, fire, etc.), they probably use far less because, for example, they seek private medical care instead of calling an ambulance every time they feel bad, and their homes tend to be in better repair.
Fees are not limited by statute. Non ad-valorem fees can be whatever they want.
False. They can only be assessed for fire services, solid waste, stormwater, and street lighting, and they are limited to the costs of those services.
Their press release conveniently leaves out the most important part, the assessments have been significantly increased over last year’s amounts! Those increases were made by the Gainesville City Commission in lieu of increasing the mileage rate and they are substantial. For a single family owned residence the Fire Assessment increase is over 50%. The waste water system apparently has been mismanaged less than fire, so it’s only going up on average 8%, well above inflation. So don’t blame GRU, thank Harvey and company for taking more money out of your wallet.
Exactly, the city tried to jack up the tax rates hoping that people would blame GRU for increased utility bills and not notice that it was the additional tax increasing costs.
Ed Bilarski and GRU outsmarted the rubes on our city commission yet again by just removing those services from the GRU bill and forcing the city to bill us directly.
Solid waste charge coming off utility bill…
.Will everyone have the same size garbage can? How much is the solid waste charge per year?
I am assessed $1025 for four (4) buildings rated as 6.8 ERU even though we send zero stormwater into the City’s system. Our request for “retention credits” tendered without a professional engineer is being processed. The City, not the GRU Authority, triggered this outcome. The Tax Collector will bill every tax parcel and collect almost all of it for half the charge imposed by GRU. Taxpayers have only twenty (20) days to challenge their non ad valorem assessments or seek an exemption. Otherwise, these assessments become due and payable up front in November.
As reflected on the TRIM Notice that will be mailed this week, Gainesville stormwater fees will be collected from each tax parcel as a “non-ad valorem assessment.” This assessment will be reflected on the 2026 ad valorem property tax bill that will be mailed in November 2026. Stormwater fees will be removed from GRU electric meter billing after the October 2026 billing cycle.
There are strict deadlines-twenty (20) days—for challenging your
non-ad valorem assessments, which total nearly $18 million citywide. Twelve (12) months of stormwater fees will then be billed upfront by the Tax Collector and combined with two (2) other non-ad valorem assessments: fire and solid waste. The combined ad valorem taxes and non-ad valorem assessments will become due and payable to the Tax Collector at the same time.
The City of Gainesville utilizes a standard residential fee, with an opt-out option. Nonresidential fees are customized based on aerial imagery depicting “impervious areas.”
Buildings constructed above ground level, combinations of parcels, certain soil types, certain grades, and on-site stormwater management facilities can, among other factors, generate “retention credits” that may reduce your stormwater fee to zero (0). The classification(s) of your properties present a legal, rather than engineering, issue. An informal site plan, even without the involvement of a professional engineer, may be sufficient to challenge or reduce the fees established by the City of Gainesville.
Moreover, there is a low-income “hardship exemption” available in both Gainesville and the unincorporated areas of Alachua County, for all three (3) non-ad valorem assessments (fire, stormwater, and solid waste).