JACKSONVIILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville residents are going to have to pay more money for trash pickup. In fact, they’ll have to pay more than double the current rate.
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On Tuesday night, the Jacksonville City Council voted 12-7 to raise the trash rate from $12 a month to $27 a month It’ll be up to $32 a month by 2027.
Supporters say it’s been 15 years since the fees rose, and it’s putting the city in debt.
“This is a problem that’s been looming for decades, and we have the opportunity with the push of a button to solve the problem,” Councilmember Tyrona Clark-Murray said.
But opponents say it’s just going to hurt families.
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“If you honestly think this is right for the people, you’re wrong. People are gonna pay for this,” City Council Vice President Kevin Carrico said.
The council did vote to prevent costs from rising for the poorest Jacksonville residents. But some neighbors like Dragon Belloit say any new monthly cost will hurt them.
“If it follows inflation, I’m not like super against it, but at the same time, people in Jacksonville are struggling already,” Belloit told Action News Jax.
At the same time. some supporters on the City Council say their constituents understand that it needs to be done to fix the debt.
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“My community, my district supports this,” Councilmember Raul Arias said.
“For more than ten years, while the cost of nearly everything else has risen—housing, groceries, gas—the garbage fee has remained unchanged. But maintaining a clean and thriving city requires investment,” Councilmember Rahman Johnson said in a statement. “This was not an easy vote, but it was the right vote. We cannot afford to stand still while the costs of inaction continue to rise.”
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