The Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 2 approved a final solid-waste assessment of $2.50 per household for fiscal year 2025–26, down from the $2.65 that staff had recommended.

Greg Scott, presenting the item for county staff, said the proposed increase had been intended to move the assessment closer to the true cost of service and reduce the burden on the general fund. The packet showed staff’s recommended $2.65 rate, an increase from $2.35 per household.

During public comment, speakers urged the board both to absorb more cost and to consider the financial stress on some residents. One public speaker urged the county to continue to seek a lower hauling cost or local disposal alternative rather than pass the full increase to residents.

Commissioner White said the county had been subsidizing solid-waste costs to the tune of roughly $500,000 a year under the present rate structure and that the board could use general-fund dollars to limit the rate increase. "We were subsidizing it for a half a million a year, and this would bring it down to $240,000 a year out of the county general revenue," White said during the discussion.

Commissioner Perkins moved to set the assessment at $2.50 and have the general fund cover the remainder of the cost until a longer-term solution is in place; Commissioner Mobley seconded. The motion passed by a 5–0 vote.

The board and staff discussed the county’s contract for trash hauling and the challenges counties without local landfills face when hauling to other counties' facilities. Commissioners said they want staff to continue seeking long-term, lower-cost solutions while minimizing the immediate burden on households.