Residents press board on solid-waste fee; treasurer outlines collection limits and options

Resident speakers used the April 22 public-comment period to press the board about the county's solid-waste management fee, unpaid delinquencies and whether older residents qualify for relief. Treasurer Lynette Edwards responded with collection statistics, legal limits and options for taxpayers.

Ash Cutchin, who identified himself as an 83-year-old resident at 29018 Darden Point Road, told the board a portion of his street has remained unpaved since Hurricane Helene and raised concerns about paying the $200 solid-waste fee after seeing unpaid balances forgiven for others. He asked how old a person must be to qualify for elderly tax relief. Colleen Flick and other commenters questioned the size of the county’s delinquent balances as presented at prior meetings.

Treasurer Lynette Edwards replied with month-to-month collection figures and statutory constraints. She said, as of March 2025, the county had collected 99.68% of budgeted real-estate revenue with an outstanding real-estate balance of $700,965.61. Personal-property collections were 96.31% with an outstanding balance of $2,000,312.27. Solid-waste collections were 76.29% with an outstanding balance of $897,729.27; Edwards noted the solid-waste figure covers up to three years of unpaid fees (state-code limitation) and that collection windows differ by tax type (solid waste: 3 years; personal property: 5 years; real estate judgment periods: 10 years for newer judgments, 20 years for grandfathered judgments).

Edwards described collection tools the treasurer’s office uses: judgments, bank liens, booting of vehicles, employment liens and sale of property when sale proceeds exceed county costs. She said some delinquent accounts cannot be collected because debtors lack bank accounts, household income or assets. She said the county can, in some hardship cases, pull accounts back from a collection agency to avoid additional collection fees and that the county’s current collection percentages are higher than historical records.

Board members and staff discussed alternatives to the fee. Supervisors reiterated that removing the stand-alone solid-waste fee would shift roughly $1.2 million in revenue to other tax bases (real-estate or personal-property taxes) unless the county cuts equivalent expenditures. Staff said attempts to treat waste collection as a fully self-supporting enterprise fund would require much higher per-household fees (estimates discussed by board members ranged to $300–$400 annually if fully self-supporting).

The board authorized a public hearing on proposed amendments raising the income thresholds for tax-relief for the elderly and disabled (proposal referenced raising the income limit to $45,000) and a companion ordinance amending the solid-waste management fee; staff recommended both be advertised for public hearings on May 27, 2025.

Ending: The treasurer urged residents who struggle to pay to come into her office early to set up payment plans; the board left final policy questions to the public-hearing process and budget deliberations.