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Ocala council opts for seven‑year phase to raise Trinity Villas to multifamily sanitation rate
Summary
Council members expressed equity concerns about Trinity Villas’ below‑multifamily sanitation rate and by consensus directed staff to phase Trinity Villas to the multifamily rate over seven years and inform the facility administrator before wider notice.
Councilmembers debated whether and how quickly to bring Trinity Villas — an income‑qualified senior housing complex — up to the city’s multifamily sanitation rate during a Jan. 13 work session, ultimately directing staff to phase in the increase over seven years.
Consultant Terry Bovary (Raftelis) presented three scenarios for Trinity Villas: keeping the baseline (no change), a three‑year phase‑in, and a five‑year phase‑in, explaining that the property represented relatively few accounts and would be immaterial to the enterprise fund’s financial health but raised equity questions. Council members asked how many residents the facility serves; staff said it was "a little bit more" than 240 residents and noted most are elderly and mostly single occupancy.
Several councilmembers said they did not want to rush residents into larger bills. One member suggested a five‑year phase would not be sticker shock, while others proposed longer schedules. After discussion the council directed staff by consensus to adopt a seven‑year phase‑in and to meet with Trinity Villas’ administrator to communicate the change before sending broader customer notices. Staff said they would inform the administrator directly and bring policy details back as needed.
Council also discussed whether other income‑qualified single‑family residents might deserve similar treatment; staff and councilmembers noted existing assistance programs but flagged that a recent change to LIHEAP now limits those funds to electric bills, reducing available offsets for sanitation charges. Peter Burrell, director of finance, explained the program change and said the city continues to refer residents to other community providers.
The direction to phase Trinity Villas over seven years was given during the work session and will be implemented administratively; staff will report back to council on transitions and communication plans.
