Union County workshop agrees on starting increases for garbage and EMS special assessments

At a March 30 workshop, the Union County Board of Commissioners directed staff to draft a plan that would raise certain special assessments for solid waste and emergency medical services and to bring that plan back for formal consideration at a regular meeting.

County staff member Mr. Williams presented a packet of proposed starting points based on a CPI-informed review and a 2025 landfill study. The packet proposed adjustments across residential and multiple commercial categories and added a new category for RV/camper and accessory dwelling unit lots. Williams told commissioners the numbers were “a starting point for y’all’s discussion” and that more analysis and coordination with municipalities and the property appraiser would be required before any final adoption.

Commissioners spent most of the workshop debating how to balance revenue needs—particularly for EMS—and fairness to residents and small businesses. Commissioners voiced two recurring concerns: the county’s existing inability to separate commercial tonnage from residential loads in the current hauling/contract arrangements, and the political and economic risks of a single large increase. One commissioner said the county had previously undercharged and that operating collection sites and hauling have become far more expensive, while other commissioners urged incremental increases to avoid “culture shock” for households.

On EMS funding, staff and board members agreed the county needs more sustainable revenue to support additional ambulance capacity. Commissioners discussed a range of EMS special-assessment targets; the workshop settled on a working compromise to use $1.20 as the proposed EMS assessment for the draft resolution to be posted and noticed for a future meeting.

On solid-waste assessments, commissioners agreed in the workshop to set the top two residential assessment tiers at $100 (from current lower levels) as an initial step and to leave other categories for further refinement. Several commissioners urged staff to identify which businesses currently fall into each commercial category (property-appraiser codes and contract pickup data), to consider adopting a finer set of commercial classes (for example, the city of Lake Butler’s model based on container size/frequency), and to explore options that would require private collectors to separate commercial tonnage in contract language.

Board members emphasized that the actions taken in the workshop were directional: the changes discussed were policy direction for staff, not formal votes. The chair and staff said the next step is for county staff to prepare a draft resolution or ordinance language, coordinate with the property appraiser and Lake Butler on data and contract implications, and place the item on a regular meeting agenda for public notice and a final vote.

The workshop also generated requests for follow-up work: obtaining a list of businesses in each commercial assessment category, evaluating enforcement and code implications for RV/ADU assessments, and estimating the budgetary impact of incremental increases. Commissioners said they would review those details during the budget process and through additional meetings before taking a final vote.

The board recessed the workshop after directing staff to prepare the draft measures and to return the proposal for formal action at a future public meeting.