BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Telegraph Editor
When Bradford County commissioners raised the annual special assessment for solid waste for the first time in 36 years, the county explained the need to cover the cost of services, which had obviously grown over time.
Those services include operating the county’s six collection sites, transporting garbage to the landfill and paying the disposal fees.
The special assessment went from $75 to $125 a year.
Commissioners also addressed misuse of its collection sites by those who do not pay for these services by reimplementing a decal system last month. Only those who acquire a decal at a collection site by proving they pay the solid waste assessment are permitted to use them.
That blocks attempted dumpers from out of county as well as those living with the city of Starke.
Starke residents do not pay the county’s solid waste special assessment. Starke has a contract with a third party who collects garbage twice a week, with separate pickups for yard waste and appliances/furniture. According to Starke’s billing department, residents pay $19.50 on their monthly utility bill for this service. They don’t worry about a special assessment, and the city of Starke receives a franchise fee from the hauler.
Bradford County does not have a door-to-door collection service. Residents are free to hire a private company for this service, or they can utilize the nearest collection site, which, except for holidays, they will find open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday through Saturday, and from 1 to 6 p.m. on Sundays. They are for residential, not commercial, disposal.
One load of trash, yard waste or debris is accepted per household every day. A load is a full-size pickup or 8-foot trailer. Appliances and disassembled metal items are accepted as well, along with up to five tires per month. Accepted recyclables are aluminum cans, newspapers and cardboard (broken down).
Lawtey double billed?
Following the increase in the assessment, some in the city of Lawtey claimed they were being billed twice for garbage. In addition to the solid waste assessment billed annually by the county, Lawtey charges residents $10 a month for trash collection.
Unlike Starke, however, this is not an all-inclusive collection service run by a contractor. According to City Clerk Lisa Harley, the city has its own employee who performs the job with the assistance of inmate labor. (The loss of inmate labor temporarily had the city paying two people, an additional cost the city’s budget had to absorb.)
According to Lawtey’s most recent audit, the charges for garbage collection amount to around $26,000 a year, less than the nearly $38,000 the city spends. This covers collection only. Harley said because residents also pay the county’s special assessment, the city does not pay additional money for landfill disposal.
Lawtey residents are also free to use the solid waste collection sites for additional yard waste, housing debris, tires, appliances and recycling.
Lawtey residents are not being charged twice for the same service, but they appear to be paying slightly more for less service. Starke’s use of a private contractor provides for multiple weekly collections of a wider variety of garbage, and residents appear to pay less for this. It could be, however, that charges for Starke’s commercial customers are helping offset the cost to residents.
Lawtey would only know how much a more comprehensive service would cost by shopping around. It would be up to citizens to tell the council whether they would rather pay more every month versus having the county’s assessment on their tax bill.
Solid Waste Collection Sites
Starke site: 2806 NE 173rd St.
Lawtey site: 1130 NE 213th St.
C.R. 229 site: 9753 NW CR. 229
Sampson site: 16900 SW 75th Ave.
Keystone site: 1373 SE SR. 100
Brooker site: 15086 SW CR 18
New enforcement rules
Collection sites are only for Bradford County residents who pay the county’s solid waste special assessment.
You must have decal to dispose of trash. If you do not have a decal, a site attendant will assist you. You need a valid ID and your tax bill. (You may opt out of a decal if you present a valid ID and tax bill each time you visit the collection site.)
Prohibited uses: city of Starke, contractors and all other counties outside of Bradford County.
These rules will go into effect Dec. 31, 2023.
