Special assessments are used by many local governments throughout Florida to assure that this essential service is adequately funded. Unlike a tax, a special assessment must be developed to recover each property’s proportionate share of the costs and can only be used to fund those services.
Hardship assistance is available for eligible residents. Extended deadline: Applications must be received on or before noon on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026.
The assessment covers the cost of providing solid waste collection, disposal and associated services. It is estimated that the city will collect approximately $12,389,454 from the Solid Waste Services Assessment.
Each residential property is assessed based upon the size of the garbage cart used by the property.
Solid waste service includes the weekly collection of garbage, recycling, yard waste, and bulk waste. It includes disposal costs charged by the landfill. The special assessment also includes costs associated with city staff oversight of the contracted hauler, a customer service call center, and education about proper disposal of solid waste, hazardous waste and recycling.
Residential property owners may be able to reduce their annual solid waste assessment by downsizing to a smaller garbage cart through the city’s pay-as-you-throw program. Customers who need more capacity may request a larger cart, which will increase the assessment.
If a cart size change is requested during the year, downsizing may result in a prorated credit after the smaller cart is delivered. Upsizing requires payment of the prorated difference before the larger cart is delivered. Only one cart size change is allowed per year. For more information or to request a cart size change, please call 352-334-2330.
If you sell your property after you have paid the assessments for the year, you will receive a prorated credit back from the buyer. This will be handled by the closing agent when the sale is closed.
No. You are not being double-charged. We are changing how these services are collected, but the dates do not overlap.
Because your tax bill starts paying for these services the exact day your GRU payments stop, every day of service is only paid for once.
We know unexpected bills can be a financial worry. If you need help paying the special assessments that appear on your November 2026 tax bill, please contact the Department of Financial Services by Sept. 30, 2026. Through the City of Gainesville’s Hardship Assistance Program, neighbors who qualify can receive a fee reduction.
For neighbors paying the November 2026 tax bill, statutory partial payments can be made to the Tax Collector from November 2026 through March 2027. This allows neighbors to spread out their special assessment payments and there is no charge per payment. More information is available by contacting the Alachua County Tax Collector.
Although this year’s deadline to register for the Alachua County Tax Collector’s installment plan has already passed, neighbors can choose to pre-pay in installments for next year’s tax bill that will be mailed in November 2027.
Payment plan information is available on the tax collector’s website. This includes early payment discounts and you can start the process for 2027 by visiting the Tax Collector website beginning in November 2026.
The annual TRIM brochure is included in the mailed TRIM notices to property owners by the Alachua County Property Appraiser.