A Resolution By The Board Of County Commissioners Of Pasco County, Florida, Establishing Annual Disposal Assessments, Tipping Fees, And Other Rates, Fees, And Charges For Funding The Solid Waste Disposal And Resource Recovery System Pursuant To The Pasco County Code Of Ordinances, Chapter 90, Article III; Authorizing Preparation Of Annual Disposal Assessment Roll, And Preparation Of Appropriate Bills And The Certification Of The Assessment Roll

43:10Yeah.

43:20Good afternoon, Madam Chair, Commissioner Stevin Peliska, Solid Waste Director. Today I am here to present resolution by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County establishing annual disposal. Assassin's Creed.

43:39Tipping fees and other rates, fees, and charges for the funding of the Solid Waste Disposal and Resource Recovery System.

44:03Sorry.

44:05Thank you.

44:12Okay, thank you. Yeah. All right, a little bit of background. This is year seven of a planned seven-year disposal assessment increase. This area has seen significant increases in growth. With that growth comes increased solid waste generation. From that, a plan was established years ago to expand the existing waste to energy facilities. That's a $250 million project that is underway today. In

44:43addition to funding the waste to energy expansion, this increase was meant to offset higher operating costs with the waste to energy facility. Operating costs come in two forms: right-actual operating costs and then also lacking revenue that we had back in 2024 from Duke Energy. We had a significant decrease in energy. Energy revenues with a new power purchase agreement. So this funding helps offset that as well.

45:13This seven-year plan was meant to prevent big shock to the customers, phasing this in rather than one big chunk. And we've seen some pretty big shock in the communities. Some of our communities to the south of us have had some pretty big increases over the recent years. And some of those communities have also had to put significant capital into their waste to energy plants, hundreds of millions of dollars. Our money is going towards expanding the

45:44plant, not necessarily repairing it.

45:57So this year, the $7 assessment increase per equivalent ERU that equates to $6.39 tipping-free increase year over year. The annual residential assessment per ERU with this year will be $114, which translates to $104.03. Per ton. This would become effective on October 1st if the board approves it. And as you'll see on the next

46:27slide, our annual costs still fall well within the low range of waste to energy municipalities. You see where we are on the bottom. This does include hauling. It includes hauling and disposal, but we are at $381.90, the proposed rate for this upcoming year, compared to what you see the other waste to energy communities in Florida. The average of this is $491.59.

46:59Uh so we have a very good robust system and we're still at the the low end of the price point. So the recommendation is to adopt the resolution establishing the proposed annual adjustments for the disposal assessments, tipping fees, and other rates, fees, and charges that fund the Solid Waste Disposal and Resource Recovery System. Authorize the Chairman to execute the two original resolutions. Direct board records to distribute a set forth in the district.

47:30in the distribution section and authorize the county administrator or designee to sign the final road certification. Authorize staff to release the final row roll and related information to the property appraiser and tax collector. Any questions for me?

47:48Board members, any questions? Okay, um I think

47:52we have uh some people want to speak to this. Yeah, so Mr. David Tuttle, if you wanna come to the podium and um just give your name and address once you're up at the microphone. Thank you.

48:05Yeah, good afternoon, Commissioners. My name is David Tuttle. Uh my family and I own the Golden Corral in Zephyrhills. I don't tell. I uh received my solid waste assessment tax bill Uh needless to say it was a shock after all the years and been in Zephyrhills Golden Accral for since two thousand three. I used to pay about seventy seven, seventy eight hundred dollars every year for The solid waste tax, plus you pay for

48:35your garbage, of course. So I wasn't even sure where that extra $7,800 was really even going. It never, it was never explained, never made much sense to me. It was just an aggravating check to write once a year, uh, along with all the other taxes. This year, uh, my taxed uh amount proposed assessment, uh, of course, it was $77. Mm-hmm. Thirteen thousand six fifty eight oh five is this year's solid waste ass

49:04year?

49:05Last year was pretty close to the same, even though I uh I sent in all the paperwork and to dispute it and everything. I virtually got no response at all. The year before it was high like that, not quite that high, and they ended up fixing it and getting it back down to about eight thousand dollars. They're trying to say that because I have three eight-yard dumpsters that if one dumpster is half full and the other dumpster is half full,

49:35that's still two eight yard dumpsters they're emptying. Whereas I believe in the past, probably the reason I was paying the seventy eight hundred a year is because they did calculate it out. But in this In the busy season of course, I'm gonna fill them dumpsters up. This time of the year, dumpsters don't get filled up and they still empty twice a week and charge me for full dumpsters. And that's where I'm coming up with the $14,000 a

50:05year. Tax. And I hate to raise my prices and and Ron might not show up as often and

50:16Yeah.

50:17But I guess that's my concern. I just don't understand That would be like if you ate at lunch in my restaurant and tomorrow you go there and the price is two and a half times the price, you're probably gonna turn around and walk out. Unfortunately I can't just throw this away and walk out. I'm gonna get stuck paying for this no matter what. So Prices are just getting passed along. It just Doesn't make sense to me. I guess that's why I'm here today.

50:46So I don't know if you're not going to be able to Bradford here or Mike.

50:51You've heard me gripe about this for a long time. This is why I understand the the money i i in disposal was bonded. But scenarios like this happen every year and we've been contacted every year when disposal is not baked in to the rate that the hauler is charging. So the customer pays the hauler. and if he doesn't pay his bill, then the county tells the hauler he can't be picked up, which then stops his business from operating altogether. We

51:21need to change the way that we do disposal for commercial customers in this county. And

51:28I

51:29and it it's it's It's not fair. You have customers who think they're paying their rate you know, to the Holler every month. And then at the end of the year, when the haulers audit it and submits their information, the frequency and whatnot to the county, and the county comes up with their. their rate, which gives the abil you know, there's an appeal process. The whole process is incredibly clunky and I I question the accuracy Uh there's just too many moving parts in it. We we

51:59really need to change the process and have the disposal pay the time of service every month. And I don't know how we unwind that, Brandford. I know Brantford and I have talked about it. But we're we're starting to see when you have bills like this and there's others getting so large and it's a sticker shock 'cause you don't know the businesses don't don't know what they're gonna pay. There's no way to budget until the county sends the notice about this time every year. And it's it's Just

52:31I'm not saying it's right or wrong. I'm just saying when you're a business you want to forecast a fifteen thousand dollar solid waste assessment and some business well I paid my solid waste bill, no you paid your hauler to provide the service. Yeah you gotta pay the Piper which is the county. So uh we we've I I think we need to move forward and figuring out how to undo what's been been done. There's a lot of legal in there. Uh but it's not it's not it's not the best way to do do business and I

53:00just confused. But also according to the letter if I don't pay this, there goes my business license, which is right in the letter. So

53:10I mean

53:11it's almost like a a threat on top of, you know, you've been there all these years providing service and employing ninety people and doing everything right. and then this shows up with a threat to pay it or lose your license and you're out of business. So Obviously I'm gonna pay it. As aggravating it is it's gonna be to write that check for double the amount that that I don't understand.

53:35If we could redo it it would be better for businesses to know up front, you know, approximately what it's gonna be. Not at not at the end of the year and it it's a surprise. And I don't like it, I never have. Um see people who've worked through this process for a long time, but I think we need to really take a look at it and figure out how to do it a different way.

53:56Um Commissioner Oakley? Yeah, just wondering your last three bills were did you say thirteen thousand or

54:03Okay. Last year I I appealed it with no luck at all. The year before I appealed it and they fixed it.

54:10Right.

54:12And this year I have an appeal.

54:14Between last year and this year it's what, five hundred dollars or a thousand dollars difference?

54:19Yeah, about a thousand dollars. Mm-hmm.

54:21Between the two. So it's gone up but it hadn't doubled this year, but I understand how can they you know, drop it and be eight eight thousand dollars and next year you back up for thirteen thousand. So

54:35basically basically I was told they assessed it With not full dumpsters during the slow season. That's how it was told to me when it was taken care of.

54:48So I think there's a way staff and and I'm sure Mike will go through it with people that uh staff can re look at that one especially in the off season it's you've got empty dumpsters, but um you can hardly get in this place this starting this time of year. Right. So what he's

55:06we're gonna do this again back in Is this our first time we're talking about this?

55:11No, this one's one and done. Uh oh, because this is setting the the assessment. I agree the the commercial assessment uh approach is um It's not not working. There there we we need to find a way to make that transparent and predictable. I I understand. I've I've seen it. I I couldn't explain it to you myself here. Right now.

55:32So you're saying hold off, don't pay it until you fix it?

55:36No, you need to

55:37get

55:37it. Um but but I but I but I do agree uh with with uh the Commission's points, you know, Commissioner Oakley, Commissioner Weightman, uh that we need to take a look at it. And uh, you know, as Commissioner Weightman points out, there there are there are legal ramifications, there's a whole host of things It's it's something that uh we need to look at and we'll see what can be unwound. But let's I'll talk with uh Mr. Ademois and uh Mr. Puliska and we'll bring something and and have a discussion with Jeff's team and

56:05'Cause we we experience this. I'm texting here with my husband. Um I think he would love to be Y'all would get

56:11hit

56:12too. Oh my gosh. So we had the blueberry farm and we had the market. And um the blueberry farm We don't we had a dumpster. And it's very seasonal. Um, very, very seasonal. Um And it it was crazy. It was I don't know, twenty thousand, twenty five thousand a year.

56:32Really?

56:33And uh my my husband they they they quit doing it up there and and we just take our garbage up to the market. Um but our market now is It's it's eleven hundred a month in fees and twelve thousand a year in assess uh assessments. It's twenty five thousand dollars. Um but what was happening at the farm was really crazy. Yeah. So I I however you can make sure that we're doing it right.

57:01Yeah. Yeah. If it's if it's you have two eight yarders going three times a week or whatever and your bill is s seven, fourteen hundred dollars a month per se, but you're done that month. You know how to factor in your your cost for what it is versus whatever the commercial rates are now. It's just it's better predictability for the business, for the business owner, they can budget appropriately and then all of a sudden and there's been issues like

57:32Hilton Hotels and whatever larger corporations that get hit with with their disposal fees and um if they don't pay it right away by law their business is shut down until that fee that that's paid and then you're trying to reach out in the corporations or saying, Well what this is odd, this is not something that's done This is not a standard practice throughout the solid waste in it. The way Pasco County bills disposal this it's not a it's it's out of the ordinance it's out of the ordinary. Yeah it's

58:02it's with it's the disposal is typically factored in with your monthly rate, the haul rate. So you're paying more up front but your disposal is factored in for that service and you're paying it real time. Where Pasco bills the disposal piece at the end of the end of the year and then folks receive sticker shop. It's a lot of time on staff, it's a lot of stress on our customers trying to go through the bills process and staff is going through records and then they're touching base with the haulers to make sure all the information was spent. It's just a

58:32lot of moving parts on a lot of people. And the crux of this is is however long ago the county bonded the disposal fees for whatever reason for whatever projects. And that might have been okay when we were a smaller county, right? Not as much enterprise and business going on. Well our county's changed a lot in recent years. And um it's just better to give folks a predictability of what they're paying every month. So

59:02Madam Chairman Mariano I'm not sure that I disagree with you, but I think part of the scenario that is different about Pasco is that the the the hall we don't have a franchise caller system. Yeah. And you have and you have the Special assessments which are designed to pay for the waste energy facility and so to integrate those with the haulers is kind

59:32of what's causing the problem. But that's there I don't disagree that there probably is a fix, but that's I'm confident there's a fix.

59:44And I've pitched it.

59:45The bonding the bonding The bonds are paid by the special assessments for the waste to energy facility.

59:53I wonder if there's a way they could add partial payment to the monthly bill instead of the end of the year sticker shock, you know, like add five hundred dollars a month on my trash bill and then at the end of the year it can reassess and maybe I only owe a thousand dollars instead of Fourteen thousand dollars.

1:00:16Okay, I think I think that our we're not gonna solve that here. Yep. But it sounds like uh we can work on some um solutions.

1:00:26Much appreciated. Mr. Thank you very much.

1:00:29Before you leave,

1:00:29can you give your address for the

1:00:31I can. It's [address removed]. Thank

1:00:40you, sir.

1:00:41You're welcome. Thank you all.

1:00:42Is there anyone else here to speak to this one?

1:00:45No one else has signed up. Over there, over here. Okay. All right.

1:00:54As you approach, if you'll give your name and address for the record.

1:01:00Palapa

1:01:01what?

1:01:01Palapa.

1:01:05All right.

1:01:08My issue isn't to the amount of dollars that this gentleman had, but it speaks to Mo you know, I'm a resident. And I moved to Pasco County uh Four years ago. And I received these letters from the solid weight solid waste and resource recovery assessment department every year I keep 'em.

1:01:32And so I was looking them over. And what I noticed is when I first moved in it was eighty-three bucks a year, not fourteen thousand or eight thousand. Well it was eighty three bucks a year.

1:01:46As the assessment. And then Today we'll look we're considering a hundred and fourteen. Dollars. Then I look back at the pattern. And I noticed It was eighty-six bucks and it was ninety-three. And a hundred, one hundred and seven, and a hundred and fourteen.

1:02:07So that's seven bucks. Seven bucks, seven bucks, seven bucks. So seven bucks and The original amount of eighty six comes out to an eight point one percent increase.

1:02:22Yeah. This year it comes out to about six point five percent I believe. So I guess that's my first question.

1:02:34Six point five percent to eight and eight point one you know, that's a that's a large percentage increase. Every year.

1:02:44It it's it's too much. Um

1:02:50I'm a retired person, but I spent most of my career in management. And My supervisor or my manager always asks me every year to give better service, higher quality service, increase customer satisfaction. And lower. my operating budget. All three. They can be done. And I I achieved it most years through innovation, technology, and so forth. And

1:03:23That kind of what is what happens in the private sector. I really don't see that happening in the public sector so much. It just seems like we need to do more, we need to increase taxes. And um I'm just asking you know, this department and cross Pasco County departments to just consider operating in that way. Use your brains, use your minds, innovate. Use technology. and lower

1:03:53cost and increase quality of service. It can be done. It is done.

1:04:01Okay, so I'd like to understand why such a large percentage increases have been happening.

1:04:07Uh um I will take a stab at that. Um we we are on the final year Uh and I'll need Kevin to correct me if I'm wrong, of a multi-year assessment that is paying for a whole new expansion of our treatment plant. Because are we hauling our trash out of the county right now?

1:04:28One third of our trash goes out of California.

1:04:30Yeah, so we're we're we're paying to send our trash to other Sumter, I think, maybe, or Lake um County because our waste to energy plant is full. So we have been slowly increasing the fees instead of doing one big jump to pay for new construction to expand our facility. Did I answer that right?

1:04:54Uh this is a last year

1:04:56or it's a seven for seven.

1:04:57Kevin, you have to come to the mic. Yeah. So this is the last year of the increase.

1:05:02Yes, seven for seven, primarily to fund the waste to energy expansion and associated operating costs with that expansion. Okay. I can certainly go through more details with

1:05:11you. So I guess my follow-up question then would be once this is done and once this with $250 million expansion, I think it's what you mentioned before, once it's done, are my rates going to go down?

1:05:25There there

1:05:26is

1:05:26no anticipation of the rates going down. Our plan is like you said Why do it? Well it's uh the waste energy expansion is I'll just say beyond just a low cost option. It has to do with the strategy of the of the community that was established many years ago. So we continue to move forward with waste to energy as the primary disposal option, minimizing our natural resource footprint.

1:05:56All right. So the plant that has been in operation for thirty-four years has been very successful, and the board has decided years ago to move forward with an expansion. So we're not relying on outside communities.

1:06:09No, I don't think that's his question. So so if we've raised the rates to pay for a capital project, once we paid for the capital project Why would we still have that built into our rates? I think that's the question. Yeah,

1:06:21but and why wouldn't 114 be 112 next year?

1:06:24I'll take a stab at that if I could, ma'am. The you

1:06:26know

1:06:27capital the capital was part of it, but we're also doing debt financing as well. There will be debt service to pay for that. Uh in addition, you uh Mr. Pliska mentioned it, um the uh The more lucrative waste to energy contract that we have enjoyed, which has actually helped Pasco keep its rates low for many, many years with Duke Energy expired. And so as such we're subject to now market rate prices on selling our power, which we continue to do that. The Solid Waste Department continues to innovate. They continue to look for innovative ways to reduce our

1:06:57landfill footprint, which ultimately save the Solid Waste Program, millions of dollars. And new self-construction. So I think they continue to do everything in their power to control that. As far as future rates, Mr. Plusk and I are having conversations on what does that look like in the future, in an attempt to, you know, again try to keep those costs as low as possible. They're at the end of the line. The garbage has to go somewhere, and you know, we're the government is left to is left to handle it. So um I I I will say this that the the capital portion while that may be complete

1:07:28there's still additional costs and and revenues that simply are are not recoverable uh through through other means.

1:07:35So the Duke Energy contract is uh I would expect that you would get actually a better contract.

1:07:46You're investing in in energy and electrical power because you know what's going on with AI. So you'd expect our they'll to be able to charge more for energy. Just saying.

1:07:56I'd be glad to go over the the new contract on the energy side and explain the difference. It is significant. It's a twenty million dollar headwind year over year on the old energy contract and what we have today. And I certainly can get into the details with with you if you'd like.

1:08:16Yeah. I think I've made my point. Yeah, and you've got to do it. About about what I what the expectation is, is that rates actually should be going down across all the government. With you know, using technology and innovation.

1:08:31Thank you.

1:08:32Um I'm sorry, sir. Second point is Sir Sir you're out

1:08:36of time. Yeah. Even after you were out before I even asked the question.

1:08:40I know, but

1:08:40you no, this other job. Someone else may bring up your point. Um 'cause we have some other people that want to speak. So and you want them to give me a call. I think I think we're gonna no clapping from here, thank you. Uh we're we're gonna work on this a little bit still. Sounds like Okay. Did you want to speak over there? No, you can't speak from there. Alright, this lady right here, these two ladies. Are you coming up together or separately?

1:09:09I

1:09:09I don't see well and I

1:09:10don't hear well, so she's just kinda keeping up okay. We need your name and address. My name's Terry Painter and I'm the mother of Samuel Wright and Ricky Firestone and the address is [address removed]. Anyhow, my son wants off some mortgage. We're trying to buy him out, which we don't have to pay for the house. We just have to have the extra money. Well Milton took out fifty thousand

1:09:40dollars worth of damage, not to the house, to the property, six and a half acres. Anyhow, we've been trying to d take care of that. Anyhow, then we get um We keep getting these these forms. And um anyhow, when we first moved here my daughter worked for the trash place in Dade City and they were taking the trash out of her paycheck. Well, I didn't want her to do that because she had a young child that she had to

1:10:11raise, so I put it in my name. Well, that started it. Yeah. Now we get We tried to get a loan the other day and it was um seventeen thousand dollars just on the the main address and then we have a secondary house which is part of the same parcel. They have thirteen thousand dollars. We never knew until they told us that we're paying double assessments

1:10:41on on the v the waste thing. So anyhow, I don't think that's very fair. Um, and anyhow we're gonna we could we're st we don't wanna lose our house after twenty five years.

1:10:56You're paying seventeen thousand a year per me? Is that what I um you know what? Maybe someone needs to meet with you. Um, that's here? Okay. John over here will step outside and go over that with you and make sure that everything's going right at your properties. Well that that work for you, John? Yeah, he's happy to help you. Thank you for coming today. Okay, is there anyone else that wishes to speak to this?

1:11:26Okay.

1:11:30Okay, is there anyone else after her after that? We're gonna if they don't don't raise their hand now, we're gonna cut off public comment. Do we have anyone online? Okay. Last speaker then.

1:11:42Hi. My name is Krista McDonald. I live at [address removed]. I've been there sixteen years. I've been a resident of Pasco County for forty one years. I've raised four children here. I work here. I work in the school system. Um, like everybody else, I got my tax bill as well with this proposed stormwater uh and waste management, which I sorry, I fully oppose. Um my

1:12:13trash bill goes up Every Every few months. So it started off at $40 and now I'm up to $90. And now this is gonna get tucked on, which automatically we've been seeing these increases, but it goes above the 3% max that is supposed to be. So I was just wondering. why certain places like where we live where most people have four yard dumpsters, two yard dumpsters, pay their bills,

1:12:44it's going to jacket up to hundred and nine dollars. uh where as a single mom I you know I scrape it together where I can. So things like this, it's not you know, I'm I don't own a golden corral or Anything like that, but it hurts. It hurts a lot of people, not just me, but in the entire community.

1:13:10So If there's a way around it, make the haulers pay for it, stop building, there's gotta be other ways to fix this cost that you're trying to tack on to well not y'all but to on onto the proposed taxes.

1:13:30That's all. Thank

1:13:32you.

1:13:35Will you also meet with John out there and show him your bill? How much

1:13:40she's got a trim notice her slip.

1:13:42Okay, but how much should an average how much does it co an average bill at a home cost? I have no idea.

1:13:50I mean the average that I just mean. I'm sorry, yeah, just the number

1:13:55I'm sorry. Um the average if you have collection is three hundred and eighty one dollars a year. The average with collection.

1:14:02So why are these why is that one woman saying sixteen thousand? Yeah. I I don't know. I hope they fix that.

1:14:09If their parcels are in And here's where it gets if if your property happens to be in some sort of a business name And not a resid the the the the switch is where people get hung up is they'll get a commercial container You know, put it in a business name. And the commercial rate It's different than if it's a residential dumpster. They're two completely different categories. And if you're in that commercial Rate and your dumpster could be a residential

1:14:39dumpster. You just happen just you have a business or a real estate, you just throw everything in there not thinking. In our county, if you're you have a dumpster and it's in a commercial business name, your disposal is very different than what you are if it's a residential. And Kevin, you could probably you should probably go into it more than me. Well it's you're significant.

1:15:00You're accurate. There's three forms for commercial. It could be based on volume, which I believe the gentleman mentioned from the Golden Corral, how many times he's being picked up. Yeah. versa uh in addition to the size of the container. Secondly, it can be on weight. There are commercial customers with compactors and it's being weighed. That is very accurate. And then lastly What commissioner you know um Weightman is mentioning is if you're a category of business, it depends on your business, the

1:15:30category you're in, then the square footage of your dwelling, those things come into play and there's a formula that's factored in and it predetermines what your rate is gonna be. That is very complicated.

1:15:43Boy, if there was a way we could educate

1:15:47maybe are not paying their disposals correctly and could have a big savings. I wish there was a way we could figure that out.

1:15:56Yeah there is a lot of interaction with the assessment team and commercial owners to talk about, hey if you are doing it this way, but if we take the hauler data And we know the frequency and the size of the container. At least you could better triangulate on what it may be. Uh that is not perfect as Commissioner Weightman.

1:16:15I want to ask you a question. Do you mind coming back up here? This is just in v investigation. Do you just have the regular garbage can you wheel out on Monday and

1:16:22Thursday? No, it's a four-yard dumpster. I'm in rural area considered agricultural. Um it's one point one six acres. acres of land. Um m typically uh every other house. Why don't

1:16:34you switch and get a garbage can and pay three hundred a year.

1:16:37There's they only allow you six and there's a massive dog coyote raccoon problem so the dumpster helps.

1:16:47Um but keeping it. Just

1:16:50tie it

1:16:50down. We use we use rope, we tie ours down for the for the dogs of coyotes.

1:16:55Again, in Leisure Hills, if you're not familiar, uh trash cans are really not the best option. Well Unfortunately, but so I'm paying a thousand dollars a year for that on top of now I'm gonna be paying more.

1:17:09I'm just trying to give you a three hundred

1:17:10dollar

1:17:11option. I understand. Yeah.

1:17:13Okay. Still disposal on resid Take maybe yeah.

1:17:18All right. All right. Thank you, everybody. Um Okay, well sounds like there's room where we could I I want to figure out this assessment thing at the end of the year that we can amortize that over the year. Um Jack did did you want to speak to something?

1:17:35I

1:17:35was

1:17:35just gonna make a comment back to the energy plant. I mean years ago when energy capacity was critical. Uh it was a it was a big incentive for the energy companies to go build capacity. So the reason the contract was so favorable was they got credits for building that energy plant and That's how that's how the money went. When that went away, our contract ran out as well and then we had to renegotiate and all we get to market rate now.

1:17:59Well it's it's based on an offset to the next lowest field of power which is still a coal fired power plant and so no one's building those anymore. And so So your the rate that your standard offer rate is significantly lower because of that. And anyway, it's it's a complicated formula. Fortunately, the Solid Waste team has diversified their approach. We we do broker some of our power, we do have some of our power under contract, and so they're we're looking for ways to maximize the

1:18:25return on that. And I'll say something we did with um with our human waste that we have. Uh we we changed the way we used to truck it to Miami or wherever we're paying a lot of money for it. The money was going up every year. We had the fear of what was going to happen if those landfills went away and now you don't have to do it. How much more is it going to cost you? And we brought in a company called Merrill Brothers who've been doing a phenomenal job and is now actually putting stuff to market. So that actually stabilized with innovation uh our rates and we'll keep them stable and we might even see them go down with the income we're gonna make off the uh product they're

1:18:56gonna put out there. So I think we've we've been innovative, but sometimes you can't control what government forces, market forces are out there.

1:19:03Um just because I was on the losing side of this, I'm gonna bring it up again that most counties franchise their garbage pickup and the so most counties they save money that way. Um we looked at a plan where we would divide the county into different sections so that no holler would lose market share, um and it didn't fly with the board, but if anyone wanted to look at franchising again Um

1:19:34that is a way to help our residents save on their

1:19:37garbage pickup.

1:19:41Commercial service.

1:19:45That that has nothing to do with how commercial service is built. A residential franchise and the way disposals collected uh in between residential and commercial are two totally different aspects of the business. So uh when the county attorney mentions the franchise you can theoretically you can franchise residential but you can keep open market commercial and have competition in the market and still build a disposal the

1:20:17way that I think it should be done vers versus how it's done in Pasco County and it not have an impact on the residential piece. We just our issue is, yeah, we've we've bonded and however it was done so long ago, we've kinda handcuffed ourselves until time or whatever, I don't I forgot all the details, it's been a a year or more. Um but there's there's a way to to to do commercial service and commercial disposal

1:20:51We just want to get the our b our best weight for our citizens. Uh do it and do we require a vote? Yes.

1:20:57Uh yes, we've assessed it.

1:20:59Okay. I'll entertain a motion. Approval. Second. All in favor. Aye. Aye. Okay, P50.