Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
By now, Monticello utility customers have likely received a notice from the city informing them of coming increases in their water and sewer rates.
The notice to customers, which the Monticello City Council approved on Tuesday evening, Sept. 3, was scheduled to be mailed out imminently. The notice advises city utility customers that if approved, the monthly base and usage rates for water and sewer charges will be increased by two percent annually for the next five years, effective Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019.
The two-percent increases over the five years equates to an overall 10-percent rate increase over the entire period.
The draft notice that was presented to the council for review, however, only had a three-year projection of the increases, prompting the members to ask that the period be extended five years out.
In the three-year projections, the figures showed the basic water rate inside the city going from the current $7.65 monthly, to $7.80 in the first year, $7.95 in the second, and $8.11 in the third. For customers outside the city, the rate will go from the current $9.56 monthly, to $9.75 in the first year, $9.93 in the second, and $10.13 in the third.
The water usage rates per 100 cubic feet (cf) will similarly increase. Inside the city, the monthly usage rate will go from the current $1.53 per cf, to $1.56 in the first year, $1.59 in the second, and $1.62 in the third.
For customers outside the city, the monthly usage rate will go from the current $1.91, to $1.95 in the first year, $1.99 in the second, and $2.03 in the third.
For customers who use city water for irrigation purposes, the monthly rate will increase as follows. Inside the city, the irrigation rate will go from the current rate of $4.50, to $4.59 in the first year, $4.68 in the second, and $4.77 in the third.
Outside the city, the monthly irrigation rate will go from the current $5.62, to $5.73 in the first year, $5.84 in the second, and $5.96 in the third.
In terms of the monthly sewer rate, the basic rate inside the city will go from the current $18.36, to $18.72 in the first year, $19.09 in the second, and $19.47 in the third.
Outside the city, the basic sewer rate will go from the current $22.95, to $23.41 in the first year, $23.86 in the second, and $24.33 in the third.
In terms of the sewer usage rate at 85 percent of water used per 100 cf, the proposed rates are as follows:
Inside the city, the monthly rate will go from the current $4.62, to $4.71 in the first year, $4.80 in the second, and $4.89 in the third.
Outside the city, the monthly rate will go from the current $5.77, to $5.88 in the first year, $5.00 in the second, and $6.11 in the third.
City officials will hold a public hearing to discuss the proposed rate increase at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, in City Hall. The public in invited to attend and offer feedback.
The increases stem from planned improvements to the water and sewer systems that were more or less mandated by the findings of two reports that city officials received and adopted earlier in the year. Implementation of the two reports' recommendations, in fact, may determine in large part if the city receives state funding for infrastructure upgrades in the future.
The two reports – prepared by the Florida Rural Water Association (FRWA), in partnership with the Northwest Florida Water Management District (NFWMD) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) – set guidelines for ensuring the longterm viability of the water and sewer systems.
The reports outline the steps that the city must take in the next five years in terms of the timely maintenance, repair and replacement of its capital assets to ensure for the optimum operation of the two systems. Which repairs and replacements costs could put the two operations in the red if adequate planning wasn't done or rate increases imposed, the reports warned.
The reports recommended rate increases as high as 12.3 and 21.6 percents respectively for the water and wastewater systems to accomplish the improvements that the studies determined were necessary to bring the two systems up to par.
To make the increases more palatable, the FRWA recommended incremental rate increases to the water and sewer charges over a five-year period to accomplish the desired end, which is what city officials have opted to do.
To prepare the report, the FRWA inspected and assessed the city's fixed capital assets inventory in the water and wastewater systems – everything from the water and wastewater treatment plants, to the distribution and collection systems, to the individual hydrants and manholes, respectively.
The study assessed each asset in terms of its age, manufactured life expectancy, current condition and probability of failure in the next five year and set timelines for the repair or replacement of the equipment.