Dana O'Connor
Key Points
- The Apopka City Commission approved a 6% water rate increase and a 6.5% sanitation rate increase effective October 1 to fund capital projects and rising costs.
- Two major water system constrictions in north Apopka will be addressed by pipeline upgrades to improve flow and reduce pressure issues.
- Sanitation rate hikes cover higher operating costs due to population growth, increased labor, fuel, disposal fees and a fleet expansion program.
The Apopka City Commission voted unanimously Wednesday afternoon to increase the water and sanitation rates by 6% and 6.5%, respectively, effective Oct. 1.
Shawn Ocasio, senior manager at Raftelis, explained the consulting firm had completed a study of the city’s water rates, creating “detailed projections of revenues” and analyzing the city’s capital improvement program.
“As a part of that funding plan, in order to accomplish those projects, there was the anticipation of additional debt being taken on in order to fund some of those projects — the idea being some of these are very long-lived assets, so you try to match the cost of the asset over the life cycle,” Ocasio said. “As a part of that, as well, there were some significant operating cost changes, and that’s just associated with the inflationary environment that you operate in … Additionally, there was additional FTEs, or full-time equivalents, built into the plan.”
In public comment, resident Albert McKimmie questioned the city’s confidence in its ability to pay for projects like the Golden Gem reclaimed water facility, which he estimated would cost “another 20 million [dollars].” Finance Director Blanche Sherman said the 6% increase was factored into the proposed budget and would allot at least $10 million to the larger Golden Gem pond on the east.
Resident Rod Olsen also mentioned issues with reclaimed water pressure at his home, prompting Public Works Director Vladimir Simonovski to explain where and why reduced water pressure occurs in north Apopka.
“There are two constrictions in the system, basically in the north section of town,” Simonovski said. “On Ponkan between Vick Road and Jason Dwelley, we have a 12-inch pipe, and there is also no pipeline on Plymouth Sorrento between Lester and Ponkan, so we’re trying to address that.”
Simonovski said the plan for the first constriction is to connect the 30-inch pipe at the end of Rogers Road to that at Jason Dwelley Parkway, which would “provide more flow and be able to fill in the two ground storage tanks at the northwest facility quicker.” The Plymouth Sorrento constriction would be addressed with a 30-inch extension between Lester and Ponkan, which “will also help with moving more water towards Golden Gem.”
“The key is that it’s not an access to water issue — it’s an issue with moving water around our city,” Mayor Nick Nesta said. “Once all these pieces finally come into place, residents are going to see quality water, quality service, and no pressure issues.”
Although the sanitation rate increase did not generate as much discussion, the staff report explained it was necessary “to cover operating expenses due to an increase in the population served, and the rising costs of labor, fuel, disposal and other operating expenses.”
“Some of the major drivers in that study were projected increases in operating costs, particularly with respect to your tipping fees, the fee to take the waste to a tip facility,” Ocasio said. “On top of that, there was the fleet replacement program that was built in to cycle out some of your existing fleet, as well as add a couple of side loaders and other items to expand the fleet for growth.”