The Apopka City Council voted 4-1 Wednesday to increase the water, wastewater and reclaimed water rates by 15.5% for fiscal year 2026. 

Commissioner Nick Nesta voted in opposition. 

Residents voiced strong concerns about being able to afford the increase, especially residents with limited financial means. 

Renee Bailey, an Errol Estate resident, said she doesn’t have to worry about her bills, but she noticed how residents are unable to afford their climbing bills. 

“Some people are going to be living on beans and rice and thankful that they have a can of beans,” she said. “They cannot afford the can of beans. Let us give them a bag of beans and a bag of rice. I can go out to eat. I do not have a problem, and yet, a lot of these people can’t pay their water bill. They can’t afford to pay the other bills.”

Residents also asked about the high number of malfunctioning water meters causing estimated billing. 

A large number of malfunctioning water meters have caused the department to default to estimated billing, city official said. 

Customers with faulty meters have received estimated bills based on their usage from 12 months prior. If the previous year’s bill was also an estimate, the same estimate continues until the meter is fixed, Blanche Sherman, city finance director, explained at the meeting. 

When the city meter replacement and repair program began in October 2024, about 9,300 meters, or 31% of meters were not working properly.

As of the Sept. 17 meeting, the percentage of faulty meters has been reduced to about 4,500 meters or about 15%, Sherman said.

The city has about 30,000 water customers, she said.

On Sept. 3, the Council voted 5-0 vote to table adopting consulting company Raftelis’ recommended 15.5% increases on water, wastewater and reclaim services. At the same meeting, the City Council approved 4-1 to increase the sanitation rate by 20% for the same year, effective Oct. 1. Commissioner Nadia Anderson was the opposing vote for the sanitation fees. 

Raftelis presented the utility rate and impact fee study at three meetings this summer.

Raftelis recommended the utility rate increases because the city’s current water rates weren’t enough to cover rising operating costs, major capital improvement projects, and increased debt service from planned borrowing.

The City Council had a Sept. 9 special meeting to review scenarios to see if it could keep the water, wastewater, and reclaimed water services as affordable as possible. Though no formal vote took place, the Apopka City Council agreed at a Sept. 9 special meeting to increase these utilities by 15.5% in fiscal year 2026, followed by a 9% increase in 2027 and 6% annually in 2028 and 2029.

The city’s water, wastewater, and sewer rates increased 23.75% for fiscal year 2025-26.