St. Pete City Council To Consider Utility Rate Increases

ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- St. Petersburg residents could see an increase in their city utility bills in October if the city council approves a proposal to hike rates.

The St. Petersburg City Council will consider proposed increases to water, wastewater, reclaimed water, storm water and sanitation utility rates on Thursday, Aug. 2, at 8:30 a.m. and during a public hearing Aug. 23 at 6 p.m.

Both meetings will be held in the City Hall Council Chamber, 175 5th St. N.

Residents may view the proposed rate adjustments following the Aug. 2 meeting by clicking here.

If approved, utility rate increases would take effect on Oct. 1. Customers could see adjustments to monthly sanitation and storm water fees on their October bills; rate increases for water, wastewater and reclaimed water would appear on their November bills.

Single-family residential utility customers are currently charged a flat rate per parcel for storm water services. On April 1, 2019, the city plans to move from the one-size-fits-all flat-rate residential storm water billing system to a more equitable tiered rate system based on the square footage of a property's impervious surfaces.

Once the tiered rate system goes into effect, single-family residential utility customers will see either an increase or decrease to their monthly storm water charges, depending on their property's impervious surface assessment.

Many cities across the U.S. already use the tiered rate billing system, which provides residential customers with a more equitable distribution of storm water charges.

For additional information on the proposed rate increases or the storm water tiered rate system, contact the Public Works Services manager at (727) 893-7297.

Image via city of St. Pete

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