APOPKA, Fla. – Frustrated Apopka residents showed up on Wednesday to urge the city council to decide against a proposed water rate increase just a year after the city raised rates.
And after hearing the arguments, and in light of a new report, city leaders are reconsidering.
“Absurd. My jaw hit the floor,” Apopka resident Ian Kimbrell said after receiving a notice about the potential increase.
[RELATED: Apopka leaders to consider water, garbage rate increases after public hearing]
Kimbrell recalled last year’s rate hike while addressing the city council during the public comment portion of its Aug. 20 meeting.
“I think the last time I was here was when you guys were talking about increasing our water rates 40-something percent last year, but you ‘did us a favor’ and settled on 24 percent,” he told the council members.
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He tells News 6 his most recent water bill was $123, and it’s just him and his wife at home. That makes him worried about the financial impact on families.
“I think about the families that have four children at home, and I just can’t imagine what their water bill is going to be with these rate increases,” he said. “A lot of people think, well, it’s only 15 percent. And when they break it down on the back side here and they show you it’s just a couple of dollars here, a couple of dollars there, but it all adds up.”
If approved, Apopka residents would see a 15.5% increase in charges for water, reclaimed water and sewer services.
While speaking with News 6’s Apopka Community Correspondent Justin Warmoth, Mayor Bryan Nelson explained the necessity of the increase, citing new requirements from the St. Johns Water Management District.
[WATCH: Apopka mayor blames proposed water, sewer, garbage rate hikes on higher costs]
“You would think the water deeper would be better – it’s not. Now we have to put on an ozone treatment, which is another $5 or $6 million, so we’re at about $12 million all in on replacing what was a perfectly functioning water plant,” Mayor Nelson said.
But on Wednesday, the city council said they will bring up the proposal for discussion at a meeting on Sept. 17, along with a study on fiscal years 2025-2029, that may make a difference in how much the city needs to charge residents.
This also means the proposed Oct. 1 rate increase date may also change.