Safety Harbor may raise its water rates
The city manager says the city is losing money on water and sewer services. If the measure passes, the average household would pay an extra $5.40 per month this year.
By EILEEN SCHULTE
Published January 9, 2006
SAFETY HARBOR - City commissioners are considering raising residents' water rates as soon as February.
For the average household, that could mean an additional $5.40 per month.
City Manager Wayne Logan said Safety Harbor has no choice but to raise its rates because it's been losing money for years.
"Last year we had a net loss of $390,000" in the water and sewer enterprise fund, he said, adding that he had to take money from the city's reserves to make up for the deficit. "You can only absorb losses for so long."
The measure would raise water rates by 11.5 percent annually until 2010. If the measure passes, it would be the first time since 1995 that rates went up.
"It was necessary to raise the rate due to the fact the city was operating at a deficit," said City Commissioner Andy Steingold, who is running for re-election in March. "We went with the option that would impact the residents the least."
Currently, the average residential bill, combined with the $22.06 flat rate for sewer services, is $47.17 a month, or $566.04 a year. The average household in Safety Harbor uses 9,000 gallons of water per year. About 4,000 of those gallons are used for such purposes as watering lawns or washing cars.
Commissioners will vote on the issue at public meetings on Jan. 17 and Feb. 6.
The city buys its water from Pinellas County, which buys its supply from Tampa Bay Water.
Last year, Safety Harbor bought more than 800-million gallons.
Recently, commissioners heard the results of a study by consulting firm Burton & Associates on a rate increase. They rejected another plan that would have raised water and sewer costs 23 percent the first year and 7.5 percent every following year through 2010.
But even with the rate increase, Safety Harbor "will be below the average of what is being charged in the Tampa Bay area," Logan said.
According to the study, Safety Harbor charges some of the cheapest rates in Tampa Bay.
Its next-door neighbor, Oldsmar, is one of the most expensive, with a typical water and sewer bill of $92.75 per month. The least expensive was Zephyrhills at $35.42.
The typical Clearwater resident pays $90.83 per month for water and sewer services. Dunedin residents pay $83.45, Tarpon Springs residents pay $76.41, St. Petersburg residents pay $73.71, Pasco County residents pay $62.79 and Tampa residents pay $53.63.
But within a few months Safety Harbor residents could see yet another change in their bills. City commissioners plan to begin discussing sewer rates in May.
"In the future we're going to look for ways for sewer to be consumption-based," Logan said. "Some people will experience a lower bill, some higher."
--Eileen Schulte can be reached at 727 445-4153 or schulte@sptimes.com