Green Cove Springs proposes water, sewer rate increases

The city council approved the first reading of an ordinance that would increase water rates by 6% and hike wastewater rates by 3%.

Assistant City Manager Mike Null told council members that the typical water consumer, who uses 3,000 gallons a month, will see an 88-cent per month increase in water use costs.

“For our larger families and so forth, they may use more water,” Null said. “At the 10,000-gallon level, that’s going to increase their bill by about $1.65 a month.”

Null said that with the rate increase, Green Cove Springs water costs are still below those of JEA, the Clay County Utility Authority and the Town of Orange Park.

Null said the sewer rate increase for 3,000-gallon-a-month customers equates to a $1.07 increase in their monthly bills.

Customers metering 10,000 gallons a month will see a $2.17 a month increase.

“When compared to JEA, CCUA and Orange Park on the 3,000-gallon customer, we’re right in the middle of the pack,” Null said.  “Everybody’s been within a couple of dollars. At the 10,000-gallon level (the rate increase) does put us measurably higher for comparison purposes. Orange Park would be around $59 a month for that bill, CCUA: $60, JEA: $69, and we would be close to $75 a month.”

Null reminded the council that the city had been increasing sewer rates by around 80% over the last five years to cover $18 million in upgrades to its wastewater plant to meet Florida Department of Environmental Regulation standards.

“Our plant was built in 1971, 1972,” he said, “so it was not built to remove nutrients. Orange Park was able to make some less expensive and less dramatic system increases. CCUA came into existence in ’93, so kind of by default, they had some newer technology, and JEA has a variety of everything.”