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St. Pete city council advances utility rate hike proposal despite residents' complaints over abnormal bills
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — Some St. Petersburg residents said they're drowning in water bills they shouldn't have to pay, and now, city leaders are moving forward with plans to raise rates.
City Council voted four to two on Monday to advance a proposal that would increase utility bills by 8% to 17%. City officials said the extra revenue would fund upgrades to aging water, sewer, and stormwater systems, reduce emergency repairs, and improve service reliability.
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Councilmember Corey Givens said the improvements are long overdue, but questioned the size of the proposed increase.
'A 17% increase is a bit much… we need to take this slow and steady. Folks are still hurting from hurricane, and it's not fair to impose such a burden on them like this now,' Givens said.
For many residents, the bigger issue is the city's unresolved billing problems. Attorney Matt Weidner, president of the Eden Isle Neighborhood Association, said he's hearing from residents across the city about unexplained charges, sometimes for homes that sat vacant after last hurricane season.
'How dare you go before City Council… saying we're going to raise your rates when you refuse to explain why the billing is wrong, going back months now,' Weidner said.
John Cappa said his mother's home has been billed hundreds of dollars a month even though the water is shut off at the street.
'We have gotten anywhere from $300 to $400 bills,' Cappa said. 'The water is shut off from the street.'
Earlier this year, Mayor Ken Welch said multiple factors may have contributed to the abnormal bills, including flooding, outdated systems, and metering issues.
'We still don't have a silver bullet as to why this happened,' Welch said. 'The flooding, the legacy system … the metering issue is another one. It was the perfect storm.'
The proposal now heads to a public hearing on Sept. 24, where residents can formally weigh in before council takes a final vote. If approved, the new rates would take effect Oct. 1.
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