Just weeks after residents have watched their water bills climb for years, St. Pete City Council is weighing another utility rate hike — this one roughly 7% — with a public hearing set for August 27 and changes that could take effect as early as October 1.
City leaders say the increase is needed to keep pace with inflation and fund storm resiliency projects. Council members raised the proposal at a Thursday meeting and are now reviewing costs across water, reclaim, wastewater, and stormwater services.
For residents already stretched thin, the timing lands hard. Domenico Pontoriero, who has lived in St. Pete for years, said his water bill has roughly doubled in the past five years alone. “About five years ago my utility bill was about $100 bucks, and since then it’s doubled, so it’s a lot, especially since everything else has gone up as well, so it’s a strain,” he said. Pontoriero said he’s already cut pest control service and canceled subscriptions to keep up, but a utility bill isn’t something he can simply walk away from.
Other residents aren’t opposed to an increase in principle, but say the city owes them a clearer case for it. “Nobody wants to pay more for that stuff if it can’t be reasonably justified,” said Wayne Schrader, who acknowledged the pressures of inflation but stopped short of endorsing the hike outright. “I understand the need to keep pace with inflation, and there are certain financial realities,” he said.
That sentiment — inflation is real, but so is the burden on taxpayers — is one city officials will need to answer for at the upcoming public hearing. Pontoriero, for his part, said he’s not against the city addressing rising costs, but wants to see it work harder for alternatives before turning to ratepayers. “I really wish our city could find more creative solutions to come up with the money,” he said.
The public hearing on the proposed rate changes is scheduled for August 27.
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