[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6234621,"mediaKeyId","3411004-e75f8845ca738fb80d5f2eb93239e423","parentId",3411004,"title","State bill to eliminate outside-user surcharge could force Punta Gorda to spread $1.3M shortfall across customers, staff says","audioSeconds",60,"startMs",1484000,"endMs",1544000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3411004-e75f8845ca738fb80d5f2eb93239e423&start=1484&end=1544","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3411004-e75f8845ca738fb80d5f2eb93239e423/thumbnail_1484000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6234621/Punta-Gorda-City/Charlotte-County/Florida/State-bill-to-eliminate-outside-user-surcharge-could-force-Punta-Gorda-to-spread-13M-shortfall-across-customers-staff-says","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6234621-47e616227ceec9c6c0b7536adbc5b531/orig.mp4?Expires=1771164081&Signature=HsfUr53z~bYSbio61E-gkszUBR~Rp9nT5UTSdgM7YDZiC3U5QNgfYg~LQdFAMpVZE9ZeOhlZ9zh-DO9h~IRNi-~RJIvnKgQ5M9gPgyI5Ne~eWNdBEoSa8jsDR7lBrv0cxq5BL0Fl8c44CvwkTZAMuDdp~E-Wl7trU6yTKq3EnlDzp9ZaEir-13DEgKF~PokxHJmFhOTK9aNHLspBAAyfTJ0Y0ZFC1GEBcqeKO8YerN8UXIIf9VLuRKH9ej1mv~Zb5Yu8WxuCvY2lhZc5LiSLIgrYuSwIyOkw8J1WqLI2K6wtjwd-wyeaIpfSpAMzXT5w8iqmI9VS3H8eSwYePTzrBQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Punta Gorda, FL","date","2025-05-20T23:51:21.347Z","article","City staff told the Punta Gorda Utilities Advisory Board on May 19 that a legislative change under consideration would remove the city’s ability to levy an up-to-25% surcharge on utility customers served outside city limits, and that the change would require rebalancing rates inside the city.

Staff said the city currently charges a 10% municipal utility tax on inside-city customers and uses an additional surcharge on outside-city accounts to recover costs for serving users beyond city limits. According to staff, a bill passed this year would eliminate the 25% outside-user surcharge; the bill had been passed but not yet signed at the time of the meeting. Staff estimated approximately $1,300,000 would have to be redistributed across other customer classes if the surcharge is removed.

Why it matters: removing the surcharge would change the distribution of rate-related revenue and could raise rates for inside-city customers unless alternative funding or rate design changes are adopted. Staff said the change is being considered while the city is finalizing a utility rate study.

Operational context: Finance Director Kristen Simeon presented the monthly operations report showing year-to-date water revenue at about $14.7 million and departmental operating expenses at approximately 93% of budget. She told the board that encumbrances and a recently received SRF loan payment influenced fund transfers, and that staff will continue work with rate consultants to model any legislative impacts.

Discussion vs. decision: board discussion focused on implications for budgeting and the rate study; no board vote or ordinance was recorded. Staff directed that the rate study account for the potential legislative change and report back with modeled rate scenarios.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Utility Advisory Board 5-19-25","oneSentenceSummary","City staff told the Utilities Advisory Board that a recently passed—but not yet signed—state bill would eliminate the municipal option to charge up to a 25% surcharge for customers outside city limits; staff estimated roughly $1.3 million would need to be reallocated in the city’s rate study if the change becomes law.","taxTitle","Punta Gorda City, Charlotte County, Florida","taxId",54477,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6234626,"Punta Gorda: drought tightens water supply; permits, Peace River rights limit new withdrawals",100,1004000,1104000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3411004-e75f8845ca738fb80d5f2eb93239e423&start=1004&end=1104","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3411004-e75f8845ca738fb80d5f2eb93239e423/thumbnail_1004000.jpg","/articles/6234626/Punta-Gorda-City/Charlotte-County/Florida/Punta-Gorda-drought-tightens-water-supply-permits-Peace-River-rights-limit-new-withdrawals","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6234626-999d80b1b19928d9cf62817d479df819/orig.mp4?Expires=1771164081&Signature=hvkRLhePWVC8g1Rb8PvvzpYs1LgHPPF4eB50Ij23FTpNbKmOCAHxbzVt~GVCkDTHML9vd-wF3lQvWTO4qGPaml6VLzTJtK1bT4GSLLP0YSBB6~eZFhs8TJuVKqmHAFuAq5qg43SdvU9aWEhODz0D6Niz9a7r5iotBSeu252TA3z676XDNhItJA9BAkxwt1fPNd5nfDnLWUFvkSXcL1rGzhEkMEmVIcfgCJwpeH4GYWxzMbxyWbo6rAu-nG1gjb0Z66tnDviLR4qmgjcohONfRmNcmLsGYmczyNJOUWHVi6q1WCfyHjXeBWP6dTd5Swkw7jwk0f3PXGNp7e7JJIstXA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Punta Gorda utilities staff told the advisory board on May 19 that the city’s water supply is constrained by regional drought, chemical concentration in source creeks and regulatory limits on new groundwater withdrawals.

Utilities Director Tom Spencer said April production averaged 7.4 million gallons per day, with a peak day at 8.4 million gallons, and the reservoir level measured 5.12 feet on May 1 and 5.2 feet on May 19. Spencer said April rainfall totaled 0.27 inches versus a historical April average of 2.52 inches, citing drought.gov data that shows 100 percent of Charlotte County in drought and 45 percent of the county in extreme drought conditions.

“Right now, the block 2 allows us to withdraw 11,730,000 gallons per day,” Spencer said; combined surface-water and RO production capacity is about the same. Staff also said the city’s surface-water sources are Shell Creek and Prairie Creek and that the Peace River has exclusive withdrawal rights under current regional allocations.

On sourcing constraints: staff explained that permits for withdrawals are issued by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and that any effort to obtain Peace River water would require coordination with the Peace River Regional Water Supply Authority and likely other regional entities. Spencer said additional wells on city-owned property have been vetted and could be constructed, but the water management district is discouraging new groundwater withdrawals to protect aquifer recharge and is favoring surface-water solutions.

Spencer also described elevated total dissolved solids (TDS) in Shell Creek — “the primary source of the TDS is coming from Shell Creek” — and said seasonal concentration rises as the water table drops. Staff noted agricultural runoff is a possible contributor but said the district’s long-running “farms program” has helped large operators retain and reuse runoff to reduce nutrient loads entering city supplies.

Why it matters: drought and source-water chemistry affect treatment, water rates and long-term capital planning; the board discussed options such as additional wells, RO expansion and surface-water sourcing but noted regulatory and infrastructure hurdles.

Next steps: staff said they will pursue RO expansion funding, continue hydrobiological monitoring required by the water-use permit, and include sourcing options in the utilities master-plan work for the upcoming budget cycle.","Utilities staff reported low reservoir levels, drought conditions across Charlotte County, elevated total dissolved solids tied to Shell Creek and regulatory limits on additional well withdrawals as they assess future supply options.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6234631,"Punta Gorda utilities board outlines $38M-plus infrastructure needs, multiple water and sewer projects",2092,168000,2260000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3411004-e75f8845ca738fb80d5f2eb93239e423&start=168&end=2260","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3411004-e75f8845ca738fb80d5f2eb93239e423/thumbnail_168000.jpg","/articles/6234631/Punta-Gorda-City/Charlotte-County/Florida/Punta-Gorda-utilities-board-outlines-38M-plus-infrastructure-needs-multiple-water-and-sewer-projects","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6234631-f80f9029aa095f358b67ffa032476cde/orig.mp4?Expires=1771164081&Signature=Tr1b7TNMnWb1BksA7zGeFXSrwMA7aPTrAzDTnKs3kKYKVQ1KjHHThkMQrlhNXBg1hT3YAYlnfdxntVaGxRbB7oIxxgh9jN6ji2pWRsvU39X49AxhGRw0eCYiJMSytTnIa92GME21DK5a1Sq5P68wGZsaLXk~KDlj3LTvLz38IePIpk88lKHq94XVCDppr9p1sL1C7E7UY8DoBPPv5sWq8jlGjJVGSoYNu1EDA7SDx7rFIU285qJURojX9fF1ULdSEQ5J9GJUCaIWqdfT0bX8kKhbqiERaav41bOxZKPzoBCVwNd5PYIQ-fMrDtzBSuZ3w~Ie99GXcl~tVOOqNyFFJw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Residents and utilities staff told the Punta Gorda Utilities Advisory Board on May 19 that the city faces extensive stormwater and sewer infrastructure needs and reviewed a multi-million-dollar slate of projects to address failing pipes and treatment capacity.

The concerns were raised during public comment and in the utilities director’s operational report, which listed current and planned capital work including distribution system upgrades, a possible replacement of an elevated storage tank with a larger ground storage tank, upgrades at the wastewater treatment plant and a near-term bid for replacement of clay sewer lines in the Lift Station 30 basin.

“Recently, it has come about that we have, over $38,000,000 in infrastructure that needs to be addressed to our storm water facilities,” resident Tim Ritchie told the board during public comment. That figure was cited by speakers as a summary of identified needs for stormwater and collection systems in older parts of the city.

Why it matters: board members and staff said the projects aim to reduce recurring sewage discharges and frequent pump operation caused by infiltration, replace aging cast-iron and clay mains, and add redundancy to storage and pumping so the system can meet peak demand and extreme weather events.

Most important facts: Utilities Director Tom Spencer reviewed the department’s active and planned projects. He said the distribution system upgrades have been combined with an elevated storage-tank project and are at procurement. Staff are evaluating whether to replace the existing 1-million-gallon elevated tank with a roughly 2-million-gallon ground storage tank with redundant pumping and power. Spencer described the possibility of added cost to secure a ground tank in a flood-prone area but said the engineering analysis is under way.

Spencer also reported that the Henry Street 20-inch force main has been awarded and is moving to engineering, and CDM Smith has been awarded the master pumping facility and booster pump generator replacement work; the firm is also assisting with grant-seeking for those projects. He said the wastewater treatment plant improvements remain on schedule and that a planned test flow through newly installed units is expected in late June or July.

Board members and residents pressed for long-term planning and prioritization. Spencer said he will present a utilities master-plan element during the upcoming budget process to set multi-year priorities and budgets so projects can be funded over a 5-to-20-year horizon rather than requested year-to-year.

Other notable items included a procurement-phase evaluation of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) equipment, ongoing hydrobiological monitoring required by the Southwest Florida Water Management District as part of the water-use permit, and a biosolids-handling procurement prompted by rule changes restricting land application of biosolids.

Discussion vs. decision: The meeting recorded discussion and procurement decisions by staff (for example, project awards and procurement steps) but no board vote on the capital projects themselves. The only formal board motion recorded at the meeting was the approval of the April 28 meeting minutes.","City residents and utilities staff discussed aging stormwater and sewer infrastructure, replacement of clay and cast-iron mains, planned storage-tank options and a slate of capital projects including a major lift-station basin replacement and treatment-plant upgrades.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

State bill to eliminate outside-user surcharge could force Punta Gorda to spread $1.3M shortfall across customers, staff says

Punta Gorda: drought tightens water supply; permits, Peace River rights limit new withdrawals

Punta Gorda utilities board outlines $38M-plus infrastructure needs, multiple water and sewer projects