Charlotte County officials weigh higher connection fees; residents press Ackerman sewer assessment concerns

Charlotte County commissioners heard a detailed presentation Oct. 14 on proposed updates to utility connection fees that would raise the cost to tie into the county water and sewer systems.

The county’s fiscal team and consultant Raftelis presented three fee scenarios: an indexing update staff recommends (which would raise the combined water/wastewater capacity fee from $2,900 to about $4,050 per equivalent residential connection); a cost-based “all-in” scenario that produces a combined fee of about $7,910; and an incremental approach focused on near-term plant expansions that would yield a combined fee near $6,940. Rick Arthur, the county’s fiscal services manager, told commissioners the staff-recommended index would be included in a resolution to be advertised and set for public hearing on Dec. 9, with any adopted fee to take effect March 1, 2026.

Why it matters: the county faces large planned capital investments — notably expansions tied to the Peace River regional…