Coconut Creek amends method for annual water-rate adjustments; commission clears ordinance to allow pass-through of Broward County increases

The Coconut Creek City Commission voted on first reading to amend the city code governing annual automatic adjustments to water and wastewater rates, adding Broward County’s water and wastewater fee adjustments as a possible trigger for the city’s automatic change and moving the adjustment date from April 1 to June 1.

Under the ordinance (2025-007) introduced at the meeting, the city’s annual adjustment would apply the greater of: 2.5 percent, the consumer price index (Miami–Fort Lauderdale), or Broward County’s average annual water and wastewater rate increase for the prior fiscal year. The ordinance language preserves the commission’s existing authority to waive the automatic adjustment in whole or in part.

Why the change: Finance staff and the city’s auditors told commissioners that costs passed through by Broward County for transmission and treatment now represent a large portion of the city utility fund’s operating expenses. At the meeting…