Titusville city officials on July 8 approved preliminary maximum rate increases for water, sewer, stormwater and solid-waste services so staff can produce required public notices as the city enters its FY2026 budget process.

The move follows a presentation from Stantec consultant Peter Napoli and city public works staff that used a 10-year financial forecast to show large capital-improvement needs for the utilities. Napoli said the study “reviews the revenue sufficiency analysis” and looks at how operating costs, transfers and debt service interact with long-term capital plans.

The forecast shows a multi‑year capital program for water and sewer totaling roughly $210 million over 10 years in staff documents; under the “5% annual rate” scenario Napoli showed, the city would fund about 70% of that CIP with cash and would need to issue roughly $132 million in debt to cover the remainder. Napoli stressed that raising rates and debt are tradeoffs: higher near‑term increases reduce required borrowing while lower increases increase reliance on debt or deferred projects.

Kevin Cook, public works staff, explained local operational details that factor into the models. The recommended preliminary schedule that council approved moved water and sewer increases as a 5% annual baseline in the financial model (the city will still adopt a formal proposed rate with the manager’s FY26 budget), proposed an 8% increase early in the solid-waste fund to support vehicle replacement and a 17.6% stormwater increase in year one of a multi‑year path that begins with a $24 annual bump (about $2 per month) to fund stormwater capital and build a modest reserve.

Napoli noted stormwater programs across Florida vary widely: some cities still fund stormwater through general revenue while others use dedicated assessments. He also said grants would reduce the burden if awarded but should not be counted on as guaranteed revenue. Council emphasized transparency to residents about what increases would fund; members asked staff to prepare clear project lists and to include communications about grant-seeking efforts.

City staff and the consultant recommended sending the stormwater notice required by state law in time for the public hearing set for Aug. 26. Council voted unanimously to accept the proposed maximums for notice purposes and to continue detailed review during the budget hearings; final adopted rates will be set later this summer.

Mayor (presiding) and members of council approved the motion by voice vote; the motion carried unanimously.

Council members and staff confirmed residents will have a formal budget hearing and additional opportunities to comment before any final rate action is adopted.