City proposes big utility rate increases to fund aging water plants, seeks line of credit and 2028 bonds

City utility officials told the Boynton Beach City Commission on July 7 that they will ask for stepped rate increases beginning with a proposed 15% rise for fiscal 2026 to begin funding a multi‑year program of repairs, replacements and a likely water‑plant reconstruction expected to require hundreds of millions of dollars.

The utilities department presented a forecast prepared with consultant Ryper Analytics showing that the city’s two water treatment plants (one built in the early 1960s and the other about 32 years old) and related infrastructure require accelerated reinvestment. “So basically, the utilities is proposing, substantial increase in our budget. We are asking for an 11,500,000.0, dollars increase. It's an 18.4% increase,” Utilities Director Poonam Calcutt said during the workshop.

The nut graf: staff said the increases are aimed at avoiding a cascade of failures and emergency costs after decades of deferred…