St. Lucie County commissioners voted July 1 to approve adjustments to utility billing rates and to raise water and wastewater connection fees.

Public Utilities Director Rebecca Ventrella told the board the changes are based on a March 5 Raftelis rate and capital study used to support the county’s recent bond issuance. The billing resolution raises water rates by 5.5% and adjusts sewer rates by about 2.4%. Ventrella said the average residential bill for a household using 5,000 gallons monthly would increase about $4.89 if the customer receives both water and sewer service.

The board separately approved revised connection fees to reflect the cost of adding capacity via two new water treatment plants, distribution upgrades, expanded wastewater plant capacity at the Tropicana and Holiday Pines sites, and collection-system expansion. The total connection fee will be $5,273 for water and $4,925 for wastewater, effective Aug. 1, 2025.

Ventrella said the proposed connection fees had been shared with developers through the county’s standard developer agreement and had not generated negative feedback; she added the fees align with surrounding utilities. She also noted the Raftelis study supports a second 5.5% water rate adjustment in 2026 but said the board is addressing only the 2025 increase on counsel’s advice.

The board voted to approve the two resolutions in separate motions; each motion carried unanimously.