Coconut Creek adopts ordinance revising water/wastewater rate adjustments; staff to implement 9% increase

The Coconut Creek City Commission on April 24 voted unanimously to adopt Ordinance 2025-007, revising the city's automatic annual adjustment for water and wastewater rates and authorizing staff to proceed with a 9% rate increase tied to Broward County charges.

City Manager Sheila Rose told the commission the ordinance shifts the annual effective date from April 1 to June 1 and ties future automatic adjustments to the blended rate set last year by Broward County rather than only to the consumer price index. Rose said the city's utility costs have outpaced CPI — noting fiscal year 2025 CPI rose about 2.8% while the county's average increase was about 9% — and staff recommended the change "to protect the financial health of our utility fund." She also said the city conducted outreach including social posts, direct notifications, and a public town hall on April 22.

The ordinance was approved on second reading and final adoption. Staff told the commission that no further commission action is required to implement the county-driven 9% increase this year; if the commission prefers a smaller figure, a separate resolution would have to be brought back at the May 8 meeting. Rose and staff also described the city's planned rollout of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), anticipated to be completed in 2027, after which a rate study will be performed to reassess longer-term adjustments.

Commissioners debated messaging and oversight of the change. Commissioner Welch and Commissioner Riedell both urged clearer resident communications; Riedell said he would support a larger immediate increase to avoid repeated future increases but emphasized the need for better outreach. Commissioner Brody and Vice Mayor Wasserman also discussed the county's timeline for treatment-system upgrades and the potential for future adjustments tied to state or federal regulatory requirements.

The roll call vote recorded Commissioner Riedell, Commissioner Welch, Commissioner Brody, Vice Mayor Wasserman and Mayor Railey voting yes; the ordinance passed 5-0. The ordinance amends Chapter 20 (Utilities), Article 5 (Rates and Charges), section 20-82 and establishes the annual automatic adjustment effective June 1, 2025. Staff said it will continue to monitor Broward County and state actions and return to the commission if the county materially changes its adopted increases.

Next steps: staff will implement the ordinance changes beginning June 1, 2025, proceed with the 9% adjustment described in the staff report, complete AMI installation and bring a rate study after AMI is in place (expected 2027). If the commission chooses a different 2025 increase, it must direct staff to return a May 8 resolution to set an alternative amount.