Resident questions $80 monthly minimum on vacant DeLand property; commission requests more data on fluoride in water

Resident Paul Jones raised a concern about the city’s water-billing minimum for vacant residential parcels and compared DeLand’s practice to neighboring municipalities. Jones said his late mother’s vacant house continued to incur a monthly minimum utility charge of $80.26 even though no water was used: "Why should they pay the city $80 a month?" he asked. Jones recited comparative rates he had researched (examples from other jurisdictions cited during his remarks included New Smyrna Beach, Daytona Beach and Deltona as lower-fee examples) and asked staff to review billing procedures for vacant properties and the components of the minimum charge.

City staff agreed to follow up and offered to contact Jones after reviewing the account details; staff asked Jones for contact information so that city utilities staff could examine the specific billing components and confirm whether charges (for stormwater, solid waste, or service fees) are appropriately billed on vacant properties.

Separately, the City Manager briefed the commission on public feedback the city has received about fluoride in the municipal water supply. The manager said staff will compile more information, including which neighboring jurisdictions continue fluoridation and which have removed it, and answer commissioners’ questions about concentration levels and supply costs. The manager noted that the city’s fluoride concentration is below the recommended level and that procuring fluoride product supply has become more difficult and costly; he did not propose immediate removal, and commissioners asked staff to return with verifiable data before any policy decision.

No policy decision or vote occurred during the meeting; staff committed to gathering comparative billing data, account-specific information for the resident, and a fuller briefing on fluoride concentrations, costs and which neighboring utilities currently fluoridate.