Titusville council hears TIFA presentation on Area 4 wells; FY2026 budget, automatic transfer switches approved in consent
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Summary
TIFA representatives told the council Area 4 supplies about 57% of the city’s water and faces operational risk from prolonged power outages; the FY2026 pro forma (including a $60,000 capital item for automatic transfer switches) was included in the consent agenda and approved.
Jim Ball, the City of Titusville’s TIFA (Titusville Farmton LLC) representative, told the City Council on Dec. 9 that Area 4 — the deeper Bridal aquifer well field that came fully online in 2016 — provides about 57% of the city’s potable water and can produce as much as 2,750,000 gallons a day.
Ball said the field’s remote location increases its vulnerability to Florida Power & Light outages and that access for refueling and maintenance can be impeded during heavy rainfall. He described work underway to replace aging pumping components, install remote-monitoring instrumentation, and perform video logging of seven wells in 2026 (with the remaining eight scheduled for 2027) to assess casing integrity and maintenance needs.
The TIFA managers’ FY2026 budget before the council reflects a 5% increase in the rate per 1,000 gallons (from $1.29 to $1.35) and includes a capital expenditure not to exceed $60,000 to install automatic transfer switches on three wells. Ball said the switches would allow generators to be staged and engaged automatically when grid power is lost, reducing fuel burn from pre-staging and operational risk during storms. He added that TIFA is developing cost estimates to install permanent on-site generators for seven of the 15 wells and expects to return with a budget amendment for that project.
Kevin, a city staff presenter, placed Area 4 in the broader water system context: the city’s Area 2 and 3 wells produced roughly 730 million gallons last year while Area 4 produced about 993 million gallons; finished water supplied to customers from all sources totaled about 1.7 billion gallons. He also noted a standing agreement with the City of Cocoa that guarantees 3 million gallons per month and described how TIFA reimbursements and member distributions reduce the effective rate when accounted for.
Council members asked about generator sizing and redundancy. “The generator would be sized to just that individual well,” Ball said, and staff explained the recommendation to equip seven wells so capacity can be spread across the field rather than rely on the same portable generators repeatedly.
City staff told the council the FY2026 TIFA budget and consent to the $60,000 capital contribution (split 50/50 with Farmton) would be approved as part of the consent agenda. The consent agenda, including the TIFA item, was adopted unanimously later in the meeting.
Next steps: staff said detailed cost estimates for permanent on-site generators are being developed and TIFA expects to return with a separate budget amendment once those numbers are available.
