Peace River Authority Approves FY2026 Budget, Sets Rates for Coming Year

The Peace River Manasota Regional Water Authority on Aug. 6 unanimously approved a final budget for fiscal year 2026 and adopted Resolution 2025‑09 to set rates, fees and charges for the coming year.

Staff presented the final FY2026 budget as an enterprise fund supported by water sales and planning assessments rather than taxes. Presenters said the facilities portion of the budget rose significantly from the tentative plan largely to reflect capital expenditures tied to the Peace River Facility (PRF) expansion and related projects; staff described an aggregate CIP projection of roughly $259 million for FY2026 projects. Authority staff recommended a modest water‑use increase of 3¢ per 1,000 gallons (about 3%), and described base‑rate components that changed from the tentative budget. "We are recommending a 3¢ per thousand gallon increase in the water use rate, which is about a 3% increase," staff said during the presentation.

Board members questioned how removal of the planned solar project from the FY26 budget would affect long‑term energy goals. Mike Knowles, Authority engineering staff, said the state grant program that would have covered roughly 40% of the solar project is not in place and, as currently configured, the payback period would exceed 17 years. "It's currently not feasible the way we have it laid out without finding additional grant sources for that project," Knowles said.

Commissioners also asked about contingencies for the large surface‑water expansion work. Staff noted the authority will use bond proceeds and additional planned funding to cover cost increases and that the authority does not levy taxes; it operates on a pay‑as‑you‑go model with future financings planned. Commissioners supported adding two full‑time positions tied to construction and long‑term operations; hiring was described as possible after Oct. 1 when the fiscal year begins.

When the chair called for a motion, Commissioner Elton Langford moved to approve the FY2026 budget; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously. The motion read into the record included a numeric amount recorded in the transcript as "317,000,000" (the transcript contains additional digits that appear clerical); the board approved the budget as read.

Immediately after, the board moved and unanimously approved Resolution 2025‑09 formalizing the rates, fees and charges for FY2026.

The authority will publish final budget documents and rate tables on its website; the board also asked staff to circulate presentation materials (including a 3C pipeline video) for public information. The board did not take further fiscal actions at the meeting beyond the approvals listed above.