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ECUA Approves Rate Hike For Water, Sewer And Garbage
August 28, 2019
The Emerald Coast Utility Authority approved a rate increases for water, sewer and sanitation customers effective October 1.
Tuesday, the ECUA board approved a 2.3% rate increase for water and sewer, which ECUA said translates to just a few cents for the average customer.
“For the single-family residential, it means an increase of .28 on the base rate and an increase on the volume charge of .06. In total, the proposed increase to a household with an average consumption of 6,000 gallons would be an increase of .64 per month,” ECUA Public Information Office Nathalie Bowers said about water rates.
For sewer, the base rate increase equates to 33 cents plus 17 center thousand gallons, or $1.01 for the average residential customer.
Following a motion by District 5 board member Larry Walker, the motion to increase water and sewer rates pass unanimously.
The board also approved a sanitation rate increase on a 3-1 vote, with District 1 member Vicki Campbell dissenting.
Base sanitation collection rates will increase 5%, but a disposal fee on sanitation bills will remain constant. For single family residential customers with one 90-gallon or smaller container, the sanitation rate will increase 91 cents from $23.25 to $24.16.
The water, sewer and sanitation rate increases also includes commercial accounts.
Comments
41 Responses to “ECUA Approves Rate Hike For Water, Sewer And Garbage”
My problem is bulk pickup. Next time it sits in front of my house for days I’ll borrow a trailer and dump it o the lawn in front of ECUA office in Ellyson Park.
instead of bitching about it , just don’t forget it when you run into Larry and let him know about it and all of the rest of them,..vote for whoever runs against them next time..
Where is our 14 million these same clown INVESTED in the recyle center at the dump? I THOUGHT ARE RATES WERE GOING TO GO DOWN? DUHHHHH….Where is our MONEY!!!!!!!???????? William these are questions you shouldbe asking!!!!!!!!!!!!
How can they have multiple rate increases during the same year? Was ther public notice given? WE NEED TO VOTE THEM ALL OUT!!!!
I am an old retired man living alone. I produce enough unrecyclable waste to fill the large green can about two and a half times a year! I recycle virtually all other waste filling the recyclables can about three and a half times a year! I hardly am a threat to the sewer system and am classified as a minimal water user. Why do I have to pay the rate of those with larger households? Why must I subsidize my neighbor’s? It is just not right!
If all businesses operated as ECUA does and has done for years…everyone would be out of business. They don’t give a rats behind.
The ECUA Board will continue to work in the dark as long as we, the rate payers continue must demand old accountable and transparency. So many of us are unable to attend their 2 meetings a month that are held smack dab in the middle of the day.
Demand four meetings a month at a time a majority of us working people are able to attend.
THIS SHOULD BE CRIMINAL!!!!
After reading all these comments this section should be called the Whiners Forum”
Im going to start charging ECUA a priveldge fee. Basically a fee to have me as a customer. And if they fail to pay on time ill just charge them a late fee of 37.50. And im going to hike that fee up ever 6 months just cause I can until they know what its like to be shafted by a monopoly of basic life necessities…next they will start charging for air….time for a well or a rain barrell.
It’s amazing to me that ECUA can suggest an increase but I have to call multiple times a month because they can’t manage to pick up my cans within a week of its pickup date. EVERY WEEK! . They want to increase or demand monthly payment on time but can keep their end of the commitment.
NEXT THEY WILL VOTE THEM SELVES A PAY RAISE
Here’s a NOVEL IDEA. Why doesn’t ECUA work within a budget like all other hard working families?
I just had a conversation with a billing agent. I asked how accurate the little computerized meters were since they no longer come out and read the meter. She said “they should be quite accurate”. I said, “should be??”. Her reply was that they are 99.9% accurate. We just used more water… period. Oh and if you want a “Senior Can” which is smaller, we can save $2.94 a month for less trash. Go figure. Oh well, I think we’re all stuck
My recycle can was picked up last week for the first time on the regular scheduled day in 6 weeks. Cans were left out overnight for 5 weeks. Called the ECUA office at approximately 4PM and was told they pickup until 7PM. That is a dang lie. Yes, a lie because they never came by.
I have stopped recycling as of yesterday. My wife and I are old and going back and forth to the highway to check on our can is just too much trouble. There are cans being demolished due to run ins with cars at night because the cans have to be left out for the next day.
I did without garbage service for years and I can do it again. Just give a small bag of daily trash to one of my family members. They can put it in their cans.
I’m all for saving money.
What a homer…. SMH
ECUA has picked up my trash only 2 of the past 5 weeks! Can I get a refund? Nope. I get a rate increase when I only got 40% of the service I paid for.
And, BTW, on one of those two pickups they made, they dumped by trash can twice in the same day.
It’s a ripoff!
@seriously,, I believe what your missing is the lack of service in comparison to the increases. Several Northescambia areas experience missed pickups over and over and it gets to be a pain to have to call and schedule a next day pickup. How hard is it to drive from one can to the next. I bet if we got a rebate/refund for every time we had to call in an extra pickup they would fix it.
I guess it has to go up to pay century’s debt
These comments are published without much thought. Do you realize that the cost of everything increases. Regardless if you receive a government income or you work a full-time job, you do obtain an increase the majority of the time. With that being said, the cost of chemicals and such to treat water and sanitation increases. That cost naturally has to be passed on. Without the increase that means that these systems would fail as they cannot fund them. You always have the bunch that ridicule each and every single thing that is not within their control. It’s life! Now I await the comments for defending the increase.
Hey, great for them – they approved the rate increase. I guess the customer has no say in this.
the ECUA RUNES THE COUNTY! the ECUA Board makes the lawes for the county with no over site
What can we do about it? My trash also sits there for 2 days at a time, waiting to be collected. Why is the rate going up? What’s the real reason?
This Larry Walker clown did not act alone, he just got the ball rolling.
He needs to go.
maybe they will put in more sewer lines now around the lake Francis.
try to put down a well, then see what rules they have or come up with..
We just got hit with an increase 3 months ago. Plus Gulf Powers hostile hike up. No wonder so many people are homeless here. Water and power cost more than a house payment. Ridiculous that there is such a monopoly and that Florida forces people to remain on grid services.
I agree – half the time my regular trash doesn’t get picked up, don’t even get me started at how long it takes for the recycle can. We finally gave up on that so I don’t recycle anymore because I can’t get them to pick it up even though I pay for it. When I first moved in my place I wasn’t going to even have trash pick up (1 person lived in my house) but then I was threatened and told that if I didn’t I would be charged $1000 fine !! Bunch of crooks – I wish we could get a competitive company in here to put ECUA out of business!
@Andrew Parker,
Do you need help moving? I’m sure there are thousands of folks in this area that will be more than happy to help you pack your non-garbage-dump belongings and get you out of here as quickly as possible.
If you don’t have a solution, then you’re part of the problem.
Once again ECUA getting away with robbing
us again………When they get the power
of God, to do what they want when the want.
I could see what we are getting for our tax increase…….
Maybe its just a fog so the board gets a raise ??????
So let me get this straight, I’m going to pay more so my garbage can sit by the side of the road as they drive by? I’m gonna pay more to them so I can keep my trash? I’m going to pay more so that when they occasionally pick up my trash they can throw our can in the really deep ditch so we 60 years old can risk breaking something to climb in and out to get it? Well goodness how thoughtful of them, i’ve always enjoyed giving my hard earned money away to undeserving companies.
Thank you M in Bratt and Andrew Parker!!!
I agree with Andrew Parker. And thank you M in Bratt because now I know why ECUA SUX!!!
Other is right
Half of the time they skip my garbage can. I get tired of calling them. The service they provide is poor and the rates continue to rise. ECUA reminds me of Communism – government owned deity with no repercussions for poor management or poor customer service…just like Town of Century!!!
Already over priced…
If I had the money I would do an investigation into ECUA
Their costs have risen much faster than inflation
ECUA IS NOT ACCOUNTABLE
So why does district 5 keep voting him in. Been there 30 years (re-elected like 6 times) do you really expect him to change?
Correction: 2.3% increase, not 2%, it is $1.62 increase, which is a few cents for ECUA.
Maybe ECUA could save some money on sanitation if they actually pick up the garbage cans consistently on their route. I cannot say how often we have to call for missed pickups, therefore they have to send another truck out the following day..it is ridiculous!
That’s what they said in September 2017 “That 3 percent rate increase means the average water and sewer customer who consumes 6,000 gallons of water a month will pay $2.05 more”. Now an additional 2% is just a few cents? Do they know the basics of math? It is going to be $1.41; is it a few cents?
($68.33 to 70.38 in 2017 and $70.38 to 71.79 now).
Must be time to replenish the fleet of F350s to drive home….
Maybe they will use the money to clean up all the Hydraulic fluid off the road and ditches..
What this article did not mention is whether the garbage rate increase will apply to Santa Rosa County customers. For those of you that don’t know it; Our elected (from Escambia County) ECUA Board bid on garbage collection in Santa Rosa at vastly lower rates than the voters that elect them are charged. They also provide twice a week pick up on the other side of the river. They also put several private carriers out of business in the process. Escambia County voters are effectively subsidizing garbage collection in Santa Rosa County.
Absolutely outrageous, not only are all of these things overpriced compared to every other area this size and this low class but you have single handedly as a company offered some of the worst service I have ever dealt with. Multiple days missing trash, ignoring phone calls, and I think you have knocked over/ run over my garbage can about 6 times this year. My sewage fee is already 8% of my bill just because I live near the airport which is already ridiculous. Suffice to say I cannot wait to relocate out of this garbage dump of a city.