Yesterday, an eagle-eyed Tampa resident found out that Hillsborough County was raising the water bill significantly over the next few years. This was found on the small print of their website in a fairly lengthy statement. The comment which is highlighted below reads: “The board will consider two options regarding the annual rate increase – either a 5% increase each year for 7 years or a 7% increase for the first 2 years and the remaining 5 years at 4%. Rates may also be increased annually due to water purchase pass-through cost.”

According to the same statement, this is due to spending billions on new infrastructure, as well as spending hundreds of millions on operating expenses.

Over the years mentioned, this equates to a 35% increase which may be even higher by the end of the allotted time frame. When factoring in inflation and other unseen costs, it is highly plausible that this percentage could go up even further by the end of the 7 year period.

Irrespective of the reasons why this is happening, it is not good news for homeowners in areas such as Tampa and surrounding dwellings. It also highlights the growing struggle when it comes to paying utility bills among large price hikes. Lastly, the board of commissioners has not decided on what strategy to implement. However, the net result will be higher water bills across the board.