Manatee County Commission okays water bill hike for maintenance, improvements

BRADENTON — Following a presentation by Manatee County Utilities Director Mike Gore and staff at Tuesday's Manatee County Commission meeting, commissioners voted 5-2 in favor of a water and wastewater rate increase in order to fund needed maintenance and improvements to the county's water treatment services.

The increase, which does not include solid waste, will amount to around $2 per month and begin in October. The county contracted with an outside consultant to perform a study and the result was a recommendation for the increase to fund such items as a new microfiltration system and repairs to the county's reservoir at Lake Manatee.

County administrator Scott Hopes urged board members to strongly consider adopting the recommended ordinance, explaining that these were enterprise funds and not a general budget item paid for by property taxes.