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Commissioner’s Message

hope you had a wonderful holiday season with family and friends. Unfortunately,
over the holiday season, many of our neighbors were deeply affected by the
Isix sewer line breaks that occurred due to aging infrastructure. Our staff worked
around the clock to fix the breaks and come up with an expedited plan to replace
aging pipes. In District 1, we will replace the pipe on 36th Street and the pipe from
Coral Ridge Country Club to Sunrise Blvd. The Mayor hosted a Town Hall to address
the overall infrastructure improvement plan and this is available to watch on our
city’s website. I encourage you to watch this hour long presentation and read his
newsletter articlefor more details. I will talk to your neighborhood about the water
and sewer infrastructure improvements when I attend your annual meeting.

Since I took office, one of the issues we’ve been addressing are concerns
surrounding high water bills. We need to ensure that neighbors are charged only
for water they use and that rates reflect the cost to operate and maintain the
system. Through your participation in district-wide forums and neighborhood
meetings, we have gathered a tremendous amount of input and made significant
progress on this issue.

Heather Moraitis The City hired KPMG to conduct an independent review of utility billing policies
District I Commissioner and procedures. They analyzed three years of water consumption data from more
hmoraitis@fortlauderdale.gov than 60,000 Fort Lauderdale utility accounts. They also reviewed the meter reading
and billing processes to evaluate the accuracy of the data being collected and
identify potential anomalies that needed to be rectified.

KPMG’s thorough investigation found no systemic issues with the utility billing
City Hall, 8th Floor
100 N Andrews Ave system, nor did they discover anything that would lead to inaccurate readings or
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311 erroneous bills. They did, however, offer some recommendations that the City is
exploring to improve the billing process. For example, they suggested that the
City review staffing levels and reporting structures to improve operational
Melissa Coningsby
District 1 Commission Assistant efficiency and meet growing customer demand. KPMG also recommended that
mconingsby@fortlauderdale.gov we install wireless meters that leverage newer technology and enable you to
954-828-5033 monitor your consumption in real-time. That project is currently under review and
staff is exploring new cost savings strategies for the procurement and installation
of the devices.
KPMG presented their findings at the District 1 meeting in October. Some key
takeaways from the presentation included an overview of the City’s utility billing
process and suggestions to lower monthly bills. Neighbors should be aware that
Fort Lauderdale uses a tiered billing structure to promote water conservation. Under
the tiered structure, the cost for water increases as consumption increases, so
customers who use less water pay lower rates.
It’s also important to know that water from irrigation lines does not incur sewer
charges, so using a separate irrigation line to water landscaping can help save
money on utility bills. The City Commission approved a measure recently that
allows neighbors to prorate the fees to tap into an irrigation meter to make
installation of a separate irrigation line more affordable. Now, neighbors can
prorate the cost over 18 months, interest-free. The City is also expediting permits to
help neighbors install irrigation meters as quickly as possible.

In addition to the independent review, the City commissioned a water and
wastewater rate study to evaluate current funding and anticipated need. The

10 The Landings & Bay Colony