St. Johns County just announced their annual water increase which is attached. You can see the difference between what those of us in the Main System are paying compared to those in the Ponte Vedra System. Below is my latest request to the Board of County Commissioners regarding our petition. 

Email to the Board of County Commissioners

County Commissioners,

      Good afternoon. I am happy to report that our petition regarding water rates in St. Johns County is approaching 300 signatures. I am writing today as I was once again reminded how disjointed the utility billing structure is after receiving the CPI increase notification scheduled to go into effect on October 1st. After reviewing CPI notices for the Main System and Ponte Vedra System, it is clear that there is still a very large gap in what county residents are being charged. Billing tiers for Ponte Vedra are still approximately 45% less at this point. Feedback from our petition illustrates the frustration of many county residents with high rates and the fact that there are multiple billing schedules being used. As I mentioned in my previous communication, dialog between myself and certain members of this distribution have been positive. I feel that I must temper that sentiment due to a lack of information on what action/s the Utility Department and/or the Board of Commissioners may be considering to address the concerns of myself and my fellow county residents. If this petition fails to demonstrate the severity of our concerns then we will consider alternatives which may include reaching out to local media outlets. I am requesting a formal reply regarding the action plans for the items listed below. I look forward to your response. Thank you. 

Item #1: High billing rates for the Main System

Item #2: Different billing schedules for the Main System and Ponte Vedra System

Item #3: The use of tiered rates to promote conservation (punish high consumption)

Item #4: What is the Utility Department actively doing to promote consumption other than higher rates for larger usage?

Item #5: Adjusting the volume threshold for wastewater from a max of 10,000 gallons to 5,000 gallons