Water, Sewer and Trash Rates Head to Council Aug. 10 as Zephyrhills Sets Public Hearing

Every household inside the Zephyrhills city limits will see its water, sewer and garbage charges rewritten under two ordinances coming before the City Council at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 10, in Council Chambers at City Hall, 5335 8th Street. The new water, sewer and reclaimed water rates would take effect on or after Nov. 1, 2026. Monday's hearing is the public's chance to speak before that happens.

A legal notice published July 31 lists three ordinances for the hearing. Two of them hit utility bills directly.

How big an increase

At the city's July 13 budget workshop, staff told council that water and sewer rates were headed its way in August at roughly 3 percent, and that new sanitation rates were coming the same month after a rate study. The exact figures in the schedule are in the ordinance text, which is posted at City Hall for public inspection from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

The city has been here before, and recently. Council unanimously adopted Ordinance No. 1509-25 on Oct. 27, 2025, a 3 percent bump to water and wastewater rates. Finance Director Ted Beeson told council at the time that an average residential bill of 4,100 gallons would go up about $2.05 per billing period. Beeson said the city would rather take small annual steps than hand residents one large retroactive hike later, with the money going toward roughly $20 million in capital-intensive water and sewer work.

No members of the public spoke at that hearing last October.

The trash side of the bill

Sanitation is the piece residents have not seen adjusted as often. The FY 2025-26 budget grew the city's Sanitation Fund by nearly 50 percent, paying for new garbage trucks and recycling carts. Ordinance No. 1528-26 replaces the code section that sets those charges outright rather than tinkering with individual lines.

What it stacks on top of

Utility rates are not the only new line item moving through City Hall this summer. The city is also standing up a stormwater utility funded by a citywide non-ad valorem assessment, which would appear on annual property tax bills rather than the monthly utility bill. That one has a final hearing scheduled for Sept. 14. The stormwater push follows the flooding that put parts of Zephyrhills under water during Hurricane Milton.

Taken together, a resident could see a higher water and sewer bill starting in November, a different sanitation charge, and a stormwater assessment on the tax bill, all decided within about five weeks of each other.

How to be heard

Anyone can show up Monday and speak during the hearing. Written comments go to City Council, 5335 8th Street, Zephyrhills, FL 33542. Residents who need a disability accommodation to take part are asked to contact the City Clerk at 813-780-0000 at least 48 hours ahead.

One practical note from the notice: if you think you may want to appeal something the council decides Monday, you need a verbatim record of the proceeding, and it is on you to make sure one exists.

Rate ordinances in Zephyrhills require two council meetings to adopt, so Monday's hearing is a step in the process rather than the end of it. Agendas and meeting materials are posted at the city's Agendas & Minutes page, usually in the days before the meeting. Watch for the stormwater assessment item to return Sept. 14.

More local coverage is at Zephyrhills Community Website, and you can read more government and politics stories or catch up on local news any time. Going to Monday's hearing, or have a question about your bill? Join the conversation in our Community Forum and tell us what you hear in the room.

Header photo: Ebyabe / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.5)