It’s not as pretty as it looks, finance-wise. (© FlaglerLive)
The City of Palm Coast has launched a new webpage dedicated to providing residents with clear and transparent information about the city’s utility system, challenges, and the strategic plan to maintain reliable water and sewer services. The webpage, available at PalmCoast.gov/utility-strategic-plan, explains key infrastructure projects, why improvements are needed, and how the city is planning for the future.
With Palm Coast’s population growth outpacing previous projections, the city’s wastewater system—particularly at Wastewater Treatment Plant 1—is nearing capacity. The webpage outlines how planned infrastructure upgrades, including the expansion of Wastewater Treatment Plant 2 and critical improvements to aging facilities, will support the city’s continued growth while ensuring compliance with state regulations.
“We know residents have questions about our utility system and why rate adjustments are being considered,” said Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston. “This webpage is designed to provide straightforward, transparent information about our infrastructure needs and how we’re planning to ensure reliable water and sewer services for years to come.”
Key Topics Covered on the Webpage:
- Wastewater Capacity Challenges – Understanding the city’s current system limitations and why expansion is necessary.
- Funding Growth & Infrastructure – How the city balances maintaining existing services with preparing for future development.
- The Cost of Delays – Why postponing improvements increases costs and creates risks for service disruptions.
- State Compliance Requirements – The urgent need to address state-mandated wastewater improvements.
- Proposed Rate Increases – Details on how rates may change to support infrastructure investments.
Residents are encouraged to visit PalmCoast.gov/utility-strategic-plan to explore the interactive content, FAQs, and upcoming meeting information. Two public hearings are scheduled for March 4, 2025, at 6 p.m. and March 18, 2025, at 9 a.m., where residents can share their feedback and learn more from city officials. These meetings will take place in the Community Wing of City Hall at 160 Lake Avenue.
JimboXYZ says
Doesn’t matter what they put on the web page to explain it, the driver had nothing to d with Covid growth, & more to do with the lies of Biden-Harris with a Palm Coast growth plan that never was going to pay for itself, the rest of us are stuck with paying for growth & a Vision of 2050 that didn’t make it to 2025. So grossly underfunded who would believe the spin on the write up. What I want to know, is this new capacity sufficient to handle the new residential for Bunnell & any other Westward Expansion approvals thru-out the county ? Because let’s face it, the sewage ends up going to those STF regardless of township/city limits that seem to be annexed to accommodate the next round of new construction residential approvals. Where are the employers/jobs that are supposed to pay for this growth ? Don’t tell us we have to hire more FCSO, fire department & any other government types to pick up the tab for that as well for salaries & wages on top of water that isn’t going to change for a reserve for the county. The water is finite in that regard. Nobody wants to hear that the projections were so grossly inaccurate that taxpayers have to build another STF beyond the one that’s currently projected to cost $ 250 million in addition to the upgrades ? The projections were 3-4% growth in 2018, I recall reading the article indicating Palm Coast grew 30+%, that’s not a few percentage points for being off, it’s more like 10X the most conservative growth projections. Get ready to grab your ankles & bend over every month when this nonsense is tied to the CPI for inflation. No end in sight for that BS, the excuse of a battle cry will always be inflation. We can thank Biden-Harris for that too.
Yanis says
This city needs to get this together and stop raising resident bills every now and then. I dont know. Maybe getting some suggestions from bigger cities may hwlp. City of Miami bills its residents every 3 months and it is not as expensive as it is here in Palm Coast. Even it being a bigger city with much more population than Palm Coast.
PB says
My last bill was $140 living by myself in 1200sq ft. The utility said just under $111 is fixed each month. So water was under $30. What’s is the other $111 for? Raise the rates and my fixed income budget is blown. Just criminal!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JimboXYZ says
This is crazy. The FLEXIT is happening and the Budget guru’s in the City of Palm Coast government, their models & spreadsheets are flawed. The rest of us are going to get saddled with this incompetence of the prior mayor’s Vision of 2050. Where is the plan for when Bunnell can’t grow for the 8,000 homes they are approved to build. Bunnell is a city of 3.600 people that ever populated the “deep woods”. They expect a city with 1,200 housing units to exponentially grow for tax base to pay for this excess sewage capacity. Alfin left us a fiscally irresponsible mess & time bomb, just like Biden-Harris did. If property taxes are eliminated, how & where is all this infrastructure going to be funded ? It’s coming from inflationary economy. I just don’t think the experts have thought any of this thru for a real solution.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSoTfLAbEyo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n28xfou_8U
Igor says
We definitely need DOGE in palm coast.
Administration pretend that they Republican, but acting like democrats from NY.
Tax, tax, tax-policy for desester.
JT says
THAT’s total BS. Biden Haris had nothing to do with it. You can thank the Republicans who gutted state growth management laws and turned the legislature into a developers’ support growth, which Republican county commissions and city councils then gleefully endorsed and enjoined. Now we pay the price.
JimboXYZ says
The $ 110 & change is for garbage collection, the base of the water, stormwater & sewage infrastructure. $ 30 was for your actual gallons of water consumption. Your monthly bill can be viewed in pdf format for your account for the City portal for paying your utility bill.
Skibum says
So, the last time you pooped your pants, that was the fault of Biden-Harris too? Are you sure it wasn’t Hillary Clinton’s fault? Isn’t it just a little bit absurd to fantasize how ANY democrat could be seen as responsible for the failings here locally when our city and county governments are controlled by republicans, our state legislator for this area is a republican, our entire gerrymandered state legislature is republican, our governor is republican, our two senators in D.C. are republican as well as the majority of this state’s elected congressional members… yet you continue to be deluded by some fantastical hallucination that everything that you see going wrong, whatever price increases we face, ALL of the bad things that happen in your universe can, or more precisely MUST in fact, be blamed on democrats who don’t have the power locally, statewide or nationwide currently, just because it suits your biases. God forbid that republicans could do anything underhanded or wrong, not even when the maga cult mush brains have selected a convicted felon to be the one you all put your faith in and hand over the future of American democracy to! Sorry to have to say this, but I don’t know if even a qualified psychologist could make sense out of your drivel.