JEA’s board of directors is scheduled to hold a public hearing and vote on a proposed rate hike for water, sewer, and electric services. The hearing will take place at 9 a.m. at the utility’s headquarters building in downtown Jacksonville.

Proposed Rate Increase

The proposed rate hike would increase the average combined bill for JEA customers from $231.67 to $239.83. The increase is necessary to cover a projected revenue gap of 6% on the electric side and 8% on the water and sewer side.

For electric services, the typical customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity would see their bill rise from $153.92 to $156.33. For water and sewer, the average customer currently pays $77.75 per month, which would increase to $83.50 under the proposed rate hike.

The proposed rate hike is linked to upcoming water infrastructure and power generation projects, as well as regional population growth. JEA officials have been discussing the need for a rate increase since last year and have conducted cost-of-service studies to justify the proposed hike.

If approved, the new rates would take effect on October 1.

Original reporting: Jacksonville Today — read the source article.