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UTILITIES
AVERAGE MONTHLY RESIDENTIAL UTILITY BILL
In FY2002 the average homeowner's monthly utility bill will increase by approximately 5.3% or $3.05 - there had been no increases for the past three years. Water operating, capital projects and aging pipe replacement costs are increasing while in Solid Waste debt service, collection contracts and recycling costs are rising. The water rate structure is also being revised from two to five tiers where higher users of water are charged higher rates. This will also result in water conservation. With the rate changes our utility rates will still be lower than most local jurisdictions.
Utility Rates / Average Residential User
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Utility | FY01 | INCREASE | FY02
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Water | $10.40 | $0.80 | $11.20
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Sanitary Sewers | 27.80 | - | 27.80
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Solid Waste | 19.00 | 2.25 | 21.25
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Total | $57.20 | $3.05 | $60.25
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PARKS AND RECREATION
Nine new and/or rehabilitated recreational centers will be opening in Fiscal Year 2002 to contribute to enhancing the quality of life in City neighborhoods. They are Jackson Heights YET Center, Barksdale Senior Center, M. L. King, Jr. Pool, Oak Park Center, Forest Hills Community Center, Port Tampa Center, Cuscaden Park, Interbay Fitness and Wellness Center and Benito Athletic Center. Over the next five years more than 39 major and 94 minor neighborhood parks and recreation projects will be completed using primarily Community Investment Tax funds. See the capital projects page of this site for some of the locations in your neighborhood.
During the next five years more than 40 facilities will have new play equipment and the safer rubberized play surfaces.
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ENVIRONMENT
Improvements in the Enterprise Departments will result in improved quality of life for our neighborhoods. Examples include:
- The McKay Bay Refuse-to Energy $88 million retrofit project will be completed this year and, in all cases, the new air quality standards imposed by the Clean Air Act will be exceeded.
- Water improvements will be realized through treatment changes at the plant and replacing aging pipes throughout the system that will also improve the taste.
- The recently completed Aquifer Storage and Recovery project (stores 1 billion gallons of water for use in the dry season) and a new project, the South Tampa Area Reclaimed water project (using reclaimed water for irrigation), will help conserve potable water and minimize the adverse affects of future droughts.
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DID YOU KNOW?
- 19.3 Million square feet of buildings were permitted and inspected last year.
- The 8 streetcars of the Tampa-Ybor Historic Streetcar system are the only air conditioned streetcars in the world.
- City Council agendas and the captioned text of their meetings can be found on the City's Website www.ci.tampa.fl.us and also on cable access TV Channel 15.
- In the 2000 United Way Campaign, 3,059 or 74% of the City's employees participated in raising $240,307.20, exceeding the Campaign goal.
- The Tampa Theatre has 10,000 light bulbs.
- Colonel Tom Parker worked at the Tampa Theatre in the 1940's as a publicity agent. A few years later he became the manager and promoter for Elvis Presley.
- Sheena, the bronze elephant located at Lowry Park Zoo was commissioned in remembrance of the real Sheena, an elephant who was given to the zoo by Sumter L. Lowry and lived there from 1960 until she died in 1986.
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