By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

                Williston City Council members will host a Utility Rate Workshop at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday to discuss electric, natural gas, water, and sewer rates.

            The public workshop, which will take place in the R. Gerald Hethcoat Community Center in City Hall, was requested by Utilities Director Jonathan Bishop and Utilities Supervisor Donald Barber in preparation for the upcoming city budget process.

            When electric power bills shot up last year, the city faced scrutiny from residents, many of whom said they couldn’t afford their bills. The council said the higher power bills were primarily caused by rising natural gas prices, not a city rate hike.

            The city purchases its power through a wholesale company known as Florida Municipal Power Agency which generates much of its power from natural gas. FMPA is trying to diversify by reducing the use of coal and converting to cleaner energy, according to its website.

            A statement said the company purchases power from Stanton Energy Center operated by Orlando Utilities Commission. FMPA said it’s working with the Orlando Utilities Commission to retire two coal-fired units to meet its goal of reducing carbon emissions by 50 percent from 2005 levels. Electricity generated by coal is much less expensive than natural gas, but coal generates more carbon in the atmosphere.

            To reach a 50 percent reduction in carbon emissions from coal-fired plants, the company says it will increase solar generation through community solar farms like those in the Florida Municipal Solar Project.

            The city uses electric revenues to pay for more than the operations of the city-owned electric utility. Last year, the city transferred about $1 million from the city’s utility fund, much of it from electric revenues, to the general budget primarily for the operation of city fire, police, parks, and streets and to purchase equipment. The city says using electric revenues to fund other city operations helps keep property tax rates in check.

            As part of the workshop, the Florida Rural Water Association will make a presentation on water and sewer rate structures and the revenue the utilities produce.

            Public participation is scheduled for the end of the workshop. The regular city council meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the council chambers across the hallway from the workshop in City Hall.

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Enterprise Reporting by Terry Witt March 5, 2023; Posted March 5, 2023