Pines residents will pay 25% more to improve water quality

Pines Mayor Frank Ortis said he and other commissioners, both present and past, have been “kicking the can down the road” for years by putting off increases to the residential water rate.

The kicking stopped Wednesday night. The commission voted 3-2 to approve a hefty 24.7 percent increase to pay for about $10 million in upgrades to the city’s water treatment facilities.

“We need better right now and this water gets it done,” said Vice Castillo.

Residents using 3,000 gallons a month will see water bills rise from $14.10 to $17.58. Combined with the sewage fee, the total bill would jump from $32.14 to $40.08, an increase of $7.94 monthly.

According to a recent countywide survey by Stantec, a Miami-based consulting agency, Pines had the lowest monthly water rate among 26 cities in Broward County.

During almost two hours of debate, new District 1 Commissioner Ismael Monroig said that the hefty increase Mayor Angelo was unfair to residents, but he ended up voting for it, along with Ortis and Castillo.

Commissioners Jay Schwartz and Iris Siple voted against the increase.

The city’s water quality has been a hot-button issue for months, causing widespread concern among residents and drawing the attention of the Florida Department of Health.

Last November, routine water quality testing at one of six sites revealed elevated levels of Trihalomethane, a dis-