Over the past several months, many of you have expressed concerns regardinghigh water bills and irregular consumption. I take your input very seriously andwant to thank you for continuing to bring these issues to my attention. Thanks toyour participation, there has been a lot of progress on this issue.

We’ve had two public meetings in District 1 to talk about water billing, the Cityauthorized an independent review of our utility billing process, we’ve begunexpediting permits to install irrigation meters, and the installation of new digitalwater meters is on the horizon. Our most recent District 1 meeting on waterservices took place at the Beach Community Center on July 8, 2019. We heardfrom KPMG on the water meter audit, Stantec on the water rate study, Siemenson the digital meters, and Broward County on residential rebate programs.

KPMG was hired by the City to conduct an independent review of existing utilitybilling policies and procedures. They are analyzing three years of resident waterconsumption data and reviewing every step of the billing process, from readingthe meters and collecting payment to resolving customer service requests, todetermine if there are any irregularities or systemic issues that need to berectified. They will provide a report of their observations and recommendations toimprove our water billing process to the City in August. The Commission willdiscuss KPMG’s findings at a public meeting in September, and I plan to holdanother District meeting to provide residents with an update shortly thereafter.

Stantec provided an update on the status of the citywide water and sewer ratestudy. It’s been about ten years since the City conducted a rate study, so it wastime for us to reassess our costs compared to our rates, to ensure we areappropriately charging for services based on updated costs and that we haveadequate funding to maintain services and keep pace with inflation. As part of thestudy, Stantec reviewed our projected revenue needs and compared our ratestructure to neighboring communities.

In September, the Commission will vote on a new water and sewer ratestructure, which will keep your rates the same and will go into effect withour new fiscal year on October 1, 2019. The Commission will also vote on an ordinance change that will allowneighbors to prorate the charge to tap a new irrigation line over 18months.The new structure is designed to bring in the same level of revenue in FY20 thatwe captured in FY19. Beginning October 1, 2020, the rate structure will bring in5% more revenue to help fund the $1.2 billion in remaining improvements neededto update our water and sewer infrastructure over the next 20 years.

A representative from Siemens gave an overview of the new digital water meters

coming to Fort Lauderdale later this year. The new system will automate themeter reading process and allow you to log in to your account online, so you canmonitor your consumption in real-time as opposed to waiting for your bill at theend of the month. Siemens will start installing the new meters later this year andestimates it will take about two years to convert all 60,000 meters and get theentire wireless system operational.

If you have any questions about your water bill, please contact our Utility Billingoffice at 954-828-5150 or utilitybilling@fortlauderdale.gov and copy my assistant,Melissa Coningsby, at mconingsby@fortlauderdale.gov so she can track yourinquiries. Thank you for continuing this ongoing dialogue as we work toward aresolution and look for a date for our next water meeting at the end of the summer.

Sincerely,

Tropical Storm Dorian UpdateThe City of Fort Lauderdale is closely monitoring Hurricane Dorian. Accordingto the National Weather Service, Dorian is forecast to continue strengtheningduring the next few days over the Atlantic waters and, by Labor Day weekend,be located near Florida or the southeastern coast of the United States.

While the intensity of the storm’s impact to Fort Lauderdale remains uncertain, itcould affect the “King Tides” that will begin occurring tomorrow. Currently, thetides are forecast to be approximately 7 inches above predicted levels, whichcould be compounded if Hurricane Dorian brings strong winds and storm surgeto our area.

Neighbors are reminded to continue to monitor the storm closely and make suretheir emergency plans are in place. Please visit the City’s websiteatwww.fortlauderdale.gov/hurricane for hurricane preparation tips and steps youcan take before, during, and after a storm.

The City of Fort Lauderdale has activated its emergency management plan andis taking numerous proactive steps to ensure it is fully prepared, including:

-Participating in pre-storm meetings and conference calls to stay up-to-date onweather conditions and City operations.

-Fire-Rescue and Emergency Management personnel have the EmergencyOperations Center ready should it need to be activated.

-Police Department is gearing up and ready to put additional officers on thestreets if needed.

-Building inspectors will begin visiting construction sites to ensure equipmentand materials are secure.

-Parks, recreation centers, City buildings, and facilities will be inspected. Anyvulnerable areas identified will be addressed and outdoor equipment will be

prepared to be relocated if needed.

-Public Works crews will be testing back-up generators to ensure they are fullyoperational.

The City of Fort Lauderdale offers numerous ways for neighbors to receiveimportant information and updates:

-Monitor the City website at www.fortlauderdale.gov -Register for CodeRED alerts-If you live in Fort Lauderdale, join NextDoor-Follow us on Twitter @FTLCityNews-Like us on Facebook @CityofFortLauderdale-Get E-news delivered to your inboxDownload the Lauderserv App on your smartphone or tabletContact our 24-hour Neighbor Service Center at 954-828-8000

For the latest updates on Hurricane Dorian, visit the National Hurricane Centerwebsite atwww.nhc.noaa.gov. For more emergency preparation tips, visit theCity's website atwww.fortlauderdale.gov/hurricane.

Register for Code Red

FY 2020 Budget UpdateThe Commission will be voting on the proposed FY 2020 budget in September.Please see the link below to view the proposed budget and attend the publichearings on September 3rd and September 12th if you have any questions,comments, or concerns.

Budget

Please Join Us For A District 1 Meeting:

Monday, September 2ndNo meeting due to Labor day

Monday, September 16th5 PM-6 PM

Beach Community Center3351 NE 33rd Ave, Fort Lauderdale

New District 1 Facebook PageClick the button below and go like us on Facebook. This is a great way to keep

up with what I am doing in the community!

USS Paul Ignatius at Port EvergladesAttended the commissioning of USS Paul Ignatius- DDG 117 at Port Everglades.

It was a privilege to meet Secretary Ignatius-WWII Veteran, Sec of Navy andPresident of Washington Post. Thank you to all the men and women who protect

and serve this great nation!

Just wanted to share the wonderful newaddition to one of our neighborhoods inDistrict 1, Imperial Point. Thank you toour Parks Department and the HOA

President Betty Shelley for all your hardwork!

I was proud to honor Corporal EugeneWitkowski in Coral Ridge Isles thisweekend for his service during WorldWar II. Thank you Marie Benedetto fororganizing such a great event, andthank you Corporal Witkowski for yourservice!

For the first time ever, the City of theFort Lauderdale hosted a Back-To-

School Meet & Greet for FortLauderdale school principals & City

staff to discover opportunities tosupport education in our city & help ourstudents & schools achieve their goals

& dreams.

It was great attending the 2019Washington Summit Kickoff Reception

at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale BeachResort. Thank you to Broward Health

and everyone involved for hosting sucha great event!

Congratulations to Walk-On's for agreat ribbon-cutting ceremony for theirnew location in Uptown District 1!Thank you Greater Fort LauderdaleChamber of Commerce and BrandonLandry for all of your hard work!

Celebrating the Ribbon Cutting forBella Smile Cosmetic Dentistry withowners and members of the BrazilianBusiness Group, Dr. Daniela Modestoand her husband Mario Cerqueira.

Scooter UpdateThe scooter ban on the barrier island ended on August 18. City staff continuesto work on recommendations for modifying the scooter program. The item istentatively scheduled to be reviewed by the Commission at the September 3meeting. In the meantime, each of the four scooter companies has agreed tocontinue to refrain from operating scooters on the beach.

FDOT Traffic Report UpdatePlease click image below for all FDOT Broward County Traffic Impact Reports:

Neighbor Tree Giveaway

Back-to-School Street Safety Tips

Reporting FPL Street Light Outages

Click Here to Report

Access the link below for information on the District 3 schools in the City of FortLauderdale, Wilton Manors and Oakland Park.https://www.browardschools.com/Page/35216

Visit our website to learn moreabout District 1

Email Our Office for questions,concerns, or appointments

PHONE 954-828-5033 FAX 954-828-5667