The Villages Irrigation Water Costs 53% More than Premium Gasoline
 

Can someone help me out: as a new homeowner in The Villages, why does just 9 gallons of dirty irrigation water cost $50+ a month, almost half of which is a “base” which actually isn’t irrigation?

We just got our “not an HOA” bill and this month it cost us an average of $5.68 / gallon for dirty water we have to use according to the “not an HOA” rules.

Make it make sense.

Well if you had your gas delivered to you there would be a minimum delivery cost added to your bill. If you want lower cost per gallon of water use more water the base won't go up just the water usage. Problem solved.

Fair point but I’m required to pay a monthly fee irrespective of whether or not I use it.

Glad I’m not paying your rates!!! 8,000 gallons only cost me $38. I *wish* I could find premium gas at $0.005 per gallon!

Every utility company I have ever had the (dis)pleasure of dealing with has a "customer charge" or "base rate". If you think it's a rip off for residential, you would really enjoy the feeling of opening your commercial bill. You can also enjoy extra pleasure as a part time TV resident. We get to pay that base rate on potable water, irrigation water, sewer, garbage and electric for the 6 months were aren't there and the usage is zero.

Make sense now?

It’s not just irrigation you pay for regardless of use. There is both the base water and sewer rate, trash pickup, ammenity fee, etc…. Also, if you own a home, but aren’t full time, there is no homestead exemption and you don’t get other benefits offered only to full time residents such as a free senior fishing license. The idea of possibly eliminating property taxes only applies to full time residents as well, despite the fact that they typically use more services than part time homeowners who aren’t renting their property.

Not sure what you are looking at but here are the irrigation water rates for South of 44 and I don't see anything approaching your figure.

The better question is: How is it possible to use only 9 gallons of irrigation water in a month? I guess the system must be off and its just meter rounding?

Did you attach it?

as a long time Florida Resident expecting a lower cost of utilities here in The Villages with the smallest house and yard I've ever owned...instead my Water and Energy bills have TRIPLED...

Northern homes water is cheap $23 for 3 months. Our irrigation is the same water, but 1/2 to 1 acre of Kentucky Blue can run upwards of $150+ a month depending on lack of rain.

Big difference between grass you can walk on and the weed like green stuff Florida calls grass. Our less than 1500sf of irrigation in TV is $50-60 a month depending on rain amount

You paid for the pipes that deliver that scum water in your bond cost.
How much was the charge for the cost for all that pipe, pumps, etc?

Sure it’s not 9,000 gallons? That makes more sense

The villages used to be very inexpensive to live in, but over the past few years car insurance ,house insurance, real estatetaxes, utility bills, amenity fees everything has gone up and not in a reasonable manner.

You think the villages is the only place that things have gone up during the last few years. We had a recession in 2022 when everything went up and have stayed higher. Compare our tax bills vs some of the states in the north and west, we pay very little compared to these states. You think insurance rates haven’t gone up elsewhere? I saw on tv that a couple in a smaller apartment in San Diego was paying $2000 for electricity!!! Let’s compare states that tax income (Florida doesn’t), how much are you saving? Gas is cheaper here than in the west, northeast.
The only thing that I don’t get here in Florida is the roof replacement cr@p after 10 years, I have never ran into this in other states. Shingles can last 2x or more than this, and from what I hear, they replace the plywood too. This part is nuts!