JEA will be contributing more to the city of Jacksonville under a new agreement the utility’s board of directors reached with the city Tuesday.
The vote was the culmination of more than a year of sometimes-tense negotiations with City Council.
JEA’s old agreement with the city ends this year. Going forward, the utility will contribute more than $114 million annually for the next five years. JEA Chief Financial Officer Melissa Dykes says, that’s not all.
“We also are contributing up front an additional $15 million in additional contribution as a onetime payment to essentially provide seed money to the city to continue a water and sewer infrastructure program,” Dykes says.
The city will match the utility’s $15 million payment for septic tank and sewer updates. On Tuesday, JEA’s board also postponed a workshop on a controversial solar-power plan that, among other things, lowers the rate it reimburses customers with rooftop solar panels for their extra power.
