Budgets

The budget for the FGUA is comprised of a general fund and seven enterprise funds. The budget for each system is divided into two parts:

  • Operating budget, which includes routine revenues and expenditures for operating each system; and
  • Capital budget, which includes expenses associated with infrastructure improvements, system expansions to meet future needs, service extensions, extraordinary renewal, replacement and repairs.

In addition, a debt service schedule is provided to show the status of meeting the FGUA’s financing requirements.

Developing the budget is an annual planning process that involves the Board of Directors, System Manager, staff, engineers, operations and billing contractors as well as others. The budget is used as a tool to describe how dollars are converted to services, check and adjust course of action as needed to achieve strategies, and also to update plans.

The budget is guided by the FGUA 2011 Strategic Plan.

Certain decisions – especially the capital improvement program – made during the budget process have an impact that extends to multiple fiscal years, not only the year for which the budget is approved.

In order to demonstrate this impact, five-year forecasts are developed for each system in the capital budgets. Certain board initiatives and other issues have an impact across all systems as follows:

Inflation/Rate Adjustments

  • For the system manager’s contract line items (other than management fee), the rate (3%) is based upon the change in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index—All Urban Customers, U.S. City Average, Services, plus known changes due to contractual requirements. Most other line item projects were based on an evaluation of the linear relationship between historical and projected revenues and expenses.
  • The projected operating revenues for the Lehigh Acres system include a total rate adjustment of 2.37%, effective October 1, 2011.
  • For the Golden Gate system, the forecast for operating revenues does not include any proposed rate adjustment.
  • For the Aloha Gardens and Seven Springs Utility Systems, the forecast for operating revenues has been adjusted to reflect a proposed rate increase of 7.0%, effective October 1, 2011.
  • The Consolidated Systems revenue forecast includes the proposed rate increase of 18% and the Lindrick System includes a proposed rate increase of 14%, effective October 1, 2011.
  • The North Fort Myers System revenue forecast includes the proposed rate increase of 6%, effective October 1, 2011.

    Budget Documents

    Click on a link below to view each system’s budget and its capital improvement program:

    If you’d like to see any other financial documents please click here to visit our public records database and click on the “Financial Documents” folder.