Multiple customers have contacted CFPUA to ask about a robocall they had received about members of our board who are running for higher office. The call also contained misinformation about CFPUA’s financial status, which led to confusion among the customers who contacted our Customer Service staff.
Like tens of thousands of water utilities across the country, CFPUA is a self-sustaining, nonprofit organization, funded almost entirely by the rates and fees we charge. We use sound financial principles to not only ensure we have the funding necessary to operate our systems on a daily basis, but to ensure we have the funding to keep our systems safe and reliable years into the future. We also have to properly prepare for emergencies, especially considering we operate in a hurricane zone.
As a result of our practices, one of our already-strong bond ratings was improved to just short of AAA status last year. It was confirmation of CFPUA’s efforts to properly manage our finances while successfully tackling the problems we were created to solve.
As noted multiple times by independent, third-party organizations and the news media, CFPUA is successfully reaching the goals set by the city and county when we open our doors in 2008. CFPUA has cut sewer spills by nearly 50% and the volume of wastewater spilled into the environment by more than 75%.
This success has been achieved as CFPUA has conducted our operations for less than it cost the city and county to separately operate their systems eight years ago. That fact alone should speak volumes about how CFPUA views and handles our ratepayers’ funds.
Those are the facts about our work at CFPUA. If anyone has been confused by the robocalls and wishes to discuss CFPUA-related matters, they are invited to contact Mike McGill, Chief Communications Officer at 332-6704 or mike.mcgill@cfpua.org.