Punta Gorda City Council members Aug. 21 unanimously decided to proceed with a design and engineering study for about 1,400 households in the Charlotte Park section currently on septic systems. 

Having secured a $5.5 million state grant, Council agreed to have Englewood-based Giffels-Webster Engineers Inc. determine the cost for the conversions.  

Although Giffels-Webster’s consulting fee of $53,650 was approved by Council, it is unknown who will pay for the conversions. 

The $5.5 million grant does not provide for the purchase of properties where the systems can be placed, and the matter of who is going to pay for the conversion was debated. 

“I never voted to support having the city pay one cent for this project,” Mayor Lynne Matthews said. 

Council member Melissa Lockhart said while she agrees the conversions need to be done, she agreed with a resident’s earlier comment who said, “the city is going to be left holding the bag on this, and I don’t agree with it.” 

She suggested asking the state to step in, saying they need to help fund the project. 

Charlotte Park is not part of the city, but Charlotte County Utilities provides water to residents. 

“The county has said they are our water customers and won’t financially support this project,” Matthews said. 

There are many waterfront homes in Charlotte Park, and “they have leach fields that are damaging our estuary,” she said. 

Lockhart likened the area to “the red-headed stepchild,” and that Charlotte Park homeowners are caught “in the middle.” 

Matthews said the city has been “talking very regularly with our lobbyists.” 

She said state Sen. Ben Albritton, “who has always been a big proponent of septic to sewer projects, has said basically that ‘this year we’re not going to approve individual requests for septic to sewer reimbursements.’” 

Instead, the state is looking for a way to incorporate all of the different municipalities and develop a statewide plan, Matthews explained. 

Meanwhile, the cost of the conversions will continue to increase. 

The county is already converting homeowners’ septic systems to sewer hookups. 

Matthews said the cost could be payable over a 20-year period. 

Homeowners in Charlotte County are seeing the cost appear on their property tax bill. 

City Manager Greg Murray said he has been engaged with meetings with the homeowners association for Charlotte Park and that there are divided opinions as to whether the properties should be hooked up to a sewer system. 

Other points raised were that with a sewer system, residents could have pools.  

But the biggest factor is to prevent runoff into canals and estuary during heavy rains and from leaking septic tanks. 

Procurement Manager Anne Heinen said there are two tasks that must be completed initially. The first is for the engineer to recommend sites where the city can place the pumping system, and the second is to assist the city in a solicitation of manufacturers of vacuum systems.