Nov. 9--TAMPA -- Hillsborough County commissioners embraced consolidating all the county's public water systems last Wednesday, tentatively approving $400,000 to study whether a merger has merit.

The only problem is that Tampa, whose participation is crucial to any such agreement, hasn't signed on. Tampa officials say they were surprised when they heard about the commission's unanimous vote Wednesday to authorize County Administrator Pat Bean to find $400,000 for a feasibility study. The move seemed to be on a fast track: County Attorney Renee Lee had already identified the law firms that would conduct the study as Broad and Cassel and Nabors, Giblin & Nickerson, along with consultant Robert Ori.

The next day, Mayor Pam Iorio questioned how the county could authorize a feasibility study without discussing it with city administrators. The study would put a monetary value on Tampa's water system assets, something that can't be done without the city's cooperation.

"If the commission has already approved a firm to conduct the study," Iorio said in an e-mail, "this would be surprising since the city has not seen a scope of work nor have we had any discussion with anyone who works for county administration."

Iorio said that melding large, urban utilities into one water authority is a "complex issue," and that the county should hold off on any study until there is a "mutual understanding of goals, process and cost."

Tampa Councilman Charlie Miranda, who read about the commission action in a newspaper article, said he doesn't think Iorio and the city council will ever consent to selling the city's water system. Tampa has lower water rates than the county and what he calls a "compact" system which serves more than 98 percent of city residents.

The county, on the other hand, has large areas that don't have public water and sewer service. And Hillsborough's water delivery network is separated into two pieces with Tampa's in the middle.

"Why should the city of Tampa -- it has 99.5 percent of all the people living in the city on water and sewer -- go out to an area that's 10 times as large and subsidize that area with city taxpayers?" Miranda said.

Other city council members were willing to take a closer look at the county's proposal. Councilman Joseph Caetano said he favors consolidation if it reduces "duplicative government," but he fears the water authority would be another wasteful bureaucracy.

Councilman John Dingfelder said city water customers, who enjoy lower rates than county residents, would have to be protected under any consolidation plan.

"But I think everything is worth exploring," Dingfelder said.