Committee sends multi‑year water, sewer and stormwater rate ordinance to commission for fuller review

City staff and consultants presented a multi‑year rate and financial plan on April 1 to address aging water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure and to fund a multi‑year capital improvement program estimated in the hundreds of millions.

Staff explained Miami Beach’s unique infrastructure needs — including subaqueous lines and force mains between islands — and said failures can lead to major environmental and PR consequences. The presentation noted a current consent decree the city is working under and stressed that grant and revolving‑fund eligibility depends on utilities charging sufficient rates.

Consultant Brian Mance and financial adviser Sergio Massadale reviewed model assumptions and a sample impact for a typical condo unit: an illustrative increase of about $11.77 per month in 2027 under the proposed schedule (with larger multi‑year bill increases through the study period). Commissioners discussed rate structure design and asked staff to prepare scenarios that strip out customary inflation, model average usage for condos, and consider more progressive volumetric tiers so that higher‑volume users shoulder a larger share of increases.

The committee voted to return the ordinance to the full commission with a favorable recommendation and asked staff to present alternatives including progressive tiers and CPI‑stripped comparisons; the ordinance will be discussed at the commission level as an ordinance matter.