Melbourne Beach moves to raise stormwater fee and begin planning for repairs

The Melbourne Beach Town Commission voted May 21 to authorize the town manager and finance director to proceed with a proposed increase to the town’s stormwater assessment, citing mounting emergency repair costs and aging infrastructure.

Town Manager A. Marie Smith and Finance Manager Jennifer Kirk told the commission that the town’s ERU (equivalent residential unit) fee has remained $36 since 2000 and has not kept pace with inflation. With guidance from Brevard County stormwater specialist Valerie Sittita, staff proposed resetting the ERU to $68.90 using the April 2026 consumer price index and tying future increases to CPI, capped at 5 percent per year.

"We have not changed our fee since 2000," Kirk said. "Tying the ERU to CPI and capping increases will keep pace with costs while avoiding sudden spikes." Sittita added that the county’s plan includes cost‑share rates for qualifying nutrient‑reduction projects and an application window for municipalities to submit candidate projects for the 2027 plan update.

The commission cited a string of unplanned repairs — including a collapsed abandoned corrugated pipe at Oak and Sixth Street that cost about $24,500 to fix — as evidence that maintenance funding has been inadequate. Public Works Director Tom Davis described the repair as an emergency that required immediate contractor work to rebuild a concrete box, seal pipes and repave the roadway.

Commissioner Tim Reid moved to authorize staff to move forward with the CPI‑based change and to start the statutory notice and hearing process; Commissioner Anna Butler seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.

Smith and Kirk said staff will mail notices to property owners, schedule the public hearing and continue work on a five‑year capital improvements plan and a more detailed rate study. "This option lets us act this year while we run a longer‑term study and develop a CIP," the manager told the commission.

Next steps: the town will mail the legally required notices and hold the public hearing before any new rate takes effect. Staff also will ask engineering consultants to provide cost estimates and a prioritized list of Basin 10 repairs that could be coordinated with the assessment program.