Brevard commissioners approve advertising utility rate resolution, set one-year rollout for higher one-time connection fees

Brevard County commissioners voted unanimously on July 7 to advertise revisions to the county's utility service rate resolution, including updated connection fees that staff said are intended to align new development with the cost of serving growth. The board directed staff to pursue the one-year implementation option.

County utility staff told commissioners the changes are primarily a cleanup of definitions and a recalculation of connection fees for new construction, which function similarly to impact fees. During the discussion staff said, "the number is the 8,500 and the 4,500," describing the target connection fee levels of $8,500 for water and $4,500 for sewer as the recommended final values to be achieved under the proposed schedule.

Commissioners debated whether to implement the changes all at once or phase them across multiple years. Supporters said an immediate adjustment minimizes lost revenue from connections that otherwise would pay lower interim fees; others recommended a phased approach to reduce short-term impacts on builders. The board chose the single-year option after staff said the connection fee is a one-time payment typically paid by the contractor at the time of hooking up new service.

Staff emphasized that the proposal does not increase recurring user rates charged to existing customers beyond previously authorized annual indexing, and that the redlined resolution restates 2022-indexed rates to current levels. The advertised ordinance will include the specific tables and an explanation of how the Florida Administrative Code ratios inform the connection-fee equivalency for non-single-family uses.

The permission to advertise starts a public-notice period and a formal public hearing will follow, where the board will consider final adoption. If adopted, the changes would apply only to new connections and not to existing service accounts. The board asked staff to ensure the agenda packet and the public materials clearly separate connection-fee (one-time) changes from any ongoing user-rate indexing to avoid public confusion.