BRADENTON BEACH – Bradenton Beach property owners will see their annual stormwater fee assessments increase from $4.40 to $8 per 100 square feet of property when the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1.
The rate increase was proposed during the June 23 city commission workshop. During the workshop, the commission voted 3-1 in favor of raising the stormwater fee to $8. Commissioner Ralph Cole opposed the increase and Commissioner Robert Talham was absent.
Stormwater assessment fees are the city’s primary source of funding for drainage and stormwater maintenance and improvement projects.
According to the assessment evaluation prepared by Infrastructure Solution Services, the average annual fee increase would be an additional $78.49 for the owner of a mobile home or a single-family home. The average fee increase for the owner of a duplex or multifamily home would be $197 annually. The fee for shared common areas would increase annually by an average of $1,170. Commercial properties would experience a $707 average annual increase.
When discussing the fee increase again during the July 16 city commission meeting, City Engineer Devyn Brown explained some of the reasons for the increase and the continued discussion. Brown said it was her understanding the increase was approved at that work meeting, but she thought it still had to come before the commission for final approval.
“If it was noticed properly and as long as there was public input, it doesn’t need to be done at a regular commission meeting as long as it’s done at a public hearing,” City Attorney Erica Augello explained.
Brown noted the city’s stormwater fee hasn’t been increased since 2017.
“Currently, the assessment basically covers the operating expenses but there is no budget for the city to be looking at projects or matching funds for doing improvements to their system,” Brown said. “So, the city is looking at this increase in the assessment to be able to fund stormwater projects.”
POTENTIAL PROJECTS
The assessment evaluation previously provided by Infrastructure Solution Services lists eight potential stormwater projects and the top four are ranked in order of priority.
Item 1A calls for the replacement of 150 linear feet of pipe blocks in the Community Redevelopment Agency district that extends from the southern side of Cortez Road to the southernmost property lines along Fifth Street South at a present-day cost of $75,000.
Item 1B calls for the replacement of 700 linear feet of pipe blocks throughout the city at a present-day cost of $350,000.
Item 2 calls for the purchase and installation of drainage filter inserts to be inserted at various locations at a present-day cost of $56,250.
Item 3 calls for a flood resiliency project between Ninth and 12th streets north at a present-day cost of $1.88 million.
The four remaining projects on the list include a $3.12 million Avenue B flood resiliency project, a $2.53 million Avenue A flood resiliency project, a $2.75 million Avenue C flood resiliency project and a $2.77 million flood resiliency project from 22nd to 26th streets north. The assessment evaluation also lists the projected cost increases through 2031.
“We’re looking at providing the city with a GIS (Geographic Information Systems) map of their stormwater infrastructure so they can track what they have when inspections have been done,” Brown said.
She said the total cost of the projects would be millions of dollars.
“What the city is trying to do is just take it a chunk at a time and then will be applying for different grants,” Brown said.
She said many grants provided by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection or the Federal Emergency Management Agency require matching funds from the city or some sort of financial participation by the municipality.
“At this moment in time the city doesn’t have the funds to participate in the match,” she said.
Mayor John Chappie said, “We had our work meeting where we approved the rate increase. The extra funds will help us in a big way with matching grant opportunities.”
According to Infrastructure Solution Services, the increase to $8 per 100 square feet would increase the city’s current annual stormwater revenues from $290,985 to $434,940 and result in a first-year increase of $143,955.
“With the recent hurricanes, your reserves have been depleted,” Brown said. “If something is to happen again, the city is looking at a challenge with that. There’s a lot the city has to deal with on the stormwater side and the priority is to take care of that.”
FEE CALCULATION
On July 15, Brown provided The Sun with some additional clarification on fee calculation methods. She was asked whether the increased fee would be calculated solely on a per-100-square-foot basis, or if additional variables would also be factored in for some properties.
In her email response, Brown said the fee increase would apply to commercial and residential properties, but there may be some calculation variables that the city still wants to consider. If so, those would be discussed at a future commission meeting.
Brown said there are some unique situations, including the Pines Trailer Park, that don’t fall within the basic 100-square-foot calculation criteria and those are yet to be finalized. She said shared common areas in condominium communities are calculated on a per-100-square-foot basis, which is consistent with the rest of the city.
