Melbourne Beach commission adopts package of budget changes; votes include pay cut for commissioners, mental-health funds for police and conditional plan to add

The Melbourne Beach Town Commission on Tuesday approved a series of budget adjustments and a set of targeted spending changes after more than six hours of discussion and public comment.

The commission voted to cut the total elected-official salary line to $15,000 in the 2026 budget (effectively $3,000 per seat) and directed staff to prepare an ordinance to change the existing code. The commission also approved a 3% salary increase for identified municipal employees that the commission described as “the CPI plus an employee appreciation/retention supplement” (the commission recorded the CPI portion at 2.3% and an additional 0.7% as retention pay).

Why it matters: The packet included multiple walk-on documents and several line-by-line proposals the commission handled item by item. Commissioners and dozens of residents debated the scale of proposed raises, how merit increases should be justified and documented, and whether to expand in‑town emergency services. Votes decided how the town will allocate roughly $5.5 million proposed spending for fiscal 2026.

Most significant votes and formal outcomes - Commissioner pay: Motion to reduce the executive salaries line to $15,000 total (to yield $3,000 per seat) — motion passed 5-0. The change requires amending the town’s code/ordinance for implementation. - Cost-of-living (COLA) pay increases: Motion to adopt the 3% salary increase for identified employees but to document it as 2.3% CPI plus 0.7% retention — motion carried 3-2 after public comment about which CPI series and cutoff date should be used. - Higher-than-3% merit…