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Delray Beach staff propose stormwater fee increase to fund overdue capital projects
Summary
Public works staff told the commission the city is proposing to raise the annual stormwater unit rate to $20.04 and described capital and maintenance shortfalls tied to the 2019 stormwater master plan; commissioners asked staff to pursue federal and bond options and to return with a formal adoption schedule.
Public works staff presented the proposed stormwater non‑ad valorem assessment rates to the Delray Beach City Commission on June 17 and asked the commission to support a rate increase intended to help pay for operations, maintenance and a backlog of capital projects.
"The current stormwater rate has been in effect since 2023," Missy Barletto, director of public works, told the commission, and she said the city’s 2019 stormwater master plan estimated roughly $363 million in capital needs in pre‑COVID dollars. Barletto described a new five‑tier stormwater unit structure tied to measured impervious surface and said the staff proposal would increase the base stormwater unit rate to $20.04 per year.
Barletto provided sample impacts for residential tiers: the Tier 1 charge for properties with smaller impervious areas would rise to $62.53 annually — an increase she described in the presentation as $26.24 for that tier — while some larger parcels would see larger increases. For very large parcels, staff said the fee is calculated directly from measured impervious area.
She said the city now expects about $67 million in capital needs over the next three years (an updated backlog from earlier estimates) and that the stormwater utility produces roughly $7 million annually under current rates. To help close the gap, staff said the city plans a mix of revenue measures: proposed rate increases, revenue bonds to help front‑fund projects and targeting federal grant dollars (Barletto identified a $5 million federal allocation for the Tropical Isle neighborhood improvement project).
Commissioners asked whether any pending outside funding could reduce rate pressure; Barletto pointed to the federal dollars and the planned bond structure while noting the utility will still need to pay debt service and operations costs. The commission did not adopt a final rate that night; Barletto said staff will return in July or August with an ordinance for formal adoption if the commission endorses the proposed schedule.
The proposed changes follow the 2023 move from an ERU‑based methodology to a unit tied to impervious surface, which staff said better aligns fees with each property’s impact on the stormwater system. Staff also said the city is launching construction projects already, including pump stations, seawall and corridor improvements.
No vote on the rate increase was taken; staff requested direction and will bring a formal adoption item to the commission in mid‑July or early August.
