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Commission asks attorney and manager to study stormwater assessment options, inventory plan
Summary
Commissioners directed the town attorney to prepare a memo on legal and procedural steps for a stormwater fee by impervious area and asked the manager and public works director to prepare inventory data (2014–present) and a plan for inspections ahead of possible future rule changes.
The Melbourne Beach Town Commission on April 16 directed staff and legal counsel to develop formal materials on two stormwater policy tasks: (1) a legal memo describing how the town could adopt a non‑ad valorem stormwater assessment based on impervious area and (2) a manager‑led inventory of stormwater improvements dating from 2014 to the present to support inspections and future planning.
Commissioner Tim Reed asked the town attorney to prepare a short memo outlining the statutory and procedural steps required to implement a non‑ad‑valorem assessment (the approach often used to allocate stormwater costs by parcel impervious area). Town Attorney Ryan Knight said he would summarize state requirements, typical study elements (impervious area mapping, rate design, public notice/ballot requirements), and estimated costs for consultants who develop a rate study.
Separately, the commission voted to have Public Works compile an inventory of known stormwater assets and recent work, and to return in June with a chronological list of improvements from 2014 forward. Public Works Director Tom Davis told the commission some older records pre‑date digitization and might require physical box review; staff said they can assemble a spreadsheet of recent projects and known asset dates and then prioritize field inspections where records are incomplete.
Commissioners cited recent sinkholes and localized failures as a reason to build the inventory and to be prepared in case pending state legislation imposes new inspection and reporting requirements. The town manager and public works director said they will begin by providing a compiled list of known improvements and work back to 2014, then propose an inspection schedule.
Town Attorney Knight noted that adopting an impervious‑area assessment typically requires a rate study prepared by consultants and a public process; the statute he cited is used by many municipalities for such charges. The commission asked the manager to return with staffing and cost estimates for consultant work during the budget process.
