Oakland Park adopts fire, solid-waste and stormwater assessments; stormwater rate rises $13

OAKLAND PARK, Fla. — The Oakland Park City Commission on Sept. 15 adopted final rates for three special assessments — fire rescue, residential solid waste and stormwater — and set the city on course to collect the fees during the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, 2025.

Ria Rivera, the city’s director of financial services, told the commission it was asking the body to "conduct public hearings for each of our special assessment and adopt the final rates for the assessments, namely fire assessment, residential solid waste assessment, and the stormwater assessment." Rivera presented the recommended final rates and the estimated revenue each assessment would generate.

The commission approved the three resolutions unanimously after each assessment hearing drew no public speakers. The measures adopted a $382 annual fire assessment per residential unit, a $340 annual residential solid-waste assessment per residential unit and a $138 stormwater assessment per equivalent residential unit (ERU). Fire assessment revenue was estimated at $10,800,000; solid-waste revenue at $3,700,000; and the stormwater assessment at $5,680,000.

Why it matters: The assessments fund ongoing service delivery and stormwater infrastructure debt service. City staff said the stormwater increase — $13 per ERU, or about 10.4% over the current…