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Cocoa Council approves fire and stormwater preliminaries, adopts CRA plan updates and several appointments
Summary
At its July 15 meeting the Cocoa City Council approved a 3% preliminary fire-assessment increase, a 0% stormwater assessment recommendation, adopted two CRA plan ordinance updates on second reading, and confirmed appointments and program revisions; all motions passed unanimously.
Cocoa — The Cocoa City Council on July 15 approved a package of budget and planning items and confirmed routine board appointments.
Fire and stormwater assessments Staff presented the city's annual reviews for two non-ad valorem assessments that fund critical services. The fire-assessment preliminary resolution recommends a 3% increase for fiscal year 2026; staff and the city's consultant projected about $3,900,000 in gross revenue for the assessment (roughly 40% of a $9.9 million fire budget) and said the residential impact would be approximately $7.50 per home annually. The council approved the preliminary fire-assessment resolution and set a final public-notice hearing for Aug. 26.
The stormwater assessment review recommended a 0% rate change for fiscal year 2026. Staff said projected gross revenue and the fund budget would each be about $2,400,000, with no increase to residential bills; council approved the preliminary resolution and scheduled the final hearing for Aug. 26.
CRA plan ordinances On second and final reading the council adopted an updated Cocoa Community Redevelopment Agency plan (staff cited no changes since first reading and said taxing authorities had been notified) and a separate ordinance updating the Diamond Square CRA redevelopment plan. City attorney read both ordinances by title and staff confirmed both were ready for council adoption; both passed unanimously.
Appointments and program revision Council appointed Gloria Weatherspoon to a regular seat on the Code Enforcement Board, named an alternate, and reappointed Vincent Knowles to the General Pension Board through September 2028. The council also approved revisions to the Upstart Cocoa Small Business Program intended to support minority and small businesses in the city.
Procedure and next steps For the assessments, council approval at this meeting is preliminary; final adoption requires the Aug. 26 public hearings and statutory notice procedures. For the CRA plan updates, second and final reading completed the adoption process. Council votes on these items were unanimous.
What it means If the fire-assessment preliminary rate is confirmed at the August hearing, homeowners would see a modest annual increase under the proposed assessment structure; the stormwater assessment would remain unchanged. The CRA plan updates set the redevelopment framework for projects and potential funding in specified districts.
