Brevard City manager proposes FY27 budget with modest tax and fee increases; public hearing set for May 18

City Manager Wilson Hooper presented the recommended FY27 budget to the Brevard City Council on May 4, proposing a $27,677,133 spending plan that the administration said requires a modest property tax and fee increase to maintain core services and address ongoing operating pressures.

Hooper told the council that the proposal is lower than FY26 by roughly $50,000 in aggregate but that the composition of spending has shifted: capital outlays in the prior year have largely converted into recurring operating costs such as employee healthcare and new staff positions. To close that gap, staff included a 2.5-cent increase in the property tax rate in the recommendation and targeted several fee increases for services whose collection historically did not cover costs.

The manager highlighted three near-term service-level changes: adding public works positions to address chronic understaffing; switching residential garbage collection from multiple 35‑gallon bins to a single 96‑gallon rollout cart financed over five years (the carts’ cost equivalent to roughly 2.5 full‑time employees); and funding one of two staffing‑model options for the fire department, including a $150,000 line to enhance staffing pending county contributions.

Hooper also recommended utility adjustments in the water and sewer fund: a 4% increase to consumption rates and a 4% increase to certain septage and high‑strength waste charges. He proposed a $300,000 allocation to systematically locate and repair non‑revenue water (lost or leaked water) and described required steps to implement a fats, oils and grease (FOG) program the state expects to see enforced under the city’s wastewater permit.

To make the near‑term budget less burdensome, Hooper outlined reserve‑fund balances and a supplemental spending plan that would draw certain one‑time resources. He presented three representative household examples showing typical annual bill increases under the recommendation (roughly $55 for a low‑value home, $174 for a medium‑value home, and about $330 for a high‑value home, combining tax and utility effects) and noted some high‑usage commercial customers would see larger fee increases tied to revised refuse and cardboard collection fees.

After the presentation the council unanimously set a public hearing on the recommended budget for May 18, 2026. Council members and public commenters asked for clarifications about specific fund balances, the Rosenwald fund balance availability, the scope of proposed fee increases, the schedule for police vehicle replacement, the timeline for public‑works hires, and a plan to address a pressing parking‑lot safety issue at the Augusta Road sports complex that one councilmember said must be resolved before they would support final adoption.

Public comment preceding the manager’s presentation included appeals to prioritize public safety funding and accreditation for the police department and concerns that some development regulations raise project costs and could worsen housing affordability.

The public hearing for the FY27 budget will take place May 18, when members of the public may comment formally on the recommended plan. Staff and council said they expect follow‑up work over the next weeks to refine the numbers and present supplemental spending proposals where appropriate.