TO: Mayor and Commissioners
FROM: Missie Barletto, Public Works Director
THROUGH: Terrence R. Moore, ICMA-CM
DATE: August 18, 2026
Title
APPROVAL OF RESOLUTION 125-26: STORMWATER UTILITY ASSESSMENT (PUBLIC HEARING)
Body
Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Consideration of the following items:
Motion to approve and accept Resolution No. 125-26 establishing a budget for the Stormwater Utility System, establishing the rates for the 2026 Stormwater Management Assessments, and certifying and adopting the Stormwater Assessment Roll.
Body
Background:
On May 16, 2023, Ordinance No. 18-23 was approved to amend Title 5 "Public Works", Chapter 56 "Stormwater" of the City's Code of Ordinances to allow City staff to proceed with an alternative rate structure, Stormwater Billing Unit (SWU), for the annual stormwater tax roll that was developed to recover costs more accurately and more fairly based on a property’s contribution to stormwater runoff.
The SWU rate is assigned to one of four tiers based upon their impervious coverage area. Residential properties with more than 10,000 square feet of impervious coverage area would be charged based upon their actual impervious area. Non-residential properties would continue to be billed based upon their actual impervious area utilizing the SWU.
On September 5, 2023, the rate of $1.12/month or $13.44/year per SWU was approved by City Commission (City) for the 2023 Stormwater Assessment Roll.
On July 16, 2024, no increase was proposed and the rate remained the same, as approved by the City, for the 2024 Stormwater Assessment Roll.
On April 22, 2025, Ordinance No. 14-25 was approved to amend Chapter 56 once more to include a standardized assessment for unimproved land and clarification on the method of assessment for condominiums and cooperatives.
On August 12, 2025, the rate of $1.93/month or $23.17/year per SWU was approved by the City for the 2025 Stormwater Assessment Roll.
On July 14, 2026, the City was presented with the proposed rate of $2.02/month or $24.28/year per SWU for the 2026 Stormwater Assessment Roll. This 4.8% increase will result in an increase of $434,153.33 for an estimated total annual assessment of $7,684,502.76.
All funds from the assessments will be used to operate, maintain, make additions, improvements, and extensions to the City’s Stormwater Management System as well as finance administration of the program. The stormwater assessments will be included on property tax bills issued to property owners in November and will be collected by the Palm Beach County Tax Collector.
|
Tier No. |
Impervious Area Threshold (Square Feet, SF) |
Assigned SWU |
Monthly Charge |
Annual Charge |
|
1 |
Residential - 0 to 2,000 |
2.7 |
$ 5.46 |
$ 65.56 |
|
2 |
Residential - Over 2,000 to 5,000 |
6.4 |
$ 12.95 |
$ 155.39 |
|
3 |
Residential - Over 5,000 to 7,000 |
11.9 |
$ 24.08 |
$ 288.93 |
|
4 |
Residential - Over 7,000 to 10,000 |
16.1 |
$ 32.58 |
$ 390.91 |
|
N/A |
Residential - Over 10,000 SF |
(Actual S.F.) ÷ 500 |
($ 2.02) x SWU |
($24.28) x SWU |
|
N/A |
Non-Residential |
(Actual S.F.) ÷ 500 |
($2.02) x SWU |
($24.28) x SWU |
|
N/A |
Unimproved Land (Less than 500 SF Impervious) |
1 |
($2.02) x SWU |
$24.28 |
Staff recommends adoption of the 2026 Stormwater Management Assessments and the Stormwater Assessment Roll.
The proposed budget for the Stormwater Utility Fund is incorporated in Resolution No. 125-26 as Exhibit "A".
Notice of this hearing was published in the Sun Sentinel newspaper on August 4, 2026.
City Attorney Review:
Approved as to form and legal sufficiency.
Funding Source/Financial Impact:
The estimated total annual assessment of $7,684,502.76 is anticipated and will be used to fund the Stormwater Management Program.
Timing of Request:
The timing of this request is of high importance to proceed with the 2026 Stormwater Assessment Roll in compliance with Palm Beach County Tax Collector deadlines.