Subject:
Title
Permission to Advertise, RE: Public Hearing to amend the Barefoot Bay Utility Services Rate Resolution encompassing the Barefoot Bay Water and Sewer District System
End
Fiscal Impact:
The requested rate adjustments are for the water and sewer user rates to be rolled back to the 2025 rates and remain at that rate until the District is sunset on December 31, 2030.
Dept/Office:
Utility Services Department
Requested Action:
Recommendation
In accordance with Section 258-33(c), staff requests that the Board of County Commissioners grant permission to staff to advertise a Public Hearing at which the Board will consider amendments to the Barefoot Bay Water and Sewer District Utility Service Rates Resolution and its Attachments.
End
Summary Explanation and Background:
Section 258-33(c) stipulated stipulates that, “No rates, fees or charges shall be fixed under the foregoing provisions of this section until after a public hearing at which all the users of the proposed water system or sewer system or combined water and sewer system, or owners, tenants, or occupants served or to be served thereby and all others interested shall have an opportunity to be heard concerning the proposed rates, fees and charges.” Furthermore, the section provides that the notice of the public hearing proposing to amend the rates, fees, and charges shall be given at least 20 days before the hearing. The public hearing will be scheduled for a future Board meeting. If the rate resolutions are approved, the revised rates will be implemented on October 1, 2026.
At the July 21, 2026, Regular Board meeting, the Board of County Commissioners approved the ordinance to sunset the Barefoot Bay Water and Sewer District on December 31, 2029. The last bond payment is December 1, 2029. As a result of that decision, this Department, with the cooperation of Raftelis Financial Consultants, Inc., a national rate consultant firm, reviewed the Barefoot Bay Water and Sewer user rates to determine if a reduction of the user rates was a possibility based on the District not being in perpetuity but rather sunsetting on December 31, 2029.
Upon review of the Barefoot Bay Water and Sewer District financials and those of Brevard County Utility Services, it was determined that user rates could be reduced and remain at that level until sunset while still meeting operational and debt payment obligations. As a result, the water, sewer, and reuse user rates can be rolled back to the 2025 rate schedule without affecting the financial obligation of the District.
A summary of the rollback reduction is as follows:
|
Water |
|
|
Base Charge |
Consumption (per 1,000 gallons) |
|
Residential (5/8-inch meter) |
Current Rate |
Future Rate |
Current Rate |
Future Rate |
|
|
$25.20 |
$23.97 |
$6.20 |
$5.90 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sewer |
|
|
Base Charge |
Consumption (per 1,000 gallons) |
|
Residential (5/8-inch meter) |
Current Rate |
Future Rate |
Current Rate |
Future Rate |
|
|
$25.20 |
$23.97 |
$6.20 |
$5.90 |
In addition to the aesthetic revisions reflected in Attachment C, Attachment E includes textual revisions throughout the rate resolution to add and revise definitions, including the provisions necessary to implement the rollback of the water and sewer user rates and reuse rates to the 2025 rate schedule.
Please refer to Attachment H, titled BFB Analysis Report Final by Raftelis, second page of the Barefoot Bay Analysis letter, and page five (5) of the report. Both sections have been highlighted for easier reference.
Clerk to the Board Instructions:
E-mail clerk memo to karina.perez@brevardfl.gov and mail originals to the Utility Services Department.