Brevard County Commission To Consider 4.8 Percent Solid Waste Collection Assessment Increase

By  //  August 13, 2017

will hold a public hearing on Aug. 22

The Board of County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on Aug. 22 to consider a proposed Solid Waste collection assessment rate increase of 4.8 percent. The meeting will start at 9 a.m. in the Commission Board Room, located in Building C, 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way in Viera.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – The Board of County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on Aug. 22 to consider a proposed Solid Waste collection assessment rate increase of 4.8 percent.  The meeting will start at 9 a.m. in the Commission Board Room, located in Building C, 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way in Viera. 

Homeowners in unincorporated Brevard County were recently mailed a Brevard County Solid Waste Assessment notice regarding the proposed increase in the annual solid waste collection special assessment for curbside solid waste collection service.

“The Solid Waste Collection Enterprise Fund, funded by the annual solid waste collection assessments and used to pay off solid waste collection services, can no longer be sustained out of reserves and the Board of County Commissioners will need to revisit the collection rates and adjust them to stabilize the reserves,” said Euripides Rodriguez, Solid Waste Management Department Director.

In 2013, following a competitive bidding process, the Board of County Commissioners entered into a seven-year contract with Waste Management, Inc. of Florida, for curbside solid waste collection services.

This contract does not include solid waste collection for hurricane debris. The county contracts hurricane debris collection to other contractors and must comply with FEMA rules.

The Waste Management contract became effective on Oct. 1, 2013, and provided Waste Management with a Consumer Price Index (CPI) increase, not to exceed three percent per year, for the life of the contract.

At that time it was determined that the income generated from the existing solid waste collection assessments paid by homeowners would be less than the County’s costs to provide the solid waste collection service.

However, the Board of County Commissioners was fully aware of the impact of the economic downturn on homeowners and, therefore, no rate increase has been imposed on homeowners for several years.

Instead the Solid Waste Management Department was authorized to use a portion of its hurricane reserves of $5.5 million to make up the difference.

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Due to the low rate of inflation of 0.7 percent since 2013, along with drawing down the reserves, the Board has not raised the annual assessment rate for several years.

It was understood, however, that within three to four years of the new contract, the Board would have to revisit the collection assessment rates and make adjustments to stabilize the reserves.

In 2016, Brevard County suffered the effects of Hurricane Matthew and the remaining $4.1 million in Solid Waste reserves were not sufficient to cover the cost of the massive yard waste debris cleanup.

A loan of $10 million was approved by the County Commission to pay hurricane debris contractors until the County received FEMA reimbursement.

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