Palm Bay, FL – The July 16, 2026 Palm Bay City Council meeting centers on critical fiscal benchmarks, a major election-year governance proposal, and significant water infrastructure expansions. At the forefront of municipal business is the certification of the 2026 Taxable Value, which will establish the city’s maximum operating millage rate for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2027 budget. In a significant agenda revision, council will vote on Ordinance 2026-20 to place a referendum on the November 3, 2026 ballot, allowing voters to decide if City Council vacancies should be filled by election rather than appointment when more than 12 months remain on an unexpired term.
These fiscal and governance matters are flanked by more than $3.4 million in water and wastewater infrastructure contracts. These include drilling four new production wells for the North Regional Water Treatment Plant and initiating preconstruction services for the next expansion phase of the South Regional Water Reclamation Facility.
Capping the Operating Tax Rate for FY 2027
To comply with Florida’s Truth in Millage (TRIM) requirements, City Council must set the maximum operating and debt service millage rates that can be advertised to property owners. The Brevard County Property Appraiser certified Palm Bay’s gross taxable value for operating purposes at $11,098,266,589, which includes $548,615,838 represented by new construction.
Due to the increase in existing property values, the calculated rolled-back rate is 6.6015 mills per $1,000 of assessed value. This represents the tax rate required to collect the same revenue as the prior year, excluding new construction, and is lower than the current operating rate of 6.7000 mills.
City Manager Matthew Morton and Finance Director Larry Wojciechowski have recommended that council authorize a proposed operating millage rate of up to the rolled-back rate of 6.6015 mills. Setting this maximum rate gives the city fiscal flexibility as they build the final budget, which is currently drafted around an operating rate of 5.5000 mills. Council can lower the operating tax rate during the public budget hearings in September, but raising it above the advertised cap would require mailing individual written notices to every property owner in the city.
In addition to the operating tax, council will consider a proposed voted debt service millage rate of 0.9385 mills. This rate is projected to generate $10,012,975, which is restricted for debt service payments on the city’s three outstanding General Obligation Bond series issued in 2019, 2021, and 2023. Public hearings for the tentative and final budgets are recommended for September 9 and September 23, 2026.
Restoring the Electoral Mandate for Council Vacancies
Council will vote on the first reading of Ordinance 2026-20, an agenda revision that seeks to place a referendum on the November municipal ballot to amend Section 3.062 of the City Charter. The proposed amendment alters the process for filling mid-term council vacancies by establishing a split-mandate based on the time remaining in the term.
For short-term vacancies with 12 months or less remaining, the council would retain the option to appoint a placeholder within 60 days. For long-term vacancies with more than 12 months remaining, the charter would mandate a prompt special election.
The proposed amendment is a direct restoration of the rule previously housed in Chapter 50 of the Code of Ordinances before it was removed. In 2012, voters approved a charter amendment that deleted explicit election requirements from the charter, allowing council to define the process via ordinance. Proponents argued at the time that standalone special elections were an unnecessary taxpayer burden, costing upwards of $250,000.
In 2022, the council placed another referendum on the ballot that mandated appointments for all vacancies, which voters approved. However, this amendment deferred special elections to the next regular election cycle if appointments failed, creating a major governance loophole.
Past Vacancy Crises and Quorum Collapses
The vulnerabilities of the appointment-heavy system were exposed during several high-profile municipal crises over the past few years. In August 2021, following the resignation of Councilman Jeff Bailey, the council attempted to bypass a mandatory election by amending the Code of Ordinances to give themselves appointment power. The move sparked massive public backlash and opposition from Mayor Rob Medina, forcing the council to withdraw the proposal. The subsequent March 2022 special election cost taxpayers $254,000 and drew a meager 14.9% voter turnout, with only 12,546 ballots cast out of 84,181 registered voters.
A far more severe crisis unfolded in February 2023 when Councilman Peter Filiberto resigned. Under the 2022 rules, the council was required to appoint a replacement within 60 days, or the seat would remain vacant until the November 2024 general election. Mayor Medina boycotted the appointment meetings to protest the evaluation process, and Councilman Randy Foster was hospitalized with a long-term illness. Lacking a physical quorum of three active members, the appointment window expired, leaving the seat entirely vacant for 21 months.
The system neared a complete breakdown in mid-2024 when Councilman Foster permanently resigned due to health issues. This created a double vacancy, leaving only three active members to govern a city of over 130,000 residents. The council narrowly avoided a total shutdown by appointing community leader Philip Weinberg as a non-partisan placeholder for Seat 3. Proponents of the 2026 referendum argue that restoring the election mandate for long-term vacancies will eliminate the incentive for quorum-denying boycotts and ensure residents are never again left without representation for nearly two years.
Awarding $3.4 Million in Water and Wastewater Contracts
The City Council will consider awarding a $3,192,060 contract to All Webbs Enterprises Inc. for the construction of four new Floridan Aquifer production wells at the North Regional Water Treatment Plant. The project, labeled under proposal 30-RFP-26, includes drilling, testing, geophysical logging, and the abandonment of the existing, undersized Production Well RO-1.
The replacement well project is on the critical path to finalize the design of the new 3.3 MGD reverse osmosis treatment facility, which is currently 60% designed by Tetra Tech and will be constructed by Wharton-Smith Construction.
Replacing the original 1960s-era lime plant and the defunct 2001 RO plant is necessary to address aging infrastructure, declining well capacity, and rising regulatory concerns regarding PFAS and chloride levels in North Palm Bay. Water quality data from the new wells must be collected to complete the final design phases of the treatment plant.
Council will also consider a $228,765 proposal from Wharton-Smith, Inc. for Phase I Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) preconstruction services for the next expansion phase of the South Regional Water Reclamation Facility. The first phase of the facility was recently placed into active service, which has successfully reduced hydraulic loading on the overloaded North Regional plant. This next phase will design additional membrane bioreactor equipment and odor control systems.
Growth Management and Development Hearings
Two significant land-use cases are scheduled for public hearings during the meeting. In the first hearing, council will consider Ordinance 2026-19, a Small-Scale Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Map amendment requested by Treeland Apartments, LLC. The applicant seeks to change the designated use of approximately 7.28 acres at the southeast corner of Treeland Boulevard SE and San Filippo Drive SE from Public/Semi-Public and Recreation Open Space to High Density Residential.
The amendment aims to align the land use map with existing RM-15 zoning entitlements to facilitate the development of the Isla 2 Townhomes project, which proposes 76 townhome units. The Planning and Zoning Board voted 5-0 on July 1, 2026, to recommend approval, subject to conditions requiring an updated Traffic Impact Study and Stormwater Analysis to evaluate a proposed right-in/right-out access configuration at the southern portion of the site.
In the second land-use hearing, council will review Resolution 2026-09, which proposes amendments to the design guidelines and final development plan for the 829.27-acre Emerald Lakes West Phase II development. The applicant, DRP Solaris FL 2, LLC, requests to increase the number of single-family lots in Phase II from 233 to 244.
The amendment also seeks to establish design standards for 60-foot-wide lots, adjust setbacks, update parking regulations, and revise permitted uses within the Mixed-Use Town Center and Workplace districts. The Planning and Zoning Board voted 5-0 to recommend approval of the design changes.
State Lobbying and Budget Re-allocations
Under administrative items, council will vote on a non-competitive award for State Lobbying Services to Sunrise Consulting Group, the city’s previous lobbying provider. In May 2026, council rejected the evaluation criteria for the competitive RFP 01-RFP-26.
Interim Chief Procurement Officer David Gragan has recommended utilizing Section 38.07 of the Procurement Ordinance to award a 36-month contract directly to Sunrise Consulting Group at an annual cost of $66,000, citing a unique situation where competitive bidding is contrary to the public interest.
Additionally, council will review a proposal to process $941,562 in completed project savings from the second and third quarters of Fiscal Year 2026. Within the General Fund, $291,731 in savings will be processed: $49,066 will be re-allocated for departmental requests (including $26,500 for Police modular design at the range, $12,976 for Parks property taxes, and $9,590 for Fire department janitorial supplies and ESO communications software), while the remaining $242,665 will be transferred to General Fund contingencies.
The Stormwater Utility Fund savings of $649,831 result from completed capital projects and the cancellation of the Kaiser S8 walking excavator equipment acquisition. These savings have no current re-allocation request and will be returned directly to the undesignated fund balance.
Finally, council will hear discussions sponsored by Councilman Kenny Johnson regarding proposed revisions to the city’s policies and procedures for public comments and general options for property tax reform.
This story is also published at news.thepalmbayer.com/news/palm-bay-millage-charter-referendum-water-projects-july-2026/ with additional inline visuals, related coverage links, and a video embed where available.
Sources
Palm Bay City Council Regular Meeting 2026-18 Agenda Document, July 16, 2026.
Palm Bay City Council Meeting Portal, July 16, 2026.
2026 Certification of Taxable Value (Form DR-420) & Certification of Voted Debt Millage (Form DR-420DEBT) (Agenda Attachment), Brevard County Property Appraiser, June 29, 2026.
Proposed Ordinance 2026-20 - Charter Referendum Election (Agenda Attachment), City of Palm Bay, July 10, 2026.
Proposal 30-RFP-26 - North Regional Wells Contract (Agenda Attachment), July 2, 2026.
Case CP25-00004 - Treeland Apartments staff package (Agenda Attachment), July 1, 2026.
Case FD25-00002 - Emerald Lakes West Phase II staff package (Agenda Attachment), July 16, 2026.
Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Certified Results (Special Election), March 8, 2022.
