VERO BEACH — After discussing the matter over the summer, the Vero Beach City Council voted Tuesday to study, either at a staff level or with the help of consultants, the particulars of setting up a stormwater utility.
Initial estimates put out by Mayor Dick Winger estimated the utility would assess $3 to $5 per month, per equivalent residential unit or ERU to generate cash to fund public works projects designed to divert nutrients from the Indian River lagoon.
Winger said he could not imagine that anyone would be opposed to paying that small amount each month to help the lagoon.
If the fee is set up like those in Sebastian and Fellsmere, it would be billed to the occupant, whether that be a tenant, a business owner, a nonprofit organization or the property owner. That way, the stormwater utility could capture revenues from those who don’t currently pay ad valorem taxes.
It was said that roughly 44 percent of the properties in the city do not pay property taxes, either because they are owned by a government entity or otherwise tax-exempt, such as churches.
“Everybody impacts the lagoon, not just the people who pay property taxes,” said Councilwoman Amelia Graves.
After much discussion, the vote came down 4-1 with Councilwoman Pilar Turner dissenting.
“My objection to the stormwater utility in concept is, we agreed not to raise taxes and this is a tax,” Turner said, adding that she could see the City using the money to pay salaries and overhead and having little or nothing left to fund needed improvements.
City Manager Jim O’Connor said the city staff would put some sample ordinances together for the council to look at before he took the more costly step of soliciting proposals for a full-blown study.
