The City of Palm Bay Utilities Department is seeking for its City Council to pass an ordinance requiring all properties that have a line available to hook up to centralized water and sewer.
According to the city’s utilities department, it incurred the cost to install existing infrastructure and still has cover the cost to maintain it regardless of usage.
The ordinance is going through its first reading Thursday night and in part it said all developed property within the sewer service area has to connect to a sewer utility within 365 days of the final notice. Failure to do so could result in fines.
In an interview, State Representative Randy Fine says that it is already state law for residents to connect to sewer lines where available. However, the City has simply not been enforcing the law.
He went on to say that there is no law requiring property owners to connect to city water. He see’s this as a positive in the fight to save the Indian River Lagoon and protect the St. Johns River. His proposed bill this legislative session seeking $50,000,000 in grant matching funds for Indian River Lagoon Restoration projects can be applied to the cost of these sewer hookups. His bill is still in the early committee stages but he is optimistic of its passing.
Some residents disagree and see this as a money grab by the city in order to fund a future waste water treatment plant to facilitate future growth. They want to keep the option to remain on sewer or well water if they choose.
Ordinance 2019-71, creating Chapter 203, “Mandatory Connection to Potable Water and Sewer Utilities” will be presented and debated at Palm Bay City Council Chambers this Thursday at 6:30pm. All members of the public are able to speak for or against the ordinance in public comments.
The meeting is also streamed live from the City’s official Facebook page here.
The council may want it but the citizens don’t. Half of the council “rents” so they won’t feel this. This is why people have gone to the news why there is an exceedingly long list of people showing up for thursday meeting at 7. Don’t fix what isn’t broken. How about fixing the roads first or making the subdivision that promised the homeowners they would help with the road to know where actually do what they say. Or how about cleaning up the corruption in palm bay but then that would require people to actually do the right thing. Forcing this is essentialy extorting the citizens, in my opinion. The city cant pay for it due to mismanagement but will make the people who live pay check to pay check do it. Sewers have leaked a heck of alot more than septic tanks recently. Examples are Melbourne and Viera in brevard county alone, Vieira was two weeks ago. Sewer lines are not currently in place for most of palm bay and the ones that are, are mostly broken. Forcing citizens to pay makes the biggest selling feature about palm bay to disappear. Palm bay is best known to have options. You can have sewer if avaliable but septic and well is what they most people want. Only reason I bought my house was the septic tank. My current home would have issues if I didnt have a septic its the only way to access the pipes which I need and not because of septic but the house itself. I’ll sell faster than possible if this passes and we are forced to so something. I wont be anyone’s slave especially to corrupt politicians who want to line there pockets instead of doing the right thing. The right thing also includes a moral compass. The hardships this will place on people is just sad.
When the sewer from the city of Palm Bay leaks, (when not if..because it’s WILL leak. Probably already has but I’m new to the area) we the people should place a law suit for…well let’s use the excuse they polluted the river with xyz pounds of sewage waste!!! Grand idea hey!? I’m sure some lawyer won’t mind making that money. Spread that wealth around ?. It only takes a few pissed off citizens with a little money to make a huge change! They just haven’t met one yet ?
This is a joke palm bay council receive promises from are famous mayor that emerald lanes pay for the sewer and road. Then state did not get it in writing. Now with all the roads with drains are collapsing look at pace. How dare u fine you looking out for us. Joke it is sewers that are keep having discharges into the water way. I just bought new house with state of art septic tank. Am I now living in a socialist city to mandatory connect. Palm bay promised all new housing development neighborhoods would have connect. How do people pay for you want most do not have sewer in palm bay. This makes me sick I will move to another city that has it . This is extortion