2019 Year in Review

Message From the City Manager

2019 was a busy, successful year for the City of Melbourne. As you’ll read in the stories that follow, the city’s employees, elected leaders, community members and volunteers were hard at work on a wide variety of projects and initiatives that are helping make our already great city an even better place to live, work and play.

The support of our community, staff and council makes it possible for the City of Melbourne to continue to do great things. We look forward to 2020 with even more great developments ahead.

Shannon Lewis, City Manager

Melbourne City Council (from left to right): Council Member Julie Sanders, Vice Mayor Paul Alfrey, Mayor Kathy Meehan, Council Member Tim Thomas, Council Member Mark LaRusso, Council Member Yvonne Minus, and Council Member Debbie Thomas.

1 Working With Businesses to Fuel Economic Development

Our local economy continues to grow. In 2019, the city issued more than 7,800 permits with a total value of approximately $270 million, about $61 million of which was related to new commercial permits.

The most visible signs of economic growth can be seen in the city’s changing skyline. Three new mid-rise projects began construction last year, including the waterfront Paramount condominiums on U.S. 1 and the Highline Apartments and Hilton Tapestry Hotel in Downtown Melbourne. The Highline and Hilton projects are the result of many years of work and the Melbourne Downtown Community Redevelopment Area’s Public- Private Development Program, which aims to stimulate redevelopment through substantial private investment, enhancing the city’s diverse economic environment.

Also in 2019, the city started work on projects that will improve service to business owners and developers when completed next year. An interdepartmental team is working on the implementation of a software program that will streamline permitting, electronic plan review and tracking. The new EnerGov system will allow developers, engineers, businesses, and contractors to submit applications, plans, and payments and enable city staff to review, issue comments, approve, and schedule inspections electronically. EnerGov will provide workflow automation and tracking services, report writing, mobile capabilities and citizen access. The city also began work on a joint educational effort with the Melbourne Regional Chamber aimed at helping small businesses get started in the City of Melbourne.

Hilton Tapestry Hotel under construction. Highline Apartments under construction.

2 An aerial view of the City of Melbourne Water Production Plant.

Ensuring a Safe, Reliable Supply of Drinking Water Today and In the Future

The City of Melbourne distributes high quality drinking water to residents in Melbourne, Indialantic, Melbourne Beach, Indian Harbour Beach, Satellite Beach, Palm Shores, Melbourne Village and unincorporated Brevard County, with wholesale water service provided to West Melbourne. The number of people served is projected to grow from more than 180,000 people today to over 230,000 by 2049. To prepare for this growth, the City of Melbourne applied for and was awarded a consumptive use permit that will allow the city to continue to draw water from the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) for the next 30 years. When approved in July, it was the first 30-year permit the SJRWMD had ever issued.

In issuing the long-term permit, SJRWMD board members commended the City of Melbourne for responsible water use and management. Though the population is projected to grow by 28%, the City of Melbourne only needed to request a 14% increase in allocation because average gross per capita consumption has decreased steadily over the past several years. This is due in large part to the city’s extensive water conservation efforts, which include education and ongoing infrastructure improvements. The city also continues to expand its reclaimed water distribution system to offset potable water use for irrigation purposes and has committed to beneficially reusing 40% of the treated wastewater in five years and 50% within 10 years.

Also in 2019, the city initiated steps to expand the reverse osmosis treatment process from 5 to 10 million gallons per day, starting by authorizing a study to determine the feasibility of constructing a deep injection well for concentrate disposal.

3 Protecting and Restoring the Indian River Lagoon

This spring, a two-year-long muck dredging project in the Eau Gallie River aimed at improving water quality was completed. More than 600,000 cubic yards of muck was removed from the main stem of the Eau Gallie River, as well as the southern branch of the river known as Elbow Creek. Muck is a mix of fine-grained sediments, sand, clay and organic matter in untreated stormwater runoff that drains to canals and storm drains connected to tributaries in the lagoon. Muck can accumulate nutrients that contribute to algal blooms and create detrimental conditions for seagrasses and organisms vital to the lagoon’s aquatic food chain. The St. Johns River Water Management District partnered with the City of Melbourne, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Inland Navigation District, and Brevard County on the project.

The City also worked on multiple projects to prevent untreated stormwater from reaching the Indian River Lagoon, including the installation of underground baffle boxes, a stormwater treatment pond, and the utility infrastructure needed to connect several homes that presently septic tanks to the city’s sewer system. The City of Melbourne continues to partner with Brevard County utilizing funding from the Save Our Indian River Lagoon local infrastructure tax. The Environmental Community Outreach Division continued educational efforts and coordinated a successful Trash Bash event in April during which 344 volunteers collected 6,980 pounds of litter in a single day. The ECO division also launched a new program to encourage residents to try composting, which has many benefits for the environment including creating better soil that reduces the need for lawn irrigation and fertilizers. The rain barrel rebate program was also continued as a way to reduce stormwater run-off from rooftops.

State and local leaders celebrate the completion of the Eau Gallie River muck dredging project.

Photo credit: St. Johns River Water Management District

Trash Bash volunteers after cleaning up Crane Creek. Boats along the Eau Gallie River.

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Photo credit: St. Johns River Water Management District Roadways Maintained and Improved

The city continued its ongoing efforts to proactively maintain our roadways and improve infrastructure city wide. Approximately seven miles of roads were repaved in various locations around the city. Other key road improvement projects were also accomplished in 2019.

The City of Melbourne partnered with Brevard County to repair and repave Stewart Road between Aurora Road and Lake Washington Road.

The Hickory Street Complete Street project was in the final stages at the end of 2019. Work included new sidewalks, bike lanes, landscaping, street furnishings, improved bus stops, utility installations, drainage improvements, curb ramps, lighting and signage.

In July, City Council gave final approval to change the name of Airport Boulevard to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. New signage was installed, and a community renaming ceremony was held in September.

Investing in the People Who Serve Our Citizens

The City of Melbourne strives to hire and retain the best employees to serve our citizens. In 2019, two projects were completed that have greatly helped in that effort. A comprehensive study of all general and Laborers’ International Union of North America employees staff positions and compensation levels was conducted in order to ensure the city is offering salaries and benefits at competitive rates. An online application and tracking system was launched to streamline the recruitment process for both the city’s Human Resources team and prospective job applicants. By the end of November, the city had received 9,475 applications for 163 positions. Additional and improved training opportunities were also made available to staff in 2019. 5 Keeping Our Community Safe

Melbourne Police Department As of September 2019, overall crime rate in the City of Melbourne was down by 2% over 2018. There were fewer robberies, burglaries, larcenies, auto thefts and aggravated assaults, and homicides were down by 75%. The number of rapes increased by 33%, but in many of these cases, the suspect was known to the victim. Molestation cases were down by 29%.

The Melbourne Police Department sought to strengthen its ties with the community through multiple outreach activities throughout the year. In the fall, the Special Operations Division was officially renamed the Community Services Division to reflect the department’s commitment to community engagement.

Other highlights from 2019 include:  Multiple traffic and pedestrian safety campaigns were conducted to reduce speeding, aggressive driving, and other unsafe practices.  Officers worked to combat narcotics-related crimes and the violence associated with drug trafficking and proactively addressed prostitution that is visible in the streets.  The department passed a stringent Florida Department of Law Enforcement audit of its information technology and criminal justice information systems.  Funding was secured, and design work began on the new consolidated police facility that voters approved in 2018.

6 Melbourne Fire Department This year, the Melbourne Fire Department reduced its average response time by more than 30 seconds. As of October 2019, $1.1 million in total property was lost to fire damage; however, $16.6 million in property was saved. There were also no fire fatalities for the fourth year in a row.

The Fire Department also implemented a new digital system to improve its effectiveness once on the scene of an emergency. The Mobile Eyes fire inspection software system provides detailed plans, hazards, tools and other vital information that firefighters can use to more efficiently combat a fire emergency or to speed up an evacuation of a large building or facility.

Hurricane Dorian Everyone in our community breathed a huge sigh of relief when Hurricane Dorian passed by our coast. At one point Dorian was projected to land in or just south of Brevard County as a Category 4 or 5 hurricane. City employees worked tirelessly to help residents prepare, including filling and distributing 24,000 sandbags in four days, and were poised and ready to respond in the event Dorian did make landfall. Detailed records were kept in order to position the city to seek Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reimbursement.

7 Opening day at Pieloch Dog Park. Kids learning to play pickleball.

Parks Improved; Popular New Recreational Amenities Added

In 2019, many efforts were made to improve parks and recreation facilities that beautified our green spaces and provided new recreational opportunities for residents throughout the City of Melbourne.

Landscaping improvements were made at Fee Avenue Park, Jimmy Moore Park, Lipscomb Park and the Melbourne Cemetery. In response to the growing popularity of pickleball, two existing tennis courts were converted to six new pickleball courts at Jimmy Moore Park. In addition, tennis courts at Jimmy Moore Park and Fee Avenue Park were resurfaced.

Thanks to the generosity of donors and volunteers, the city’s first dog park was “unleashed” in April. Located within Southwest Park, the Pieloch Dog Park (named after Mark Pieloch, who donated $50,000 to help create the park) has proven to be a popular destination for dog-lovers citywide. Mr. Pieloch has pledged an additional $50,000 to create another dog park at Crane Park in 2020.

Ensuring Financial Stability

The City of Melbourne has been consistently proactive in managing expenditures, avoiding the use of cash reserves to fund daily operational needs, and in evaluating and implementing cost-saving measures to the greatest extent possible. Though overall property values have risen, the city remains fiscally conservative to hedge against future economic uncertainties.

The city actively pursues grant funding to fund special projects and equipment. Last year, more than $1 million in Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) grants was obtained to fund stormwater treatment projects that will help protect the Indian River Lagoon. A $350,000 grant from the Florida Inland Navigation District was secured to fund a new boat launch and dock at Ballard Park. Florida Department of Transportation grants have almost entirely funded the multi-million Hickory Street Complete Streets Project. We also received approximately $64,000 to fund key safety equipment, such as bullet-proof vests.

Transparency and clear reporting are essential to the City of Melbourne. The city again received an unqualified audit opinion from our independent auditing firm, which indicates that the city’s financial statements have been fairly and accurately accounted for and presented. For the past 30 years, the city has been recognized for excellence in accounting and financial reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association.

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