Photo: Excel23, Michael Seeley from Melbourne, FL, United States · CC BY 2.0Melbourne spent less per resident in 2022 than 69% of similar cities
Melbourne’s city government spent $137.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,585 per resident. Water and other utilities ($18 million) and the airport ($33.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Melbourne is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
6 upcoming meetings at town hall
From Melbourne’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov2Citizens Advisory BoardMonday · 6:30 pmCitizens' Advisory Board - CANCELLEDAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov3Affordable Housing Advisory CommitteeTuesday · 6:00 pmAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov5Local Planning Agency/Planning & ZoningThursday · 6:30 pmAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov6Melbourne Downtown Redevelopment Advisory CommitteeFriday · 8:00 amAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov10City CouncilTuesday · 6:30 pmCity Council MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov12Olde Eau Gallie Riverfront CRA Advisory CommitteeThursday · 8:00 amMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Oct27CRA NoticesTuesday · 6:30 pmDowntown CRA Notice 10/27/2026Agenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct27City CouncilTuesday · 6:30 pmCity Council MeetingAgenda ↗Minutes ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct26Zoning Board of AdjustmentMonday · 6:30 pmZoning Board of Adjustment - CANCELLEDAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct21Historic and Architectural Review BoardWednesday · 6:00 pmAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct16Beautification and Energy Efficiency BoardFriday · 2:00 pmAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $1,585 per resident a year, or $4.34 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 24%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,551 per resident in 2022: less than 69% of them
Melbourne’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,551 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 35 Florida cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,679, and the middle half spent $1,296–$2,315. Melbourne spent less than 69% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($27.1 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Florida cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Melbourne itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 6% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Melbourne reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,551 · 2023: $1,555 · 2024: $1,585.
full-time in March 2025, up from 868 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,075 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.68% of the home’s value, vs 0.76% across Florida.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Melbourne’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Melbourne’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Melbourne →
Who’s in charge in Melbourne
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 99 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (86,441).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Brevard County School District
Melbourne’s K–12 school district, shared with Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, Cocoa, Grant-Valkaria, Indialantic and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,956 per pupil, $7,112 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Florida districts overall: 55% local, 29% state, 15% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Melbourne’s votes are counted by county
Florida reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Melbourne alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Brevard County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican59.6%216,533 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat38.9%141,233 votesOthers: 1.4% (5,249 votes).
Most votes in Brevard County: Donald J Trump
Florida: Trump 56.1%, Harris 43.0%
100% of Melbourne lies in Brevard County. Every 2024 race in Brevard County is on the county’s page.
Brevard County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Melbourne.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: melbourneflorida.org ↗
- 2Florida HouseMelbourne is split between 2 districts
- 3Florida SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Florida
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Melbourne compares with the towns next door
Melbourne spent $1,551 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $347 to $1,208. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Palm Shores | $347 | $1,939 |
| West Melbourne | $578 | $2,488 |
| Indian Harbour Beach | $739 | $3,183 |
| Palm Bay | $917 | $1,726 |
| Melbourne Village | $1,208 | $2,826 |
| Melbourne | $1,551 | $2,075 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Melbourne’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Melbourne’s government
How much does Melbourne spend per resident?
About $1,585 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,551 was less than 69% of 35 Florida cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Melbourne?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,075 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.68% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.76% across Florida. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see melbourneflorida.org.
Who runs Melbourne’s government?
See melbourneflorida.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Melbourne yet.
How did Melbourne vote in 2024?
Florida counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Melbourne alone. Brevard County, where 100% of Melbourne lies, voted Trump 59.6%, Harris 38.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Melbourne?
872 full-time and 50 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $5.5M (about $65.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Melbourne in the state legislature?
Melbourne is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Florida Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 19 (Debbie Mayfield). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
When is the next public meeting in Melbourne?
The next posted meeting is Citizens Advisory Board on Monday, November 2, at 6:30 pm, from the city’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Melbourne’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →