Since writing my post about how slowly a particular special assessment project took to be completed, City Manager Randy Oliver wrote me to explain how the special assessment process works:

Special Assessments are funded as money becomes available. Unfortunately during the 2001-2003 budget crunch little of no funds were budgeted by Special Assessment. Projects are funded on a first-in first-out basis. This is the reason for the delay on West Melbourne.

I wrote back to ask a couple of follow-up questions and received this response:

City Council Budgeted $1.1M in 2005, $1.2M in 2006 and $1.2M in 2007. At the end of 2007 unfunded Special Assessments will be $1.725. This represents 3 projects (W. Wagner Lane Sidewalk, N. Easton Pace curb and W. Ridge Road curb and ornamental street lights). The projects are from 2005, 2006 and 2007, respectively. If funding would have remained at the 2005,2006 and 2007 levels in 2000, 2001 and 2002 things would have been fine. Unfortunately that was not the case. Please note that the City also did not buy many if any replacement vehicles or equipment in those lean years. The Fleet is almost back to the proper level.

So there you go. There had been no money budgeted by the city council for special assessments, which is why the project got delayed. Still funded by the council during the lean years: parking deck subsidies and the Gateway building. Priorities, you know.