[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6683814,"mediaKeyId","5322234-82a66236e3e086996217eb4bbe4b6ad2","parentId",5322234,"title","Brooksville council hears updated fire-assessment study as Hernando County offers consolidation option","audioSeconds",4873,"startMs",878000,"endMs",5751000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5322234-82a66236e3e086996217eb4bbe4b6ad2&start=878&end=5751","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5322234-82a66236e3e086996217eb4bbe4b6ad2/thumbnail_878000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6683814/Brooksville/Hernando-County/Florida/Brooksville-council-hears-updated-fire-assessment-study-as-Hernando-County-offers-consolidation-option","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6683814-4a9cde23cd45ce113d5458a8005a716f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169737&Signature=kjDvxYAWqQDCwjs8cUoV4zKR0A6NqqckuOdIaI9SsYvb4mR3IiecaxvCN94TgZvUqqaMpV6MTaGZSYSmMqG4Oxp7SxWTC5L2p0vPIi9Kf3Wr84B2~caCRrVA5U6yOYdUWbSk4CLGUpROs5y4mUiM5h~E7ns7fn~bfXB9zYdF3WsoErDftM9e4fu8iJiMB5fAVkdMvTLh~Aczzvda~sGj2MQAoTRn0MShq-x7fHxaDIjmj6sXELJ8d3T18g0G5-6Jf5SH0Bdq7k9-QI9Xh2U67INK84AUl7LjGLgHqlK4NGv7sY5tZqhFBxXOzRWIyKRYLDtgb6aPQKHstU5IjRVM3w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Brooksville","date","2025-07-07T00:00:00Z","article","A presentation by Stantec Consulting on July 7 gave Brooksville City Council a new calculation of the city’s fire-assessment program and opened a public discussion about whether the city should raise rates or consider consolidating fire services with Hernando County.

Peter Napoli, a manager with Stantec Consulting, told council he was hired to “recalculate the rates” after the city reached a previously adopted cap on assessment increases. Napoli said the consultant’s analysis shows the city’s net assessable fire budget is about $2.3 million and that the program currently yields roughly $1.1 million — about 48 percent of the department’s assessable costs. He presented three budget-recovery scenarios: a 100 percent cost-recovery rate that would raise the typical residential assessment to about $356 per year (an increase of roughly $174 over the current rate), a 75 percent scenario with a $278 residential assessment, and a targeted 10 percent increase that would raise residential bills to about $196 and yield a smaller revenue increase. Napoli also said the county requires the final tax roll by Sept. 1 if new rates are adopted in time for the November tax bill.

Why it matters: the council must decide whether to increase assessments, reallocate general-fund dollars, or pursue another path. A move to higher cost recovery would reduce the portion of fire costs paid from property-tax revenues but would raise bills for property owners; a consolidation with Hernando County would transfer responsibility — and related assessments — to the county.

Hernando County officials gave council an outline of what assumption or consolidation could look like. Jeff Rogers, Hernando County administrator, and Paul Hasmeyer, Hernando County fire chief and public safety director, described county capabilities and an estimated contract-for-service price for FY26. Hasmeyer said the county’s proposal would ensure “the full capabilities of Hernando County Fire Rescue” in the city and allow current Brooksville firefighters an opportunity to join the county department. The county presented a budget estimate in the range of $1.4–$1.5 million for FY26 as an initial contract amount to staff an ALS-capable presence in the city until any MSBU (county fire assessment) consolidation could be completed.

Brooksville staff and council members pressed both presenters on specifics. Council members questioned why commercial and industrial properties would see larger rate increases in Stantec’s allocation (Napoli attributed that to shifts in incident-call allocations and updates to billable units from the property appraiser). Napoli confirmed the study excludes EMS costs from the assessment calculation because, he said, EMS must be funded from general revenues under state statute. Council members also asked whether the city’s current fire pension obligations or cohabitation agreement for the city fire station would affect any deal; Hernando staff said pension and facility-transfer issues would require legal review and negotiation.

On timing and next steps, Napoli explained the city must publish notices and follow a 20-day advertisement requirement before adopting new rates; he said a working timeline could include a council action in August to meet the county tax-roll deadline. Hernando officials said county legal and the city would have to ratify any contract or MSBU change and that public hearings would be needed on the county side if the city’s boundaries were added to the county MSBU.

Council direction: after extended discussion, Councilwoman Ehrhardt moved (by council consensus) that the city manager and staff coordinate with Hernando County to produce a proposal for consideration during the next budget cycle; council agreed and asked the county to include options such as lease or purchase terms for city facilities, treatment of current city pensions, timelines for transition, and a detailed FY26 contract estimate. Mayor (presiding) confirmed the direction by saying, “So that is the will of this council.”

What remains unresolved: council did not adopt new assessment rates at the meeting and took no final vote to transfer services. Council members repeatedly said they preferred more information before a decision, asking for detailed cost comparisons, pension treatment options, and draft lease/purchase terms. Napolitano’s specific scenario numbers and the county’s FY26 estimate will be part of the materials county and city staff will prepare for the council’s next budget meeting.

Ending note: presenters and several council members stressed that any change would require additional public notice, legal review, and, in the case of consolidation, ratification steps on both the city and county sides before assessments or service partners change.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Brooksville - City Council Regular Meeting - Jul 07, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","A presentation by Stantec Consulting on July 7 gave Brooksville City Council a new calculation of the city’s fire-assessment program and opened a public discussion about whether the city should raise rates or consider consolidating fire services with Hernando County.","taxTitle","Brooksville, Hernando County, Florida","taxId",52021,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6683813,"Votes at a glance: council approves wastewater-plant engineering contract, City Hall AC replacement and passes consent agenda",88,5980000,6068000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5322234-82a66236e3e086996217eb4bbe4b6ad2&start=5980&end=6068","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5322234-82a66236e3e086996217eb4bbe4b6ad2/thumbnail_5980000.jpg","/articles/6683813/Brooksville/Hernando-County/Florida/Votes-at-a-glance-council-approves-wastewater-plant-engineering-contract-City-Hall-AC-replacement-and-passes-consent-agenda","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6683813-f6db67debd0ba7362a1c05d1fa079777/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169737&Signature=jHmxXnF5VQTLGAdvwCC9fIby0Fbd5FfztnBIKCdCSavwVKUlNvSb~5fL5zCebIffz4h6VPOM7DpmKFbVi4213DSiZoOxZKxwZYlB6KWw4Oz6KrnPm3xUeLmPmGdBXzUAhWMwVB7py4zEB2WqMIDRFXJmlBAzfUGjcDqYAlWqEORvY8mOxsE2wlQ6rfh8iPvvX3Wpza7KRTyyh5DVNyhNcwDXCdMINiXUFBRIvGbf85ZKli9AShdxw4YjZNIW5NAcgdCqS45jkLk8hyp8OcTzAgyP0fTnQu8-9-d41D80pb73znEcWqIiB5ramW2tW3i1VOlCf5z3jQ8OzeciKgztbQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Brooksville City Council on July 7 approved several budgeted items needed to keep city operations moving while deferring other budget choices for later meetings.

Wastewater treatment expansion: Council approved an engineering and design contract with Coastal Engineering Associates for $526,559 to support the William S. Smith wastewater treatment plant expansion. City staff said the fee will be fully funded by a $3 million water-quality grant. David Kingsbury and city staff explained the city is approaching capacity on current treatment facilities and needs updated designs to comply with an evolving nitrogen standard under the state Basin Management Action Plan; the council voted to approve the engineering agreement 5–0.

City Hall air-conditioning units: Council approved replacing two remaining aging HVAC units at City Hall at a cost of $125,000, to be paid from a combination of repair/maintenance and capital-outlay accounts in the current fiscal year. Staff said delaying the purchase would likely more than double per-unit costs because the existing model will be discontinued; the council approved the replacement 5–0.

Consent agenda and procedural votes: The council adopted the consent agenda and approved the published meeting agenda earlier in the evening; both procedural motions passed 5–0.

Other procedural action: Council approved a motion to grant the Stantec presenter an additional five minutes to finish his presentation; that motion passed unanimously.

Votes summary
- Adopt meeting agenda: adopted, 5–0.
- Consent agenda: approved, 5–0.
- Award engineering/design services to Coastal Engineering Associates (William S. Smith wastewater treatment expansion): approved, 5–0; contract amount $526,559; funding: $3,000,000 water-quality grant.
- Replace two City Hall air-conditioning units: approved, 5–0; estimated cost $125,000; funding: FY25 repair/maintenance and capital-outlay.
- Motion to extend presenter time by 5 minutes: approved, 5–0.

Ending: Council members said the approvals will allow staff to move quickly on technical work already underway; the council deferred final decisions on larger budget items and the fire-service funding question to future budget meetings.","Brooksville City Council on July 7 approved engineering design services for a wastewater-plant expansion ($526,559, funded by a $3 million water-quality grant), authorized $125,000 to replace two City Hall HVAC units, and adopted the consent agenda; all votes were unanimous 5–0.","actionData","errors"]

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Brooksville council hears updated fire-assessment study as Hernando County offers consolidation option

Votes at a glance: council approves wastewater-plant engineering contract, City Hall AC replacement and passes consent agenda