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Hernando Today

Fay Prompts Shortened Commission Agenda

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By MICHAEL D. BATES and TONY MARRERO

Hernando Today

Published: August 19, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - The County Commission expects to finish its regular meeting much earlier than scheduled today in anticipation of Tropical Storm Fay.
County Administrator David Hamilton has asked staff to rework the commission agenda to allow county staffers to get home to prepare for the storm so department heads can focus on whatever extra work the storm might bring.

Agenda items had been scheduled as late as 4 p.m. Hamilton now hopes the meeting will be done by 1 p.m.

"Or sooner," he said.

There will be no time for citizen comments, the scheduled recesses have been removed and the commission will work straight through lunch, Hamilton said. Items scheduled for the afternoon have been moved to the morning, and the board will adjourn after it meets as the Metropolitan Planning Organization.

The commission can't cancel the meeting because the next one is not scheduled until Sept. 10, Hamilton said.

"These issues need to be attended to," he said.

Here are some highlights of what's on tap for the meeting, which starts at 9 a.m. at the Government Center, 20 N. Main St.

Purchasing Director James Gantt will ask county commissioners Tuesday to approve a $28,652 contract to Brooksville-based Cliff's Construction to excavate and haul away the contaminated soil at the former department of public works site in downtown Brooksville.

Assistant County Engineer Gregg Sutton said he was able to secure a local company at a competitive rate. "This is a good outcome," Sutton said. Almost two dozen companies bid on the job, an indication of the tough economic environment, Sutton said.

To save money, the county split the costs of its interim cleanup of the compound at 201 West Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. between the project consultant and a private excavation firm.

Brooksville-based Creative Environmental Solutions, the county-hired consultant handling the DPW project, will handle the technical end of the operation and supervise the hauling operations of the private firm.

The excavation company will truck the tainted soil to a landfill designed to hold contaminated waste, probably in St. Cloud.

•Deputy County Administrator Larry Jennings will ask the board to consider a policy revision that allows more equitable compensation for employees who temporarily work several grades above their current positions.

The county is experiencing more instances of employees having to temporarily work out of position because of staff attrition and department streamlining, Jennings said.

•The board will discuss the idea to start live Web streaming of county commission meetings. It would also allow people to access video of past meetings via the Internet. There would be an initial one-time expense of $89,300 for the hardware, software, training and licensing. The annual maintenance cost would be $12,000.

Brooksville City Council reschedules Monday meeting

The Brooksville City Council's regular meeting slated for 7 p.m. Monday was rescheduled for next Monday, Aug. 25.

Reporter Michael D. Bates can be reached at 352-544-5290 or mbates@hernandotoday.com. Reporter Tony Marrero can be reached at 352-544-5286 or lmarrero@hernandotoday.com.

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