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Hernando Today

Brooksville Will Consider Taxing District For Fire Services

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By TONY MARRERO, Hernando Today

Published: February 6, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - The way that city residents pay for fire services could change now that the City Council has given staff the go-ahead to investigate the feasibility of a special taxing district.

The council voted unanimously and with little discussion Monday night to direct City Manager Jennene Norman-Vacha to find out whether the city has grown enough in recent years to fund the fire department with a fee levied to each propertyowner.

Norman-Vacha said staff would look at the tax rolls and do the math to see if the city could provide the same level of service residents are getting now without requiring them to pay significantly more.

Currently, both fire and police services are paid out of the city's general revenue fund. Last year, funding for the Brooksville Fire Department comprised $1.5 million, or nearly 18 percent, of the city's $8.7-million general fund.

If the fee system were put into place, it would almost certainly mean a reduction in the millage rate, Norman-Vacha said.

Even if it comes out even in the end, taxpayers would likely benefit because they'll know exactly where their money is going, Norman-Vacha said.

That helps city officials, too, she added.

"Any time you can have services pay for themselves, I think it helps us be better overseers" of public funds, Norman-Vacha said. "Sometimes, when services are lumped into the general fund category, maybe it's a little less-closely managed."

The fire district mechanism is actually already in place.

A previous city council created a special fire services district in 2004 but did not activate it. Officials decided then and again in 2006 that there weren't enough improved parcels in the city to bring in enough money to pay for fire services without charging taxpayers significantly more.

Since then, the city has paid an annual $175 fee with the state to keep the fire district in place in the event the city decides to activate it.
City council members agreed Monday that the amount of growth in the city over the last two years might make it a viable option.

If so, the city would likely use the county's system as a model, Norman-Vacha said. County propertyowners pay fire service fees based on whether the property is used for commercial or residential purposes and on the extent of the improvements.

In an interview Tuesday, Councilmember Joe Bernardini praised Norman-Vacha for "exploring all avenues of revenue."

Bernardini agreed that the system is probably more equitable and that the goal should be to reduce the overall impact to taxpayers' pocketbooks.

But he also pointed out that the council would have to be conscious of the effect such a service fee would have on the city's poorer residents, many of whom do not currently pay ad valorem taxes because of the low value of their property.

Also, larger commercial propertyowners "might take a hit" under the system and the council should work to minimize that effect, Bernardini said.

In other action, the council:

- Gave final approval to a comprehensive plan amendment to allow mobile homes and single family homes on an 11-acre parcel east of U.S. 41 between Oliver Street and VFW Road.

- Agreed to hold off on filing an eminent domain suit against the Hernando County Fair Association to allow negotiations to continue for a piece of property the city needs to construct Governor Boulevard, a north-south roadway that will connect Southern Hills and Cortez boulevards.

- Directed staff to seek bids for the construction of a decorative wall to hide the generator installed in front of City Hall last year.

- Authorized staff to open an investment account with the Florida Municipal Investment Trust to help diversify the city's portfolio.

- Agreed to pursue a $13,000 debt of the Brooksville Housing Authority for the placement of a city police officer in the authority's Hillside Estates apartment complex last year.

- Recognized public works employee Joe Maner, who retired in January after 19 years of service.

- Honored Elder Juanita Johnson, who in the early 1970s became the first African-American woman to serve as a pastor in the county.

Reporter Tony Marrero can be reached at 352-544-5286 or lmarrero@hernandotoday.com.

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