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Hernando Today

Fire Study Heats Up Busy Agenda

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By MICHAEL D. BATES, Hernando Today

Published: January 15, 2008

Updated: 01/14/2008 08:55 pm

BROOKSVILLE - County commissioners' first regular business meeting of the year promises to be a marathon session with several hot-button topics on the agenda.

One of the biggest is a consultant's presentation of his 574-page comprehensive master plan study of the county's fire and emergency operations.

Phillip Kouwe, project manager and senior vice president of Oregon-based Emergency Services Consulting Inc. will spell out three options, the first being the creation of an independent special fire district - including the city of Brooksville - to be governed by an appointed board of fire commissioners with equal representation of all areas served.

Kouwe is also recommending dissolving the Spring Hill and county fire departments and unifying them in a single district to be funded either through an ad valorem property tax, fire protection assessment fees or a combination of both.

County commissioners paid $128,000 for the report, which they plan to use to streamline county emergency operations.
Spring Hill Fire Rescue District Board Chairman Charles Raborn told his board last week that the district planned to address county commissioners about the validity of the study and its ramifications on his district.

The meeting begins at 9 a.m. today at the Hernando County Government Center, 20 North Main St. in downtown Brooksville.

Another agenda item of major interest will be a discussion of property foreclosures in Hernando County, which totaled almost 2,000 last year.

Commissioner Diane Rowden in November had asked for stakeholders to meet and come up with potential solutions to discuss with the board and the public.

The property foreclosure discussion is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. and the fire study presentation at 1:30 p.m.

However, times can vary depending on the length of preceding agenda items and various breaks during the day.

Also today, commissioners will discuss:

The adoption of an ordinance regulating the mooring and docking of commercial vessels adjacent to residential property near the Gulf of Mexico.

Approving a more restrictive landscape ordinance.

Traffic-calming devices to alleviate congestion at Springwood Estates.

Meeting the long-term judicial space needs of the county.

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

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