Brooksville council orders new garbage truck and switches solid-waste disposal to Hernando County landfill

The City of Brooksville City Council voted 4-1 to direct the Department of Public Works to purchase a new garbage truck and to change the city's solid-waste disposal contract from Heart Of Florida (Sumter County) to Hernando County. Councilmembers and DPW staff said the change would shorten hauling time, reduce wear on trucks and free crews for more in-city work such as debris pickup and vehicle maintenance.

DPW Director Richard Weeks summarized routes and equipment needs during a detailed budget review. Waste collection currently requires two daily round trips to the Sumter County landfill, adding roughly two hours of driving per route and increasing maintenance, fuel costs and downtime, Weeks said. He estimated the added operational wear roughly offsets about half of Hernando County's higher tipping fee; Hernando County disposal would cost an estimated additional $129,000 if the city did not offset travel savings, Weeks said. Council members and staff estimated the net additional annual cost would be closer to $60,000—65,000 after factoring in fuel and maintenance savings.

The council also approved purchasing a replacement sanitation vehicle (quoted at about $380,000) from the city's vehicle-replacement reserve; staff said the sanitation vehicle-replacement fund currently holds roughly $1.3 million. Councilmembers said the enterprise fund is self-sustaining and that the purchase was appropriate given the vehicle's condition.

Council member (mover) made the motion to approve both actions; the motion passed on a 4-1 vote. Council directed DPW to proceed with procurement and return to council with final purchase orders and contract amendments for landfill disposal.

DPW staff will also present cost reconciliation figures at the next quarterly review to show whether the anticipated savings materialize and whether sanitation user fees require adjustment.