Brooksville council approves higher fire-assessment rates amid heated debate over keeping city fire department

Brooksville 'The Brooksville City Council voted 4'to'2 on Aug. 12 to adopt Resolution 25'15 setting the city''s fire protection assessment rates at the maximum shown in a recent consultant study, a move the council'said would bring assessment billing closer to the full cost of operating the fire department.

The vote came as residents, business owners and city firefighters urged the council to keep the Brooksville Fire Department intact. Many speakers said local firefighters provide faster responses and stronger neighborhood relationships; others and some council members raised concerns about long'term costs and whether the city can fund necessary equipment and paramedic staffing.

The resolution formalizes rates developed by Stantec Consulting and recommended by staff to reduce the subsidy from general revenues. Peter (Stantec), the city's consultant on the assessment study, told council the city currently recovers less than half of its fire-department costs through assessments and that a full cost recovery target in the study would generate roughly $2.2 million a year compared with roughly $1.1 million now. "We followed the calls'for'service methodology," he said, explaining that the study groups properties (residential, commercial, institutional) and allocates costs based on historic call volume.

Why this matters

The council's decision increases the proportion of the fire department's operating cost borne directly through property assessments rather than the city general fund. Council members said the…