Brooksville council hears updated fire-assessment study as Hernando County offers consolidation option

A presentation by Stantec Consulting on July 7 gave Brooksville City Council a new calculation of the city’s fire-assessment program and opened a public discussion about whether the city should raise rates or consider consolidating fire services with Hernando County.

Peter Napoli, a manager with Stantec Consulting, told council he was hired to “recalculate the rates” after the city reached a previously adopted cap on assessment increases. Napoli said the consultant’s analysis shows the city’s net assessable fire budget is about $2.3 million and that the program currently yields roughly $1.1 million — about 48 percent of the department’s assessable costs. He presented three budget-recovery scenarios: a 100 percent cost-recovery rate that would raise the typical residential assessment to about $356 per year (an increase of roughly $174 over the current rate), a 75 percent scenario with a $278 residential assessment, and a targeted 10 percent increase that would raise residential bills to about $196 and yield a smaller revenue increase. Napoli also said the county requires the final tax roll by Sept. 1 if new rates are adopted in time for the November tax bill.

Why it matters: the council must decide whether to increase assessments, reallocate general-fund dollars, or pursue another path. A move to higher cost recovery would reduce the portion of fire costs paid from property-tax revenues but would raise bills for property owners; a consolidation with Hernando County would transfer responsibility — and related assessments — to the county.

Hernando County officials gave council an outline of what assumption or consolidation could look like. Jeff Rogers, Hernando County administrator, and Paul Hasmeyer, Hernando County fire chief and public safety director, described county capabilities and an estimated contract-for-service price for FY26. Hasmeyer said the county’s proposal would ensure “the full capabilities of Hernando County Fire Rescue” in the city and allow current Brooksville firefighters an opportunity to join the county department. The county presented a budget estimate in the range of $1.4–$1.5 million for FY26 as an initial contract amount to staff an ALS-capable presence in the city until any MSBU (county fire assessment) consolidation could be completed.

Brooksville staff and council members pressed both presenters on specifics. Council members questioned why commercial and industrial properties would see larger rate increases in Stantec’s allocation (Napoli attributed that to shifts in incident-call allocations and updates to billable units from the property appraiser). Napoli confirmed the study excludes EMS costs from the assessment calculation because, he said, EMS must be funded from general revenues under state statute. Council members also asked whether the city’s current fire pension obligations or cohabitation agreement for the city fire station would affect any deal; Hernando staff said pension and facility-transfer issues would require legal review and negotiation.

On timing and next steps, Napoli explained the city must publish notices and follow a 20-day advertisement requirement before adopting new rates; he said a working timeline could include a council action in August to meet the county tax-roll deadline. Hernando officials said county legal and the city would have to ratify any contract or MSBU change and that public hearings would be needed on the county side if the city’s boundaries were added to the county MSBU.

Council direction: after extended discussion, Councilwoman Ehrhardt moved (by council consensus) that the city manager and staff coordinate with Hernando County to produce a proposal for consideration during the next budget cycle; council agreed and asked the county to include options such as lease or purchase terms for city facilities, treatment of current city pensions, timelines for transition, and a detailed FY26 contract estimate. Mayor (presiding) confirmed the direction by saying, “So that is the will of this council.”

What remains unresolved: council did not adopt new assessment rates at the meeting and took no final vote to transfer services. Council members repeatedly said they preferred more information before a decision, asking for detailed cost comparisons, pension treatment options, and draft lease/purchase terms. Napolitano’s specific scenario numbers and the county’s FY26 estimate will be part of the materials county and city staff will prepare for the council’s next budget meeting.

Ending note: presenters and several council members stressed that any change would require additional public notice, legal review, and, in the case of consolidation, ratification steps on both the city and county sides before assessments or service partners change.