Brooksville council votes 4–1 to terminate firefighters’ pension plan, council urges trustees to make members whole

The Brooksville City Council on Feb. 2 adopted Ordinance 1,010, terminating the city’s Firefighters Trust and Retirement Trust Fund and directing the pension board of trustees to complete required state filings and distribute benefits.

Council members said the decision balanced the city’s long‑term fiscal responsibilities with a legal obligation to make plan members whole. After public comment from retirees and current firefighters who urged the council to delay action, the council moved forward with termination by a roll‑call vote, which passed 4–1.

The ordinance was the subject of extensive public comment and a detailed staff presentation. Several retired chiefs and plan members told the council they feared termination could reduce future retirement value or delay benefits for members close to retirement. “A person with 15 years as a firefighter or a person with 2 weeks as a firefighter are much different,” said a retiree who urged the council to table the decision. Multiple commenters asked for individualized calculations from the actuary before a final decision.

City staff and the pension board’s actuary told the council those individualized numbers are produced by the pension board actuary and that the board, not the council, will administer payouts once an ordinance is adopted. City Manager Lisa said impact statements for both closure and termination were prepared by the pension board’s actuarial firm and reviewed by staff and council. The city’s actuary estimated that keeping the plan “closed” (no new hires) would cost roughly $200,000 a year in ongoing contributions; a termination requiring lump‑sum purchases of annuities could require an approximately $5 million contribution to make beneficiaries whole, depending on final insurance quotes and member elections.

Attorney Glenn Thomas told the council that the city’s legal obligation differs depending on the action: if the council closes the plan the city continues annual contributions; if it terminates the plan the actuary must determine the unfunded liability and the city would be required to fund that amount to permit the pension board to purchase annuities or offer lump sums.

Council members emphasized they would not vote for any course of action that failed to make members whole. After discussion the council member who moved the motion said, “We are terminating this plan,” and the council voted to adopt the ordinance. The motion was seconded and approved on a 4–1 roll call.

Following the vote, the council directed staff to complete the state filings and administrative steps set out in the ordinance and to coordinate with the pension board of trustees. The pension board will notify members of their options — typically an annuity purchase or a lump‑sum equivalent — and will be responsible for distributing funds under Florida law.

Next steps: staff and the pension board will complete the statutory termination process and provide members with the actuarial equivalency calculations they can use to choose annuities or lump sums. The council noted it will monitor the process but reiterated that final distributions are the pension board’s responsibility.

Speakers quoted in this article appear in the meeting record as identified by the clerk: city manager Lisa (city manager), attorney Glenn Thomas (pension board/city attorney), actuary Patrick Donilon (pension actuary), and multiple retirees and members of the public who spoke during citizens’ input and the public hearing.