Brooksville council authorizes RFP for updated impact‑fee study; staff to return with bids

Council voted Jan. 5 to authorize issuance of a request for proposals (RFP) to update Brooksville’s impact‑fee study, a process staff said could cost between roughly $50,000 and $150,000 depending on scope and take up to a year or more to complete.

City staff reminded the council the city’s last agreement was approved in November 2020; the final report for that study was completed in September 2022 and updated fees were approved in January 2023. Staff cited peer examples: Jefferson County’s 2024 study estimate of about $53,275 and Palm Coast’s more expansive study estimated at about $152,357.

Procurement administrator Emily Bennett reviewed the draft RFP timeline and noted formal advertisement would be submitted for legal ads ahead of solicitation. Staff recommended soliciting bids to get accurate cost estimates and then returning to council with staff recommendations and bid evaluations in early March if the solicitation timeline is followed.

Council discussed statutory timelines for impact‑fee updates and the option of appointing a councilmember to sit on the procurement evaluation committee as a council voice in the staff review. One councilmember expressed caution about scheduling and statutory windows; staff and the city attorney summarized Florida requirements and said the new study must use recent local data within four years of an increase and that, if the fee increases, the study must be adopted within 12 months of initiation.

Council directed staff to issue the RFP and to proceed with normal procurement procedures; staff will return with proposals and a staff recommendation for council review.

Ending: Staff will solicit proposals and return to council with bids and a recommendation; council discussed but did not finalize appointing a councilmember to the evaluation committee and left that procedural detail to future direction if desired.