Brooksville Fire Assessment Rates
The City of Brooksville set tentative fire assessment rates at 0.85 for tier 1 (per unit) and $100 for tier 2 (per parcel for vacant land). These are the maximum rates they are looking at, going into the budget. These are generally set high for flexibility. The current rates are 0.8 for tier 1 and $80 for tier 2. Council Member Kahler fought for flexibility in tier 1, as the original plan was to keep tier 1 at 0.8 and increase tier 2 by $20. She thought that would not be a fair tax increase since most of the service demand is from tier 1 properties.
Fire Chief Mossgrove explained that his budget for the upcoming year is a status quo, bare bones budget. Increases are being considered in order to shift the burden from the general fund (ad valorem taxes based on property values) to the fire assessment rates (non ad valorem). There will be a hearing regarding this on September 9th at 5:01pm.
2015 Great Brooksvillian
The Great Brooksvillian Selection Committee recommended that the City choose E.E. “Ernie” Wever Jr. to receive the 2015 Great Brooksvillian Award. The committee also considered Steve Manuel and Joseph Mason Jr.
Thomas E. Bronson submitted a recommendation for Mr. Wever citing his position as Vice President of Hernando State Bank (during the 50’s), many positions he held at SunTrust and years of leadership in the community including his efforts in developing numerous recreational facilities in Brooksville and Hernando County. Ernie Chatman wrote, “His greatest achievement started in 1958 when he led in the creation of Dixie Little Boys Baseball, which is now known as Hernando Youth Leagues, Inc.”
Mr. Wever also served on the City Council between 1994 and 2006 as both Mayor and Vice Mayor. Among the numerous positions he held was President of Brooksville-Hernanddo Chamber of Commerce and President of Brooksville Rotary. He served as a 2nd Lt USAF Bomber during WWII.
Robert A. Buckner commended his budgetary planning skills stating in his letter, “I am not aware of any other city council member that dedicated as much time and talent on budgetary elements for the benefit of the City of Brooksville than Ernie Wever.” Jim Kimbrough Chairman and CEO of SunTrust Nature Coast stated, “For decades he would leave work at the bank and head to the ball fields…mowing, planting, fertilizing, trimming, raking…ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING that needed to be done.” Robert Bruce Snow, he stated, “Indeed even as Cooperstown serves to honor Baseball’s Hall of Famers, Brooksville should honor Ernie Wever as its next Great Brooksvillian.” Ernie Wever Jr. passed away in January of 2014 at the age of 88, but his legacy will be honored as 2015’s Great Brooksvillian. Arrangements for the ceremony are being made.
Good Neighbor Trail Update
The City of Brooksville dedicated two different parcels of land for right of way for the Good Neighbor Bicycling Trail. One parcel was rededicated from Park and Rec use, to be used for the GNT. The other was deeded to the city by attorney Joe Mason which runs adjacent to Tom Varn Park. This is an attempt to strengthen the case for using the Good Neighbor Trail through the City of Brooksville as a connector to the Coast to Coast trail which runs from St. Pete to Titusville.