City hires law firm

Brooksville to work out contract with Tom Hogan and associates.

By BARBARA BEHRENDT, Times Staff Writer
Published September 21, 2007

BROOKSVILLE - The City Council has selected the Hogan Law Firm as the new city attorney and is beginning contract negotiations with the firm.

Attorney Tom Hogan and his associates tied with attorney Carole Joy Barice of Fowler & O'Quinn in the ranking system used by the council members, but Hogan received more first-place votes.

If a contract can be reached, it will be brought back to the next council meeting Oct. 1 for final approval. The Hogan Law Firm would replace city attorney David La Croix, who announced months ago that he would leave the job at the end of September.

The council late Monday also approved its 2007-08 budget and a property tax rate that is 16 percent lower than last year.

The council also chose not to add another lieutenant position to the Police Department. Interim police Chief Frank Ross had insisted that the agency needed one lieutenant to oversee operations and another to supervise administration.

The council discussed how many officers are on the street for any given shift and how many are needed to keep the city safe. Ross said there are three officers and one sergeant on duty each day. When asked whether that was enough, Ross said he has not done a staff study and couldn't say.

Mayor David Pugh said that by adding another lieutenant, the council would be taking an officer off the street. Ross' plan would be to promote a sergeant to lieutenant and an officer to sergeant. Ross pointed out that in a small department, lieutenants and even the chief will handle calls as needed.

Council member Lara Bradburn has said that the new police chief should decide how to organize the department. City Manager Jennene Norman-Vacha is expected to name a new chief in the coming days.

The council voted 4 to 1, with Richard Lewis casting the sole no vote, to remove the line item for the lieutenant from the budget and instead add back a 14th patrol officer.

Council members also spoke about two positions in the development services budget, a community redevelopment coordinator and a growth management planner. Pugh said he would accept both of those positions but if voters approve the super homestead exemption in January, he said he would consider cutting the redevelopment position.

Bradburn supported keeping the redevelopment position. The planner, she said, she wanted "on board yesterday."

The total budget approved by the council Monday was $34.8-million compared with last year's $33.8-million, including reserves.

The spending plan is partly financed by a tax rate of 6.323 mills compared to last year's rate of 7.5 mills. A mill is $1 in tax for every $1,000 in appraised taxable property value. For the owner of a $125,000 house with the $25,000 homestead exemption, the tax bill to support city services would be $632.30 compared to $750 under last year's rate.

Barbara Behrendt can be reached at behrendt@sptimes.com or 352 848-1434.

[Last modified September 20, 2007, 21:08:48]