Dec. 02--BROOKSVILLE -- The future of the Hernando Beach and High Point volunteer fire departments may come into better focus after Tuesday.
That's when county commissioners will discuss the possibility of whether the boundaries of the existing Municipal Services Benefit Unit (MSBU) should be expanded to include the geographical regions served by both departments, as well as Spring Hill.
Hernando Beach and High Point are both private corporations and the county cannot abolish them.
County Commissioner Jim Adkins said he would not pursue consolidation for either entity without input from people who live there.
"Before I vote on anything, I would like a vote of the people," Adkins said.
Adkins said the residents of Spring Hill were given that option when pursuing independence.
"I believe they (High Point and Hernando Beach) should be given the same consideration," Adkins said.
The proposal comes on the heels of a plan broached by former County Administrator David Hamilton in 2011 to start the process of consolidating all existing fire service operations within Hernando County into one entity, as suggested in a master plan the board voted to implement in 2008.
The master plan was put on the back burner when the Spring Hill Fire Rescue District pursued becoming an independent district.
Also, another fire service operation still existing at that time, the Tri-County Fire Department, ended its contract to provide services to the county in 2010.
The current consolidation plan excludes the Brooksville Fire Department because county commissioners have no control over the city. The board, however, could direct staff to discuss the possibility of consolidation with city officials.
"Staff does not anticipate that the board will incorporate High Point into the county's MSBU," Jon Jouben, senior assistant county attorney, said Friday. "Instead, I anticipate that the board will simply choose to investigate whether the charge per response covers the professional departments' actual cost of responding (to structural fires)."
Also at Tuesday's workshop, commissioners will further discuss the creation of a unified public safety division.
Last September, county commissioners asked staff to work up a job description for director of integrated fire rescue and public safety services
A final job description must be voted on by the board before the county can advertise.
County commissioners' workshop will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Hernando County Government Center, 20 N. Main St. in downtown Brooksville.
Copyright 2012 - Hernando Today, Brooksville, Fla.
