HNS REPORTS---JULY 30, 2009
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SPECIAL REPORT: SPRING HILL FIRE BUSINESS TAX
LAWYER SAYS BUSINESS TAX REQUIRED BY COUNTY ORDINANCE
The legal opinion provided to Spring Hill Fire Chief Mike Rampino this week not only says that Hernando County could levy a tangible personal property tax against Spring Hill businesses. Most of the opinion actually addresses existing law and ordinances and concludes that "at the present time and unless Hernando County's Code of Ordinances is amended, the [Spring Hill Fire tax unit] must levy ad valorem taxes on 'all property' which includes real and tangible personal property." The opinion by Terry Lewis of Lewis, Longman and Walker cites an existing county code section that says ad valorem tax will be levied on "all property" within the Spring Hill Fire tax unit. Lewis says the lack of any distinction between real property and personal property means that, absent ordinance change, the county has no discretion and must assess tangible personal property tax in Spring Hill. Left unspoken in the opinion is a question on the minds of several today...if the levy is required by county ordinance, why hasn't the tangible property tax been collected over the years from Spring Hill businesses?
SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES AGREE TO NO RAISES THIS YEAR
Sheriff's deputies have given Sheriff Richard Nugent an assist in keeping the public safety budget as lean as possible. In voting this week, deputies chose to forgo raises in hopes of avoiding layoffs. The vote was required under a union contract and reportedly opens up negotiations over the next year for new contract terms. Nugent has warned county commissioners that the cuts they requested could result in the end of some crime prevention programs and could mean some positions, both sworn and non-sworn, would have to be eliminated.
ALCOHOL, JEALOUSY FUEL FIGHT, LOST LOWER LIP AND ARREST
A 19-year old Brooksville man has been charged with aggravated battery with great bodily harm after he allegedly attacked and bit off the lower lip of another man he thought was getting too close with his girlfriend. According to an arrest affidavit and warrant, Corey Anthony Carroll of 12299 Lark Sparrow Road was taken into custody this week after the victim identified him in a photo lineup. The affidavit says the victim was dancing with Carroll's girlfirend at a party earlier this month and that witnesses said Carroll had a lot to drink, took offense at the dancing, and attacked the victim, who was identified in the affidavit as Corey Stilson. The affidavit says Carroll grappled with Stilson and bit off a part of Stilson's lower lip. Stilson was taken to Tampa General Hospital for plastic surgery to repair the damage.
BROOKSVILLE POLICE GET GRANT, SHERIFF GETS HOPE FOR NEXT ROUND
While Brooksville city officials are happy to get federal stimulus funds to hire another police officer under the COPS program, sheriff's office staff say they remain optimistic that their application will get better treatment in the next round of COPS grants. Brooksville was awarded $134,000 in announcements Wednesday, but the sheriff's office was shut out. Analysis of this week's grants indicated that only $1 million was awarded for every $7 million in requests.
FOUR GET RABIES TREATMENT AFTER ATTACK BY RABID FOX
The Hernando County Health Department said Wednesday that four people are undergoing treatment for rabies exposure after they were bit or scratched by a fox near Brooksville. The Health Department said the four were attacked Saturday in the Hidden Valley Campground/Wesleyan Village area off Cortez Blvd. east of Brooksville. The fox was killed by its last victim and tested positive for rabies at a Health Department lab in Tampa. Officials said that residents should exercise caution with animals that commonly carry the rabies virus, including especially raccoons, bats, foxes and skunks. They are reminding the public that animals with rabies may show strange behavior or may be aggressive or appear tame. They may also drool due to swallowing difficulty or may stagger or become paralyzed. The Health Department recommends these guidelines to help prevent exposure to rabid animals:
* Vaccinate all dogs, cats and ferrets over the age of three months against rabies. Vaccinations should be performed by a licensed veterinarian.
* Avoid all free-roaming dogs, cats and wild animals.
* Do not allow pets to run free. Follow leash laws and keep pets and livestock secured on
your property.
* Do not feed or pet wild animals.
* Call Hernando County Animal Services to report stray dogs or cats or wild animals exhibiting aggressive or unusual behavior. The Animal Services phone number is 796-5062.
LANDFILL BIDS GIVE COUNTY STAFF NICE SURPRISE
County officials got a good surprise Wednesday when bids for construction of the new landfill cell were opened. Though the estimated cost was more than $9 million when planned more than a year ago, the delay in permitting may actually pay off with a much lower price for construction. The bids ranged from a low of $5.5 million to a high of $7.7 million. Officials will review the bid details before recommending an award for County Board approval. County staff say the competition for government business during the economic slowdown has been producing unusually low bids on everything from roads and the landfill cell to the Hernando Beach dredge project.
SEAGRASS ORDINANCE TO BE REWORKED
County lawyers are working with Public Works staff to revise an existing ordinance on seagrass protection. Commissioners set an August 11 hearing for the new ordinance at their meeting Tuesday. Public Works chief Charles Mixson says the new ordinance is part of the mitigation required for the dredge project. State officials are now saying the original planned mitigation area won't work because of the amount of seagrass regenerated naturally since the area was picked several years ago. Now, with permitting delays, the county needs to find another area that needs seagrass. Mixson says he doesn't expect the change to affect the optimistic dredge timetable, which has the wider, deeper channel finished by next spring.
TOURIST COUNCIL ACCEPTING SPECIAL EVENTS GRANT APPLICATIONS
Hernando County Tourism Director Susan Rupe said Thursday that the Hernando County Tourist Development Council is accepting applications for Special Event Funding. These applications will only be accepted until 5:00 p.m. on August 28, 2009. All applications will be considered for funding during Fiscal Year 2009-2010. The Council sets aside a portion of its annual budget for special event funding for local groups and organizations coordinating events with a demonstrated history of visitor impact or significant potential to draw visitors to Hernando County. Rupe said new policies and guidelines have been set for applications submitted for the 2009 – 2010 Funding Year. The application package is available online at www.naturallyhernando.org, or the package may be picked up at the Tourism Bureau office.
COUNTY OFFERS ONLINE TRANSPORTATION SURVEY
County transportation planners are giving the public a chance to take an online survey to help revise the current long-range transportation plan. A county media release says the Hernando County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is conducting a major update of the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) to the 2035 horizon year. The most recent LRTP update was adopted in December 2004 and had a horizon year of 2025. This 2035 LRTP update is slated for MPO approval in November 2009. Officials say the LRTP is the focal point of the MPO's planning and programming activities and represents the 20-year vision for the county's transportation system. The LRTP considers all principal modes of transportation as an integrated system including highways, public transportation, bikeways and pedestrian facilities. During the update of the LRTP, the MPO will utilize its webpage at www.hernandocounty.us/mpo to provide LRTP information on the schedule, process, events and work products. Officials are inviting the public to complete the on-line Transportation Survey to have input into prioritizing transportation-related improvements in Hernando County. The survey will take about three minutes to complete. The direct survey link is
http://www.hernandocounty.us/survey/TakeSurvey.asp?SurveyID=92M7535M65lKG The results will be posted on the MPO's webpage.
CLICK > ON THE ICON:
SPECIAL REPORT: SPRING HILL FIRE BUSINESS TAX
LAWYER SAYS BUSINESS TAX REQUIRED BY COUNTY ORDINANCE
SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES AGREE TO NO RAISES THIS YEAR
Sheriff's deputies have given Sheriff Richard Nugent an assist in keeping the public safety budget as lean as possible. In voting this week, deputies chose to forgo raises in hopes of avoiding layoffs. The vote was required under a union contract and reportedly opens up negotiations over the next year for new contract terms. Nugent has warned county commissioners that the cuts they requested could result in the end of some crime prevention programs and could mean some positions, both sworn and non-sworn, would have to be eliminated.
ALCOHOL, JEALOUSY FUEL FIGHT, LOST LOWER LIP AND ARREST
BROOKSVILLE POLICE GET GRANT, SHERIFF GETS HOPE FOR NEXT ROUND
While Brooksville city officials are happy to get federal stimulus funds to hire another police officer under the COPS program, sheriff's office staff say they remain optimistic that their application will get better treatment in the next round of COPS grants. Brooksville was awarded $134,000 in announcements Wednesday, but the sheriff's office was shut out. Analysis of this week's grants indicated that only $1 million was awarded for every $7 million in requests.
FOUR GET RABIES TREATMENT AFTER ATTACK BY RABID FOX
The Hernando County Health Department said Wednesday that four people are undergoing treatment for rabies exposure after they were bit or scratched by a fox near Brooksville. The Health Department said the four were attacked Saturday in the Hidden Valley Campground/Wesleyan Village area off Cortez Blvd. east of Brooksville. The fox was killed by its last victim and tested positive for rabies at a Health Department lab in Tampa. Officials said that residents should exercise caution with animals that commonly carry the rabies virus, including especially raccoons, bats, foxes and skunks. They are reminding the public that animals with rabies may show strange behavior or may be aggressive or appear tame. They may also drool due to swallowing difficulty or may stagger or become paralyzed. The Health Department recommends these guidelines to help prevent exposure to rabid animals:
* Vaccinate all dogs, cats and ferrets over the age of three months against rabies. Vaccinations should be performed by a licensed veterinarian.
* Avoid all free-roaming dogs, cats and wild animals.
* Do not allow pets to run free. Follow leash laws and keep pets and livestock secured on
your property.
* Do not feed or pet wild animals.
* Call Hernando County Animal Services to report stray dogs or cats or wild animals exhibiting aggressive or unusual behavior. The Animal Services phone number is 796-5062.
LANDFILL BIDS GIVE COUNTY STAFF NICE SURPRISE
County officials got a good surprise Wednesday when bids for construction of the new landfill cell were opened. Though the estimated cost was more than $9 million when planned more than a year ago, the delay in permitting may actually pay off with a much lower price for construction. The bids ranged from a low of $5.5 million to a high of $7.7 million. Officials will review the bid details before recommending an award for County Board approval. County staff say the competition for government business during the economic slowdown has been producing unusually low bids on everything from roads and the landfill cell to the Hernando Beach dredge project.
SEAGRASS ORDINANCE TO BE REWORKED
TOURIST COUNCIL ACCEPTING SPECIAL EVENTS GRANT APPLICATIONS
Hernando County Tourism Director Susan Rupe said Thursday that the Hernando County Tourist Development Council is accepting applications for Special Event Funding. These applications will only be accepted until 5:00 p.m. on August 28, 2009. All applications will be considered for funding during Fiscal Year 2009-2010. The Council sets aside a portion of its annual budget for special event funding for local groups and organizations coordinating events with a demonstrated history of visitor impact or significant potential to draw visitors to Hernando County. Rupe said new policies and guidelines have been set for applications submitted for the 2009 – 2010 Funding Year. The application package is available online at www.naturallyhernando.org, or the package may be picked up at the Tourism Bureau office.
COUNTY OFFERS ONLINE TRANSPORTATION SURVEY
County transportation planners are giving the public a chance to take an online survey to help revise the current long-range transportation plan. A county media release says the Hernando County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is conducting a major update of the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) to the 2035 horizon year. The most recent LRTP update was adopted in December 2004 and had a horizon year of 2025. This 2035 LRTP update is slated for MPO approval in November 2009. Officials say the LRTP is the focal point of the MPO's planning and programming activities and represents the 20-year vision for the county's transportation system. The LRTP considers all principal modes of transportation as an integrated system including highways, public transportation, bikeways and pedestrian facilities. During the update of the LRTP, the MPO will utilize its webpage at www.hernandocounty.us/mpo to provide LRTP information on the schedule, process, events and work products. Officials are inviting the public to complete the on-line Transportation Survey to have input into prioritizing transportation-related improvements in Hernando County. The survey will take about three minutes to complete. The direct survey link is
http://www.hernandocounty.us/survey/TakeSurvey.asp?SurveyID=92M7535M65lKG The results will be posted on the MPO's webpage.
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