BROOKSVILLE — The City Council took the first step Nov. 2 toward limiting temporary fireworks tents to six per holiday season and restricting where donation collection bins can go.
Both measures, along with a companion ordinance on commercial fireworks displays, passed on first reading. They return for final votes Nov. 16, the last meeting for Mayor Christa Tanner.
The meeting came a day before Council Member Betty Erhard lost her bid for reelection. It also featured a sharp exchange between Erhard and Council Member Louis Hallal over city spending.
Ordinance 1027 would set standards for fireworks sales. Community Development Director David Hainley said Hernando County Fire Rescue requested it. He said he spoke with fire officials around the Fourth of July. They were concerned about how many temporary sales tents go up in the city before Independence Day and New Year’s Eve, and about explosives sitting out in the open. Hainley said he told them the city currently regulates only the tents themselves.
“They suggested that we should adopt some ordinances regarding standards regarding these items, and numbers of sites that we allow,” Hainley said.
The proposed cap of six tents per holiday matches the number the city had the last time around. The county allows 14 outside city limits. Stores such as Walmart could still sell fireworks, Hainley said.
Fire officials inspect the tents for fireproofing, and city staff then issue the permits.
Council Member Thomas Bronson said he was concerned about the city cracking down on vendors. Hainley pointed out that the council has already limited car washes, self-storage facilities and marijuana dispensaries. Bronson replied that those are permanent structures, and Hainley agreed.
Tanner said six tents per holiday was fine with her.
“I guess we can always change it if it becomes a problem later on,” Bronson said.
The first reading passed 3-2, with Bronson and Erhard dissenting.
The display ordinance, which Hainley said codifies a process already in place, passed 5-0 on a roll-call vote.
The council also took aim at donation collection bins. Hainley said some have appeared on city rights of way and aren’t being maintained. The proposed ordinance would limit them to commercial and industrial zones.
Hallal said some bins look fine while others look like they’re from a “Third World country.” He said the bins should require a permit and be tied down in case of a hurricane.
Some bins have also been rifled through by homeless people looking for clothes and other items.
The council approved the first reading 5-0, with changes that include the hurricane tie-down requirement.
Public Works Director Richard Weeks updated the council on the North Avenue sidewalk project, estimated at about $300,000. At issue was whether to take half the cost from the city’s capital improvements program as a match for a state appropriation to cover the rest.
City Manager Lisa Hendrickson said that money would pay for engineering and design. The city could then apply to the Metropolitan Planning Organization for a construction grant.
The council agreed the project is a priority and directed staff to pursue a state appropriation with a city match.
The project will take years either way. Tanner said she won’t be on the council when it’s finished, but she hopes to be at the ribbon-cutting.
Erhard, Hallal clash
Erhard again found herself at odds with the rest of the council over spending, both on the consent agenda and during council comments.
She asked that two items be pulled from the consent agenda for separate discussion. One was a cooperative purchasing, or “piggyback,” agreement through Sourcewell to buy a Kubota tractor and mowing attachments from Crystal Tractor LLC for $80,728.62 for the Parks and Recreation Department. The other was a second Dell contract, a five-year lease of 40 laptops at $16,099.80 a year, which is in the technology budget for fiscal 2026-27.
The council rejected her request 4-1. Erhard later asked whether that was legal, and Hendrickson said it was.
During council comments, Erhard criticized spending on Brooksville Main Street, among other items. She said the $50,000 the organization receives from the city is taxpayer money and that she wants the group to account for it.
She also objected that leases for three Enterprise vehicles were listed under “correspondence to note” at the end of the agenda rather than being discussed or voted on. During budget talks, she had criticized raises and incentive pay for city employees.
Hallal disagreed sharply on several points and accused Erhard of using social media to make claims. He said the vehicle leases and pay increases were budgeted.
Hallal said he and three other council members met with department heads to work on the budget and concluded a tax rate of 6.5 mills was needed to balance it without dipping into reserves. He said he had suggested cuts and supported trimming Brooksville Main Street’s funding to reach 6.2 mills. But he noted the group’s Halloween festival drew 10,000 people, bringing in visitors from outside the city to spend money at local businesses.
The budget “is very lean and open to the public on our website,” Hallal said.
He added that the raises and incentive pay have saved the city money by reducing turnover and the cost of training new employees.
In other action
Homan Realty received a Margaret Ghiotto Beautification Award in the commercial category for its property at 18 S. Main St.
The council approved a proclamation recognizing Veterans Day, Nov. 11. It was accepted by members of Brooksville VFW Post 8713 and city employees who are veterans.
The council recognized members of the South Brooksville Community Redevelopment Agency Steering Committee: Connie Green, Keisha Cason, Martha Maner, Susan Duval, Delores Williams, Thomas Bronson, John Mitten, Steve Champion and Charles Burnett.