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Letters: Brooksville should explore public safety merger

 
Published Aug. 29, 2013

Time to examine public safety costs

At last a member of the Brooksville City Council has begun to raise the need for serious cost effective analysis of why the city allocates so much revenue to the police and fire departments while the city's infrastructure continues its rapid decline.

I hope Vice Mayor Kevin Hohn and other council members pursue an in-depth assessment of the cost benefits to the city if they outsource police and fire to Hernando County. I am completely confident that substantial cost savings will be made. I know the good men and women of those departments would have serious concerns about job security if they were merged with the county, but hopefully they would be accommodated and just change shoulder patches.

The City Council and citizens should be firm and insist that this cost benefit analysis be done so by an impartial organization and the results and recommendations be openly discussed with the public then let the citizens' choose as to how they want their tax dollars used.

It will most likely be an eye-opening and painful process. However, if no serious consideration is given, then the city's infrastructure will continue to erode and no blueberry festivals, red-light cameras or shut off the fluoride actions will solve the problem.

Donald Ruths, Brooksville

Keep the review focused on stage

I was at the Show Palace at the same time as Barbara Fredericksen, your professional entertainment critic. We both saw the same show and ate the same food. I agree with her as to the actors in the show. They were above good, they were close to excellent. The play itself was fine with me but I look at things different than her and probably a lot of other people. However, she seems to have an ax to grind with the new management.

The food quality and the selection is part of her critique. Why? I have been at the Show Palace when the food was not completely to my liking, but after being to more shows than I can count over the years it has never been as bad as she portrays in her critique. If this is a to be part of your overall critique then may I suggest you let Ms. Fredericksen do the entertainment and send a food critic as well. I believe a professional food critic would at least be impartial.

Roberta Gaudioso, Spring Hill