School board keeps millage rate the same

It didn’t take long for the Polk County Board of Education to conclude their public business in a special called session to approve their tax rate for the coming year.

And it’s staying right where it was last year, despite the slight decrease in the tax digest and thus a break once again for local residents.

In this year’s advert i sed t ax digest, t he school board is looking at a net millage rate of 16.15, which would collect $ 14,367,645 in net taxes with a net loss of $112,951 if the rate were to stay at that level.

Board members had no problem with the rate, and voted unanimously soon after calling the session into order and approving the agenda for their Aug. 30 session, held just an hour before the County Commission met and approved their tax rate for the year as well.

In past years, the school board has rolled back the millage rate from the net rate and collected less from property owners.

The difference is that with the loss of net tax revenue with the digest, a decrease in the amount of money available also coincides with a drop in the amount of money available in the general fund balance, plus the addition of the need to pay back a Tax Anticipation Note (TAN) from Century Bank to be all paid off before the end of the year.

That vote earlier in the month covered $1.6 million funds, and with the shortfall could mean less available to the school board from local sources in the 2018 budget.

Board members approved estimated col- lections of $ 13 million in property tax revenue, meaning that only $11.2 million will be available after the TAN is paid off and with the decrease in the digest figured in.

The board went into their latest executive session for the month, which included a trio of Saturday special called sessions to interview candidates for the Superintendent position.

Board members have met on Aug. 5, Aug. 12, and Aug. 15 for special sessions that all immediately went into executive session.

The Aug. 30 session also marked another special occasion, being the first to include interim District 6 board member Judy Wiggins, who was sworn in earlier last week to serve out the remainder of the year until November’s special election, in which she is a candidate.