Slowly but surely, the Citizens’ Financial Advisory Committee is taking shape
At its third meeting, the Citizens’ Financial Advisory Committee moved toward its main goal: ensuring money from increased property taxes is used properly in the School District of Manatee County.
Among other uses, the money will be used to give teachers and other employees a pay raise.
Stewart Moon, one of the original 15 committee members, left the group early on. The committee introduced two new members on Tuesday, and a 17th member is expected to join in the future.
The new members are Pat Barber, president of the Manatee Education Association, and Deanna Howell, president for the local chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Howell was not present on Tuesday.
Barber is a 45-year resident of Manatee County. As president of the union, she represents teachers and paraprofessionals in the district.
“I am very happy to be on this board because accounting for the expenditures of this tax is a very important role,” Barber said.
According to the committee’s draft charter, Howell is not allowed to serve on the committee. The charter prohibits school district employees from being a member, but she joined before Tuesday’s meeting, when members voted unanimously to accept the proposed charter.
The discrepancy will be a topic of discussion on July 24, when someone from the committee will join the school board’s workshop for a conversation on progress and goals.
Another topic could be the committee’s oversight authority, or lack thereof.
Though the school board voted in February to give the committee broad oversight of the district’s finances, the board later constricted oversight to the receipt and disbursement of millage funds. the July 24 workshop could lead to a middle ground.
Board member Charlie Kennedy offered a suggestion at Tuesday’s meeting. If the majority of committee members vote in favor of bringing an issue to the school board’s attention, the board can then vote on whether the issue deserves more of the committee’s attention.
On Tuesday, the committee also voted to create three subcommittees, and it requested financial documents from the school district. It was the committee’s first step toward fiscal oversight.
Reflecting beyond Tuesday’s 2-hour meeting, committee Chair Robert Christopher empathized with his fellow members. The weight of their responsibility was clear.
“The worst thing that can happen is this millage not be reapproved three years from now,” he said. “That is a catastrophe.”
This story was originally published July 17, 2018 at 7:00 PM.