Manatee voters approved a tax hike for local schools in 2018. Will they do it again?

Manatee County residents backed local education and approved a one-mill increase on property taxes in March 2018. While the tax hike is still in effect for nearly two years, the School Board of Manatee County is already planning for the renewal vote.

During a workshop on Thursday, Superintendent Cynthia Saunders said the referendum expires on June 30, 2022, and that board members needed to plan well in advance. They could start by working on the ballot language and the election date, she said.

“In addition to that, it has to go to the county commission’s office,” Saunders continued. “They have to vote to put it on the ballot. And then it has to go to the supervisor of elections. In the past, we gave him about six months time frame just to get everything ready for an election.”

A mill is equal to one dollar for every $1,000 on a home’s value, and the public will again be asked to accept the one-mill increase on their property taxes. The superintendent presented three options for an election: August 2021, November 2021 or March 2022.

Three of the board members — Charlie Kennedy, James Golden and Scott Hopes — said they preferred the November 2021 date, while Dave Miner advocated for the date in March 2022. The board chair, Gina Messenger, offered no opinion.

The referendum, supported by just over 51 percent of voters in 2018, split the added tax revenue between six categories:

• Instructional staff — 51 percent.
• Hourly, non-bargaining staff and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees — 8 percent.
• School administrators and eligible SAMP (supervisory, administrative, managerial and professional) staff — 6 percent.
• Paraprofessionals — 5 percent.
• STEM and technical education programs — 15.5 percent.
• Charter schools — 14.5 percent.

Money drove many of the questions and comments shared by the board on Thursday. The district spent approximately $270,000 to hold a special election and put the tax increase before voters in March 2018, and cost savings were the main focus of this week’s conversation.

“In November of 2017, all of the island communities had their normally scheduled municipal elections,” Kennedy said. “Those are four year terms so, naturally, there will be elections in November of 2021.”

Kennedy asked if the district could save money by holding its election at the same time as surrounding communities, spreading out the cost of preparations and election materials. In response, the superintendent said a fall election would likely be cheaper than another special election in March, though she was unsure of the amount on Thursday.

“If there are other municipalities participating, then the cost would be divided,” Saunders said.

The referendum process was slowed by lengthy debates in years’ past, and Golden, in the spirit of avoiding delays, said he supported an election in November. While he was concerned that other ballot items would distract from the renewal vote, he said the board could start broadcasting its message to the community now.

“If we are committed to seeing it renewed, let’s go forward,” Golden said. “Quite honestly, I’m new here and I don’t know all of the ins and outs of what took place before, but from what I’ve been able to see, this has been a big help to this school district.”

Miner shared Golden’s concern about other issues distracting from the tax referendum. Miner said he preferred a March election, which proved successful in the past, and he argued that $300,000 for a special election was worthwhile, pointing to more than $100 million in added tax revenue from the millage.

Miner, who is up for re-election on Nov. 3, addressed comments by his opponent, Mary Foreman, and other community members who believed the district should establish permanent salary increases, not referendums that expire every four years.

“Well, life is temporary,” Miner said. “What the state Legislature does is even shorter than temporary. We don’t know what they’re going to do.”

Thursday’s meeting was a workshop, meaning no official votes were taken, but it was clear that most board members favored a November 2021 election. The next conversation will likely involve ballot language, especially since the original ballot led to confusion over the past two years.

The Citizens’ Financial Oversight Committee, a group created as part of the original referendum, has questioned whether the district could use portions of the money to buy technology for STEM or trade programs. The district concluded that technology for learning purposes — such as microscopes, computers or robotic arms — were covered under the referendum.

There was also debate surrounding “contract sites.” While the tax referendum included traditional schools and public charter schools, it left out “contract sites,” a list of approximately 10 programs that contract with the school district, offering students a different approach or special resources.

Just for Girls, one of the contract sites that serve Manatee County students, sparked the conversation after requesting a cut of the added tax revenue in 2018.

This story was originally published October 22, 2020 at 3:54 PM.