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School funding vote set for November
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Collier County voters will decide whether to approve a referendum that could bring millions of dollars in operating funds to the Collier County School District.
The Collier County Commission voted unanimously, June 10, to place the proposed referendum on the Nov. 4 ballot. The vote was the final hurdle the district needed to clear to get the proposal on the ballot.
Their vote comes less than a week after the Collier County School Board approved the referendum’s language and the decision to move the vote from the Aug. 26 primary to the Nov. 4 general election.
“Thank you,” School Board Chairwoman Linda Abbott said to the commissioners. “We’re sorry it wasn’t right the first time we sent it to you, but we are glad for the second chance, because we believed we improved it.”
The referendum would allow the district to lower its capital property tax by 0.25 mills, or 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, to raise the property tax in the general fund by the same amount.
Two weeks ago, commissioners voted to continue the request because the school district’s proposed ballot language was 94 words, 19 words over the ballot limit.
Collier Supervisor of Elections Jennifer Edwards said state law limits the number of words on the ballot to 75. Edwards asked commissioners to continue the issue until their June 10 meeting, saying she didn’t feel comfortable telling them to approve something that, at face value, could violate state statutes.
School Board Attorney Richard Withers assured commissioners that the new language meets the criteria established by Edwards’ office. The referendum will read, “Shall the Collier County School District (a) reduce ad valorem taxes for capital funding by .25 mills, and (b) enact ad valorem taxes for operating expenses of .25 mills (an equal dollar amount), (c) for a period of up to four years beginning July 1, 2009?”
The money collected from the referendum, should voters approve it, could help the school district offset budget constraints from a state revenue shortfall. The district already has made more than $10 million in cuts this year and district officials expect that number to grow even higher next year.
If Collier voters approve the referendum, the district could collect millions for its operating fund by 2009-10.
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