At a meeting on Tuesday June 22nd in the Leon County Commission Chambers, the Leon County Children’s Services Council (CSC) unanimously voted to levy a .375 mills property tax to raise funds to support the groups programs. Leon County’s CSC was created after a voter referendum last November was approved by approximately 65% of the vote.
Also, during the meeting, the ten-member group discussed spending money on programs before the completion of a needs assessment.
The Property Tax
The adopted property tax will not be in place until October, 2021 and funds will not be available to the CSC until December. Leon County recently loaned the CSC $400,000. However, the proceeds from the loan can only be used for operating expenses.
Based on Florida law, the maximum tax the CSC was allowed to levy was 0.5 mill. According to CSC Treasurer Paul Mitchell, for a home with a taxable value of $200,000, the tax would raise $75. If the home has a taxable value of $100,000, the tax would raise $37.50.
During the budget meeting Superintendent Rocky Hanna, Leon County Commissioner Carolyn Cummings, and CSC Treasurer Mitchell discussed the millage rate options.
Mitchell told the CSC that a .25 millage rate would raise $4.6 million, the .375 rate would raise approximately $7 million and the .5 millage rate would raise $9.3 million.
Hanna says he’s been in favor of the full half of a mill in the past, but wanted to compromise with other CSC members who wanted a lower rate.
According to WCTV, Hanna said “I want us to win. And I want us to compromise. I don’t want this to be a political arm wrestling, because we have a lot of decisions to make.”
The Needs Assessment
Critics of the CSC argued that a needs assessment should have been completed before the CSC proposal was placed on the ballot. However, advocates countered that a comprehensive needs assessment would be completed if the initiative passed, before programs were funded.
Now some advocates are supporting spending on programs before a needs assessment due to the level of need in the community. State law requires a needs assessment, but the assessment is not required before funding programs.
At least two CSC members – Leon County Commissioner Carolyn Cummings and Pineview Principal Carmen Connor – advocated for spending money before a needs assessment is completed. A decision on the issue was not finalized.
The CSC did create a needs assessment committee, which included Zandra Glenn, George O’Bryant, Darryl Jones, Jonathan Sjostrom and Carmen Conner.
The CSC’s next meeting will be held July 8 at 2 p.m.
I predict raises in the future.
@
EdLyle,
I believe you just solved the issue of where the need is for the children. All CSC monies go to organizations advocating for the right to life.
The money will more likely be used as a backdoor taxpayer funded campaign donation for all incumbents to use to buy votes. "See, look what I did for your kids"
Only the DemoKKKrat Party could use the same mouth to claim "it's all about the children", while advocating for the murder of over million innocent babies a year (particularly within communities of color) under the guise of "Women's Healthcare".
Like I always say; No matter how you arrange the letters D E M O C R A T... it will always spell HYPOCRITE.
Real strange that the Mayor's wife showed up on a Tuesday afternoon to "say her piece"... Evn weirder that she knew what that budget committee bandied about as a compromise. The fix is in y'all
Ginny Dailey the mayor’s corporate atty spouse testified at the hearing for a higher millage rate to pay for...? Chamber modarate Dems just can’t help themselves when it comes to taxpayer giveaways for insiders
Add Any Child actually helped by this CSC Scam to the List that Includes Bigfoot..LochNess Monster..Unicorn..Abominable Snowman and Leprechauns
@ Dennis Kilcullen, no fine print was needed, not only did everyone know that our Property Tax will go UP to fund this, but it was also known that there is NO accountability or oversight on how they spend that Money and on top of THAT, if they feel they need MORE Money, they can raise our Property Tax AGAIN, and again, with no accountability or oversight. They answer to no one. And we still don't know how much they will be paying themselves. And people voted for this anyway. I will bet those same People will be B!T@HING when they see there next Property Tax Bill.
With housing prices exploding, sales increasing and our property tax roll swelling these miserable grifters will take us to the cleaners for their soon to be fraudulent riddled CSC. Thank you Capital District Voters for your continued invincible ignorance and giving us this monstrosity. For such a "highly" educated population folks here are shockingly ignorant and lack any semblance of common sense and critical thinking. Yet another reason to escape the Capital District and move to a District where sanity reigns.
I am sure in was in the fine print of the ballot, but I am not sure that a Commission of appointees have the right to Tax the people. If this Commission was created due to the Failure of the elected City and County Commission them it should be funded by current taxes, If they, can afford to lend them $400K, they should find the funds I am sure.
An awful lot of tax dollars will be grafted and wasted... and absolutely no child will benefit.
It's the DemoKKKrat way don't ya know.
Even our resident socialist jeremy matlow said that the CSC and the tax that goes with it was not needed since existing money could pay for new programs and personnel were already in place to administer the funds.
Just wait for it... they will spend the money on their favorite PR firms (Usual Suspects) to make TV ads featuring themselves attempting to manufacture Humanity that they are accomplishing great works when actuality they accomplish zip in relation to any humanitarian effort. Just another way to funnel taxpayer dollars into their campaign managers accounts.
Once you do your Needs Assessment, I hope you also go through all the other Programs dealing with Kids and see if any are duplicating what your agenda will be doing and stop funding them. I voted against the CSC because of all the Programs for Kids being funded by the County and City we didn't need the CSC. Now we have the CSC we no longer need to be funding programs (and Nonprofits) that are doing the same thing the CSC will be doing.
Spending taxpayer dollars without a reason, purpose, or goal... yep, it’s a DemoKKKrat operation alright.
Another lie by the politicians and the City insiders, including the Mayor who pushed this CSC. Pushed it so hard, advocated for it, and now they change the rules? Unanimous vote? Not one member, argues the needs assessment needs to be done first? Sorry, this is not what was voted for. Remember, if you want different, you gotta do different, and expect different.
We should all set up our own non profit and place our houses in the name of the non profit then our properties would be off the tax rolls. Would that stop the never ending taxes in this town?
It is shocking to see the time, energy, and money expended on these boondoggles that renders zero results. I think third graders could run a better show and this.
Needs Assessment? Why do they need one? Its never been about "the children" anyway...and this proves it. Its only about squeezing as much as possible out of Leon County taxpayers without becoming a "political arm wrestling"....as Hanna says. Government can be like a cancer ...it just keeps growing, and growing until someone takes a scalpel to it.
Typical, democrats spending tax payers monies prior to any assessment of community needs says Volumes especially from the 2 women mentioned. Apparently reckless spending is why they collect a tax payers salary than to create their own. It's easier to spend tax payers monies quicker than your own.
Irresponsible and reckless! Which family members, friends, lovers and fixers benefit from the .5 millage rates monies? Nepotism on full display! DISGRACEFUL