On Thursday afternoon, the Children’s Services Council of Leon County voted to approve the $10.5 million FY2025-26 budget, adopt the current millage rate of .03477, and to fund an after-school program impacted by federal budget cuts.
In addition to the FY2025-26 budget, the focus of the meeting was an emergency request by Leon County School Superintendent Rocky Hanna for the CSC to approve $2.1 million in funding for an after-school program that was at risk of losing the federal grant that made the program possible.
Hanna, who recently revealed there is projected $12 million budget shortall related to the Leon County Schools (LCS) FY2025-26 budget, floated the idea of CSC funding for the after-school program earlier this month.
During the meeting, a presentation by LCS staff and Kacy Dennis, the
CEO/President of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Big Bend who would the provide the services, indicated that $2.1 million was needed for the upcoming year to provide after school services for 1,700 kids.
In addition, principals of select schools were present to show support for the funding and one spoke about the importance of the program as it related to school performance.
CSC member and treasurer Paul Mitchel informed the council that the CSC could fund the program without increasing the millage rate and also indicated – based on discussion with officials in Washington – that he believed the federal funding would eventually be released.
The council voted to fund the program with contract language that would refund monies to the CSC if the federal grant was released in the future.
Millage Rate
After the vote on the LCS request, Superintendent Rocky Hanna moved to adopt the current millage rate. However, CSC Chair Darly Jones seemed to be offended by the motion and made a plea to increase the millage rate.
Jones indicated he believes that the reason for the emergency funding needed by LCS due to possible federal budget cuts would soon impact other Leon County non-profits.
In fact, non-profit officials spoke at meeting and indicated the impact of federal budget cuts would directly affect services delivered in Leon County.
Council members, while acknowledging the financial challenges, indicated that the CSC is not capable of addressing all these financial challenges.
The Council voted 9-1, with Jones against, to adopt the current millage rate for FY2025-26. The rate is projected to raise $9 million.
The Council will hold public hearings to formally adopt the millage rate on Thursday, September 11, at 6:00 p.m. and Thursday, September 25, at 5:15 p.m.
CSC Approves FY25-26 Budget, Sets Millage Rate, Funds After School Program added by Steve Stewart on
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Needs to be eliminated, pure socialism, why I am paying for this?
Prove your worthiness, CSC. A conduit of money for Rocky’s incompetence, unions, or a babysitting service doesn’t cut it.
@ Colleen Barton = It’s not that People were asleep at the wheel when they Voted for it, they were flat out LIED TO about it. I saw what it was and Voted against it. Past County Commissioner Bryan Desloge told everyone the REAL Truth about the CSC in a big article here on TR, telling us NOT to Vote for it, but I guess their LIE was bigger than Desloge.
@ William_Wallace = I think they got there Millage Rate Increase last Year.
Guys, if the school system can’t afford it they need to cut the program. Limit it to 3 days a week or make other changes. Government shouldn’t raise taxes every time they don’t get something. This after school program provides services for 1700 students and includes dinner. To my knowledge, there are no programs that the CSC funds that can provide you with definitive outcomes….how many children served, what did they hope to accomplish and what was accomplished. I was at this meeting yesterday and I think I heard that the CSC funds or has funded 136 non profits. Can you just imagine the administrative overhead!!! The CSC is composed of unelected members. I really don’t see how they have any authority to tax us or raise mileage rate. We were asleep at the switch when we voted for this.
So is the CSC now just a pass trough to fund the LCS? If the LCS needs to raise funds Hanna needs to man up and ask for a millage increase.
Is CSC Chair Darly Jones paid to be on the CSC? He seemed to be offended by not Raising the Millage Rate and made a plea to increase it as if he was hoping to get a Pay Raise if it was increased.
It could be possible federal budget cuts could impact other Leon County non-profits a little, that would just mean they will have to do some Fund Raising Events like they used to do.
This is not a wise move, and it brings about some legitimate questions, not the least of which is the possibility of a Dual Taxation challenge. The Leon County Public School System has its own dedicated funding source on the TRIM Notice. If they experience a funding shortfall, regardless of the purpose or reason, they have the taxing authority to raise their own millage in order to cover it.
Another question would be; if a private or charter school experienced a funding shortfall that threatened their after-school program(s), would the CSC allocate some of its funding to them as well? This is a dangerous precedence to set here. Additionally, it brings into question the CSC’s autonomy as a separate funding mechanism. Are they a standalone operation with its own mission and purpose, or are they just a surreptitious funding source for the Public School System? It seems that Hanna and Jones are attempting to hijack the core mission of the CSC for this purpose while protecting the School Board from having to make a tough decision.
The CSC needs to carefully rethink this move.
I’m sorry. I’m very confused by something.
I thought only the property appraiser could change the millage rate.
I confess this is not something into which I have ever looked, but it seems odd to me to have our property taxes affected by more than one source of decision.