The vote was 7-0.

Supporters of the CSC had urged the Commission to place the question on the 2018 ballot. However, concerns about the lack of a plan and a complete buy-in by important stakeholders, such as the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, resulted in consensus around the 2020 date.

The initiative calls for a new property tax that will generate $7-8 million each year to fund children’s services.

County Commissioner Desloge voted for the motion arguing that the 2020 date will allow voters to know exactly what they are voting for. However, Desloge warned he would vote to repeal the motion if a detailed plan is not put in place over the next two years.

Approximately 80% of the speakers spoke in favor of placing the measure on the 2018 ballot.

But it was clear – in the discussion after the public speakers – that a majority of county commissioners were more interested in building consensus within the community than rushing the question to the 2018 ballot.

Several speakers held up the successful passage of the Blueprint sales tax and the half-penny sales tax for education as examples of the type of process that needed to be emulated by advocates of the CSC.

After the vote on the ballot measure, the Commission voted to address the consensus building process at their next meeting on July 10, 2018.

There were preliminary discussions about providing $150,000 to help the CSC advocates staff an effort to inform the community about the CSC initiative.

However, this is incorrect.

To date, nine Florida counties have created CSC’s that invest property tax dollars in the well-being of their community’s children and families, not eight.

In eight counties, voters have approved “independent” taxing authority for their CSC to ensure a dedicated funding source is available for children’s programs and services. In addition to Palm Beach, the other counties with independent districts are Broward, Hillsborough, Martin, Miami-Dade, Okeechobee, Pinellas and St. Lucie.

However, Duval County (Jacksonville) operates as a “dependent” CSC district, relying on funding from different sources, including county government, to pay for children’s programs and services.

Which CSC was left out of the analysis provided by the Tallahassee Democrat?  The Duval County CSC.

Interestingly, the major difference between the Jacksonville CSC and the other eight is that the Jacksonville CSC is not supported by an independent taxing district.

Rather than relying on taxing authority for funds, the Jacksonville CSC funding comes from county government and other sources outside of government.

The Florida Children’s Council states that “Dependent Children’s Services Councils perform essentially the same functions as independent CSCs, but they do not have taxing authority. Their funding primarily comes from the county’s property tax revenues and falls under the county’s annual budget.”

Based on government documents, the Jacksonville CSC , which was created in 1994, works hand-in-hand with local nonprofit organizations to improve the health and lives of children living in Duval County. The Commission carefully monitors all programs that it funds, and closely tracks each program’s effectiveness and outcomes.

It appears that a voter referendum is only needed for those CSC’s that are seeking independent taxing authority. Otherwise, a CSC structure can be set up and funded by county ordinance.

Why is this approach not being discussed for Leon County?

Why was it left out of the analysis by the Tallahassee Democrat?

Do elected officials even know about this option?

Check back for updates.

If approved in November, the creation of a council means Leon County citizens will be asked to support $7-8 million in new taxes to finance an organization with the sole mission of addressing children issues.

Leon County Commissioner Bryan Desolge held to his public position against the creation of the council. However, Commissioner Mary Ann Lindley, who had publicly voiced opposition, changed her position and stated she felt committed to let the issue move to a public hearing.

After the hearing, Commissioner Lindley explained why she changed her mind.

“We had announced the public hearing for June 19 and, after hearing so many people – pro and con – were preparing for that event, I just felt I couldn’t in good faith vote against a full public discussion,” said Lindley.

Chairman Nick Maddox voiced finacial concerns, but also decided to move forward with a public hearing.

These votes, with the support of County Commissioners John Dailey, Bill Proctor, Kristen Dozier, and Jimbo Jackson rounded out the support to move the proposal to a public hearing.

Three commissioners that supported the public hearing – Maddox, Lindley, and Jackson – made comments that indicated their support for a public hearing did not mean they will automatically support the issue on June 19th.

Their concerns focused on the impact of raising taxes and the lack of clarity on exactly what children needs would be addressed and how.

The Board requested the report at their March 27, 2018 meeting as a way to evaluate the need for the creation of a Children’s Services Council as provided in Florida statutes. The 22 page agenda item addresses research in four areas that include economic well-being, education, health, and family & community.

This is the second of four reports by Tallahassee Reports that will summarize the information provide in each of the categories in an effort to make it easier for interested citizens to digest the information. The first and only public hearing for the proposed ordinance that will adopt language to be placed on the ballot in November is on June 19, 2018

Education

The table of education indicators that will be presented at the Leon County Commission meeting is shown below. The table compares various Leon County indicators of education statistics with the same statistics at the state-level.

The information comes from various agencies and reports.

Reviewing the 12 indicators of educational achievement, Leon County outperformed or was generally equivalent to the state-level indicators in all categories.

For example, the percent of eligible children enrolled in school readiness programs was reported to be 40% compared to 22% at the state-level. Also, Leon County drop-out rates were .4% while the state-wide rate was 4%.

It was also reported that Leon County was home to 5 of the 300 lowest performing elementary schools in the state. Those schools were; (1) Oak Ridge Elementary School; (2) John G Riley Elementary School; (3) Pineview Elementary School; (4) Bond Elementary School; and (5) Imagine School At Evening Rose. All five are Title I schools and one school, Imagine School at Evening Rose, is a charter school. Imagine School closed in 2017 after the Leon County School Board voted unanimously to eliminate its charter agreement.

The Early Learning Coalition of the Big Bend Region reports that there are 123 school readiness providers operate in Leon County that received $6,462,262 in direct service payments. In addition, there are 109 VPK providers that operate in Leon County which received $3,295,926 in direct service payments.

The table below also includes a list of policies and programs that might be implemented to address the identified needs. These recommendations originated from a Whole Child Leon report and include the following:

• Increase funding children eligible for subsidized care
• Fund early learning collation to support quality ranking for child care centers
• Workforce training for early childhood professionals

The proposed CSC would be funded by a millage rate increase that would raise $7-$8 million annually.

Lindley explained her position in a Facebook comment ( see full comment below) posted on an article by David Lawrence, the retired publisher of the Miami Herald, who cautioned Leon voters about rushing into a CSC referendum.

Lindley wrote, “I can’t abdicate my responsibilities as an elected official in spending tax dollars, no matter how well-meaning the cause, on this very recent proposal with so many unknowns.”

Lindley was addressing the structure of a proposed CSC which would remove spending decisions from elected officials.

Lindley was also critical of the process that resulted in the county staff researching the need for a CSC.

Lindley  wrote, “The county professional staff cannot be charged with doing the research that might “sell” it, but then the county commissioners you elect will have no oversight of appointees’ decisions or, beyond an annual report, no evidence of success. Taxpayers’ views wouldn’t necessarily faze appointees either.”

In her comment, Commissioner Lindley provided her preferred method of addressing the needs of children in our community.

Lindley wrote, “If our commission needs to raise mileage to spend more on children and other social services, that would be a more straightforward approach, with oversight and safeguards against redundancy.”

The Leon County Commission is scheduled to discuss the CSC at their next meeting on May 22nd.

The Board requested the report at their March 27, 2018 as a way to evaluate the need for the creation of a Children’s Services Council as provided in Florida statutes. The 22 page agenda item addresses research in four areas that include economic well-being, education, health, and family & community.

This is the first of four reports by Tallahassee Reports that will summarize the information provide in each of the categories in an effort to make it easier for interested citizens to digest the information. The first and only public hearing for the proposed ordinance that will adopt language to be placed on the ballot in November is on June 19, 2018

Economic Well-Being

The table of economic indicators that will be presented at the Leon County Commission meeting is shown below. The table compares various Leon County indicators of economic well-being with the same indicators at the state-level.

The information comes from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, which is an ongoing survey that provides vital demographic information on a yearly basis.

Of the eleven indicators of economic well-being included, Leon County outperformed or was consistent with the state-level data in all but three: (1) child poverty, (2) percent of those eligible receiving Women, infants, and Children (WIC) services, and (3) the percent of single male households with children living below the ALICE threshold.

According to the 2012-2016 survey, 23.3% of children in Leon County lived in a household where the total income for the last year was below the federal poverty threshold. This compares to 19.4% at the state-level.

The statistic that deviates the most from the state comparison is the measure of working married households with children that face economic hardship as defined by the ALICE threshold.

The indicators show that 10% of these households face economic hardship in Leon County while 32% do at the state-level.

The table below also includes a list of policies and programs that might be implemented to address the identified needs. These recommendations originated from a Whole Child Leon report and include the following:

• Promote paid parental leave
• Promote livable wage of at least $10 per hour
• Encourage businesses to adopt family friendly policies
• Encourage business practices that support breastfeeding mothers
• Support businesses in low income neighborhoods
• Encourage financial institutions to provide short term low interest loans to prevent predatory lending

The committee was opened by local attorney Jon Moyle who was one of several citizens who spoke before the Leon County Commission in March in favor of the creation of a Children’s Services Council.

A political committee can accept contributions for the purpose of expressly advocating the election or defeat of a candidate or issue and make expenditures that advocate the election or defeat of a candidate or issue.

An image of the first page of the filing is shown below. The full document can be viewed here.

The Leon County Commission voted unanimously to move forward with a public hearing in June on a proposal to create a Children’s Services Council.

It appears elected officials are prepared to put a proposal on the ballot in November. The proposal would create an independent taxing authority which would have the authority to levy up to half a mill in property taxes, generating between $7.5 and $8 million a year in revenue.

County Commissioner John Dailey had pushed for a public hearing in April, however a number of officials wanted a delay and proposed a June hearing so that county staff could gather more information. The Commission will address the issue again at their May 22nd meeting.

“There’s so many children’s issues in Leon County that need our attention and need to be properly funded. We heard from a lot of the experts tonight urging us to pass this measure and to keep moving forward,” said Commissioner John Dailey, who is leading the effort.

The Children’s Services Council

At their last meeting, the Board of County Commissioners of Leon County considered an agenda item regarding a 2018 ballot initiative that establishes an independent special district with taxing authority for the purpose of providing funding for children’s services throughout the county. This matter is scheduled for public hearing by the Board of County Commissioners on June 19, 2018.

Florida Statutes provides counties with the authority to create a special district by ordinance upon approval by the local electorate to annually levy ad valorem taxes not to exceed the maximum of 0.5 mills. The creation such a district in Leon County could lead to $7-8 million in new taxes to finance an organization with the sole mission of addressing children issues.

On Wednesday, April 11th, the Tallahassee City Commission will vote to enact the following resolution:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED the City Commission of the City of Tallahassee recommends and supports the ordinance being considered by the Leon County Board of County Commissioners that, if approved by the electors on November 6, 2018, will establish and provide funding for the Children’s Services Council of Leon County.

Firearms Regulations

Also on the city’ agenda is a resolution addressing firearm regulations.

The resolution acknowledges tragedies that include the recent Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting and the shootings at the Ft. Lauderdale Airport in 2017 and the Orlando Pulse Nightclub in 2016.

The resolution encourages the adoption of reasonable firearms regulations which may include universal background checks, waiting periods for the purchase of firearms, restrictions on the sale and possession of military-style assault firearms and high-capacity magazines.

The resolution also call for measures to limit access to firearms by persons suffering from mental illness and asks the state and federal governments develop effective strategies and provide funding for local safety programs.

Finally, the resolution calls for the Florida Legislature to repeal statutes that preempts firearm regulation exclusively to the state.

The creation of a council means Leon County citizens will be asked to support $7-8 million in new taxes to finance an organization with the sole mission of addressing children issues.

The Greater Tallahassee Chamber recently took the position that a needs assessment should be completed before moving forward.

Is there evidence that a CSC is needed in Leon County?

When the issue was discussed at the Leon County Commission meeting, Commissioner Lindley, while supportive of the idea said , “We don’t know exactly what the money would go for, who would do it. There are just a lot of questions.”

Commissioner John Dailey said that a CSC could address issues from crime to economic and health care disparities.

It was reported by the Tallahassee Democrat that Kelly Otte, executive director of PACE Leon, said a CSC would help address issues including childhood starvation and poverty.

Mimi Graham, director of Florida State University’s Center for Prevention and Early Intervention Policy, said the CSC’s approved in nine other counties have been tremendously successful.

Publicly available information shows that Leon County ranks pretty well when comparing child well-being statistics to other Florida counties.

For example, according to the 2017 Florida Kids Count Child Well-being Index, Leon County ranks 18th out of 67 counties in the state of Florida. This ranking is better than 70% of all counties.

Also, these rankings show that Leon County is doing better than seven of the nine counties that currently fund a CSC.

A needs assessment will provide more detailed information about what children outcomes could be improved and identify what service areas are not currently being effectively addressed by the Leon County non-profit community.

This information will be valuable for voters who will be asked to support a new tax for a CSC.

It appears elected officials are prepared to put a proposal on the ballot in November. The proposal would create an independent taxing authority which would have the authority to levy up to half a mill in property taxes, generating between $7.5 and $8 million a year in revenue.

The Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce issued a press release  on Tuesday March 27th asking the Commission to do a needs assessment before establishing an independent tax authority.

From the release:

“In keeping with the tradition of successful, measured, and impactful initiatives in Leon County, the Chamber Board believes that a study of need and an analysis of economic impacts of a potential Children’s Services Council is dutifully required at this time. Our community has shown a commitment to processes of this degree when successfully passing tax proposals…”

“A Children’s Services Council may be a potential solution to long-standing problems, but before a new independent government body should be established, our community deserves a deliberate evaluation of the issues, opportunities, and objectives we should be pursuing.”

County Commissioner John Dailey had pushed for a public hearing in April, however a number of officials wanted a delay and proposed a June hearing so that county staff could gather more information. The Commission will address the issue again at their May 22nd meeting.