INDIAN RIVER COUNTY – Indian River County residents can expect to see their property taxes go up several dollars after the School Board voted 4-1 to approve the measure. Some of the estimated $3.5 million revenues will be used for reading programs, textbooks, and first grade field trips to the Environmental Learning Center.
“Forty-five dollars is the least we can do” to support the schools, said resident Holly Michaels. “I will see a one thousand fold return on this $45 investment.” She and two others spoke in support of the proposed property tax hike. No one from the public spoke against it.
The Indian River County School District is facing a $12.6 million budget reduction, forcing the board to make staffing and programming cuts, including eliminating 49 teachers, relocating the Piper program, and implementing pay-to-participate.
School Board Chairwoman Karen Disney-Brombach was the lone member to vote against raising the property tax, saying that until the district gets the final revenue numbers from the state, it would be too early to hike the tax.
“I feel like we’re premature in levying this tax,” she said.
Instead of completely closing the door the property tax, Disney-Brombach said she would be willing to consider it once those final financial figures were available.
The board needed a vote of four affirmative votes in order to levy the tax, which will be in effect for one year. After that, if the School Board were to want to levy the tax again, it would have to take the issue to the county’s voters.
Along with approving the .25-mill property tax increase, the School Board chose to add one more item that the extra money would be used for – first grade field trips to the Environmental Learning Center.
The field trips had been on the list of proposed budget cuts and would have saved the district approximately $34,000.
“It’s such a small cost,” Board member Matt McCain said of sparing the ELC field trip.
Board member Claudia Jimenez agreed, explaining to the board and the public that as a science teacher she knows first hand the importance of exposing children to science at a young age.
Also spared under the increased property tax was $1 million in new textbooks, four media specialist assistants, two health assistant positions, and reading programs at the middle schools.
The School Board plans to reserve the unallocated tax revenues for mid-year budget cuts and to restore the 2011-12 fiscal year’s fund balance.
