INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — One of the final actions of out-going School Board member Jeff Pegler was to approve the proposed budget and property tax rate. Tuesday was his last School Board meeting and Friday will be his last day as a board member.
Pegler announced earlier this month that he was resigning his elected post to take a position with a children’s non-profit organization in Tampa. He will be the assistant general counsel at Shriners Hospital for Children, working in procurement and purchasing.
The School Board is proposing a lower property tax rate for Indian River County residents than last year’s rate. However, due to a quirk with state laws regarding what components get factored into the millage rate, the School Board must advertise the lower rate as a tax increase.
Last year, property owners paid $8.313 cents per $1,000 of assessed value on their homes. This coming year, they could pay as much as $8.116 per $1,000 – a decrease of about $34.47, assuming the home’s value did not change over last year.
Because the voter-approved 0.25 millage is included in the rate, per state statute, the proposed rate is more than the School District’s “rollback” rate.
Assistant Superintendent of Finance Carter Morrison said during the School Board meeting Tuesday night that the bottom line is that the tax rate is down from last year and most residents should see the School District portion of the property tax bill go down.
“Dollar for dollar, you will be paying less taxes,” he said.
The School District is required to advertise the proposed budget and property tax rate in advance of its two public hearings. The district can ultimately approve a lower property tax rate but it cannot go higher that the proposed 8.116 millage rate.
The district’s proposed general fund operating budget is nearly $276.5 million – up $1.6 million over last year’s budget. The increase is due to additional funding from the state.
The School District’s first of two public hearings on the millage rate and budget will be held in the School Board Chambers on Aug. 1 at 5:01 p.m. The second hearing will be held on Sept. 10 at 5:01 p.m.
By state law, government agencies may not hold their budget public hearings until after 5 p.m., hence the 5:01 p.m. start time.
Prior to approving the advertisement for the proposed budget and millage rate, the School Board presented Pegler with a plaque – complete with a miniature gavel – to commemorate his time on the board.
“You have done a great deal for the community,” Board Chair Carol Johnson said to Pegler. “You have done a great deal for the students. You’re appreciated.”
She also told him that he had better keep in touch with them once he’s in Tampa or else, when the board goes to Tampa for the Florida School Board Association meetings, they might picket.
“Did I say Tampa?” Pegler joked. “I meant Tucson.”
After the School Board concluded its business, which included a lengthy agenda of approving contracts and projects, the individual board members took turns addressing Pegler’s leaving.
“I’m going to be completely lonely up here,” Matt McCain said, noting that he would be the only guy at the dais.
Pegler, the last to speak, thanked them for their support.
“There really are no words to describe it,” Pegler said of the experience of sitting on the School Board. He called it fulfilling, frustrating and tiring – constantly faced with adversity knowing that not everyone will agree with or understand the votes.
“You do what you truly believe is right,” Pegler said, and “you still agonize over it.”
Pegler said he had every intention of staying in Indian River County “forever,” but his life circumstances changed to the point that he and his wife, Indian River County school teacher Jennifer Pegler, had to decide what was best for their family. In the end, relocating to Tampa to work for Shriners Hospital for Children was the deemed best.
“Hopefully, the next person who sits here is not crazy,” Pegler said.
In other School Board business, the board unanimously approved – among others – the following items:
- A guaranteed maximum price of $6.1 million for the second phase of the Fellsmere Elementary Renovation and Addition project;
- An agreement with Ag-Scape Services for $99,300 for drainage improvements at Gifford Middle School;
- A contract with Learning Sciences International for $78,050 for training;
- An agreement with Bill Bryant and Associates for $53,329 for gym lobby improvements at Sebastian River High School;
- An agreement with Timothy Rose Contracting for $37,207 for baseball field improvements at Vero Beach High School;
- And a contract with Florida Power and Light for the Photovoltaic for Schools Pilot Program – photovoltaic systems will be installed at Sebastian River Middle, Liberty Magnet, Osceola Magnet and Pelican Island Elementary, which will be used to offset energy costs and serve as an educational tool for students.
