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Although the millage rate is lower, the tax base has grown. Taxes may go up for those with higher home assessments.
By KENT FISCHER
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 13, 2001
LAND O'LAKES -- The Pasco County School Board approved a $546-million budget and set a tax rate to fund it during an abbreviated meeting Tuesday night. The board also approved a new contract with employees that grants only marginal pay raises for the coming year.
The board held its meeting while the nation tried to absorb the horrific terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. The district did not cancel the meeting, superintendent John Long said, because it needed to approve a budget for the 2001-2002 school year. If the board delayed the budget vote, it would not have been able to meet state mandates requiring the approval of a budget.
The board moved quickly through its shortened agenda and approved both the budget and the contract with little discussion. The meeting lasted only about 20 minutes.
The board approved a millage rate of 9.025, down from 9.341 mills last year. The new budget still is $22-million more than last year's, even though the millage rate went down because of increased state aid and a growing county tax base.
The owner of a home assessed at $100,000 with a $25,000 homestead exemption will pay $676.87 this year, down $23.70 from last year. Homeowners might see their tax bills increase, however, if their home's assessment increased by more than 2 percent over last year.
More than half of the budget fuels the district's $299.5-million "general fund," which pays for day-to-day operations. The rest of the budget pays for school buses, cafeterias, insurance and school construction.
-- Kent Fischer covers education in Pasco County. He can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6241 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6241. His e-mail address is