County Commission Pushes School Board on Special Election

The process of scheduling a special election for the school board seems to get more involved as county commissioners consider the request.

On Nov. 18 the Gulf County School Board voted to begin the process of holding a special election in March 2009 to allow voters to decide if the school board can raise its millage rate one mill, for capital improvements.

A mill equals $1 for every $1,000 in taxable personal property.

Tim Wilder, Gulf County School Superintendent, then addressed the Nov. 25 county commission meeting and asked for board permission to hold the election.

The question was purely procedural, as two commissioners, plus Wilder, pointed out because, technically, only the county commission can call for a special election.

At the Nov. 25 meeting, county commissioners voted to approve the March 17, 2009 special election request with a stipulation: the school board had to submit a binding resolution to the county commission stating that the school board would pay off its existing one-half cent sales tax before implementing the one-mill school tax hike, if approved by voters.

The school board had levied a one-half cent sales tax over a decade ago to raise capital improvement dollars for Port St. Joe Elementary School. The tax is currently scheduled to end in 2017.

Wilder had told the commissioners at that meeting that the school board intended to pay off the one-half cent bond in June 2009. The proposed one mill increase would then become effective July 2009, if voted in.

In a special county commission meeting Dec. 2, commission chair Billy Traylor told the board that "a lot of thought went through my little head on that issue this weekend. Putting it [the proposed one mill increase] on a ballot means doing it properly, and that means it must include absentee and early voting."

He then asked the other commissioners for their thoughts.

Commissioner Bill Williams said he wanted Wilder to tell the commission exactly how the school board planned to handle the election and exact costs involved.

Traylor said the "intent of the school board should be they make it accessible to everyone. It is a shame to me it will be March 17. I told Mr. Wilder I think you'll have less than 20 percent [voter participation] on that one day. At least with early voting you might have a little more voting.

"If it [proposed increase] passes, it passes; if it doesn't, it doesn't and we'll move on."

Traylor recommended to the commission that "we hold them to the fire on that" (meaning early voting for the March special election).

County attorney Tim McFarland then told commissioners that they could not force the school board to hold early voting, that the school board only had to follow general election laws.

McFarland added there were numerous other options, such as mail-in ballots, and that Linda Griffin, Supervisor of Elections, had options in how she handled the special election.

The board also instructed McFarland to clarify to Griffin the board's Nov. 25 decision to reactivate all county precincts immediately.

The board had voted to close several precincts in a budget-reducing move earlier in the year. After numerous complaints during the Nov. 4 election, the board voted to reopen the closed locations.

In other business conducted at the special meeting:

- The board approved moving ahead on an application for a small matching Historic Preservation Grant to repair and renovate the old Wewahitchka courthouse. A small amount of matching funds is already allocated in the current budget for such work.

- County administrator Don Butler reviewed the county's history of local preference on bids, showing where confusion and loop holes applied to current policy.

He offered several options for commissioners to consider for clarification of the term "local business."

Commissioners said they would study the recommendations and give Butler their thoughts.

- Commissioners agreed to begin budget workshops for the 2009-10 budget in January, citing severe economic problems looming in the current budget year and the following year.

They based their gloomy predictions on expected "major shortfalls" in county property values, according to Traylor, resulting in much lower ad valorem tax revenues, the primary source of county funds.

Traylor said in talking with Gulf County property aappraiser Kesley Colbert, the board should expect major losses in property values from Colbert's upcoming Jan. 1 property assessment.