The Clarke County Board of Education unanimously passed its 2024 budget last night.
Much of the $214 million spending plan will go towards salaries and benefits for employees. The budget includes pay raises for many district staff.
While community members urged the board to lower the millage rate to prevent excessive property tax increases, board members voted to keep it the same. District 5's Tim Denson proposed a modest .2 mil reduction, but his plan failed.
“My issue with [not lowering the millage rate] is because of a ballooning fund balance,” Denson said. “In FY22, our fund balance - just two years ago - was $36.5 million. “It is now $51.9 million. It's grown over $15 million in 24 months.”
Mark Evans from District 9 said he understood the public’s complaints, but ultimately sided with the superintendent’s proposal saying that the contingency funds must be protected.
“I would love to give you guys 4 mil reduction. I would love it. I would love to do more with less, but we can’t. We’re facing some crises that we haven’t even discussed yet, and we’re gonna need every dime we have to get through this,” Evans said.
Board president LaKeisha Gantt also supported keeping the rate the same.
“I don't think being an effective steward is mutually exclusive with maintaining our current millage rate,” she said. “I certainly appreciate the recommendation of decreasing the millage rate to 18.6, but what I also know is budgeting has to be intentional and not something that started two months ago.”
The proposal to keep the millage rate at 18.8 passed 5 - 2 with Denson and Linda Davis voting against it.
