Franklin BOC Approves Millage Rates, Including Hike in School Millage

After passing their FY2015 budget, the Franklin County Board of Commission has adopted and approved its millage rates and also approved the millage rates for the Franklin County Industrial Building Authority and the Board of Education.

On Friday, the Commission met in a brief called meeting to pass the millage in four separate line items.

For Unincorporated Franklin County, the board passed a millage of 8.140 mils and 9.287 mils for Incorporated Franklin County.

They also approved a .25 millage for the Franklin County Industrial Building Authority.  All of those votes were unanimous.

And finally the Commissioners voted 4 to 1 to pass the increase in the Franklin County School Millage.

The School Board raised their millage to 18.618 mils, up 1.75 mils from last fiscal year to cover two supplemental packages for teachers and administration and other items.

But Commissioner Clint Harper was the lone board member who voted against the increase.

“I voted against the Board of Education tax increase, I think  it was over 10%,” Harper said Friday after the called meeting. “It was obvious that the (School) Board was not unified. There was one who voted against it…. You know they sell this on, ‘it’s for the children.’ Well, I’m a pastor and I’ve seen children kicked out of their homes because their parents can’t afford to pay their taxes and insurance. This hurts the children more than anyone.”

Harper said he believes the board could have tried to make up some of revenue with more cuts in other areas.

“There’s always ways to cut,” he said. “On numerous occasions I’ve gone up to the high school and the football lights and the baseball lights would be on and there’s nobody out there. Nobody has been able to explain to me why there are more than one school bus stopping at the same place to pick up students. To me, that’s a tremendous waste of money.”

During the public hearings, Franklin County School’s Finance Director Tom Porter said QBE austerity cuts in funding by the State since 2003 meant the loss of over $21-million dollars in funding to Franklin County.

Porter said those cuts, coupled with the recession that hit in 2007, resulted in continued losses the school system has not been able to recoup.