Tax Increase on Ballot Tuesday

Franklin County voters will head to the polling stations tomorrow to decide a tax issue for the local school district. The school system would like to increase its operating budget by an estimated one and a half million dollars to help pay for raises and benefits for local teachers and other school employees. The schools would pay for the increase by reducing their building fund by a half mill and increasing their operating budget by the same amount, so even though the issue is considered a tax increase, local taxpayers will not see an increase on their tax assessments. The proposal has been criticized recently because it will not provide pay raises for teachers at the Apalachicola Bay Charter School, but the Charter School still supports the measure. The Charter school is currently working on an agreement with the school district to receive capital outlay funds instead of operating money – which the Charter School says it needs for a new building. The final decision, of course, belongs to the voters – so don’t forget to vote on Tuesday. Polling stations open at 7 in the morning and close at 7 tomorrow night.