The Choctaw County Board of Supervisors approved their fiscal year 2024 budget. At a budget hearing that is -- at minimum the board, department heads and most recently the newspaper and maybe a few residents. Monday was a packed house as many came to hear why the millage rate was increasing.
The county is increasing by 3.77 mills. Currently at 80.84, the new millage will be 84.61. For a $100,000 home with a person homesteading, homeowners could see an increase of $37.75.
The board is currently operating on a budget of $19,194,642 of that 42 percent or $8,050,539 is obtained through ad valorem.
The board approved their new budget of $18,360,339, which is a difference of $834,303 from last year’s budget. Of the new projected budget, 41 percent of $7,465,255 will be obtained through ad valorem. This is a difference of 585,284.
“We actually lowered our budget by almost a million,” Supervisor Greg Fondren told those in attendance.
This year, the school district requested school maintenance of .96 which amounts to $20,000 and have requested a 3 mill note at 2.81 mills, totaling $640,000.
Supervisors sent a letter to the board requesting that they reduce their budget by $200,000 but the School District responding back, declining.
In the letter the district states they are bringing the 3 mill note back after a one year absence and it has been the “standard operating practice for the Choctaw County School District, dating back to 2008.”
The letter goes on to state “Recently, millage set aside for school operations was cut and the net amount was transferred to another entity.” Randy Kraft asked what the other entity was, and Supervisors stated they had no knowledge of what the district meant.
“We don’t set millage aside for the school,” Supervisor Chris McIntire said. “I’m not sure what entity they’re referring to.”
It goes on to state, “We are also in a serious situation with delayed taxes being paid. The unknown of that situation could have a devastating effect on the schools.” The delayed taxes mentioned in the letter comes from one of the power plants in the county. They have only paid half of what they are supposed to pay and the district, and the county, have yet to receive the other half of payment.
The district ends the letter with, “The funding formula for school districts was recently rewritten, and Choctaw County was placed on notice that local contributions required by that formula should be significantly higher. We are not asking for any increase along those lines since our request for operations is exactly as the prior years’ receipts. At this time, after careful consideration, we do not wish to lower our request.”
This increase did not sit well with residents in attendance who questioned why the school needed a 3 mill note and what the purpose of the note was for. The purpose of Charger Stadium and the new sports athletic complex as a whole was called into question as to why it was needed more than upgrades to schools like Weir Elementary and French Camp Elementary.
Those in attendance stated that they didn’t see the need for baseball and softball upgrades, nor did they see a need for an indoor practice facility for football and baseball. And questioned if the school was building a track and field and where the location would be.
“We didn’t need that field,” one lady said. “We had a field. Our field was fine.”
One couple stated if the money was used for educational purposes, then they were okay with paying more. But they didn’t want to pay more if it was going to go toward the renovation and the building of the new athletic facilities.
“I’m all for excellence. And I don’t mind paying if it’s going toward instructional time and our teachers.”
One man said the school board was losing support because they declined to lower their amount. “They are losing support behind this,” he said.
“The burden doesn’t fall on you. The burden falls on us, it hurts us,” one man in attendance said.
“So, we need to go to their meetings and ask them what they plan to do with this 3 mill note,” one lady said.
Supervisor Chris McIntire said the district holds budget hearings in June and he did go to the meeting when the school district approved their budget. And there was one resident in attendance, Ryan Vowell.
The district holds two budget meetings in June. A budget hearing, where they explain what the funding is for and why they are asking for it with a budget PowerPoint presentation and a budget approved. This year they were held on June 12 and June 19 in Central Office at 9 a.m. Regular school board meetings are held monthly on the second Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m. The district’s budget can be viewed by the public, a person must contact or stop by Central Office to do so.
“I didn’t think it mattered. I guess now it does,” a lady said.
Fondren explain that the school district’s fiscal year runs July 1-June 30 of the next year and theirs run from October 1-September 30 of the next year.
“So, by the time we do our budget, theirs is done,” he said.
McIntire did commend the school on saving the money they receive from the power plants and using that to build new classrooms and the new cafeteria. “We did the same thing with the hospital. And we were able to pay it off and pay it off eight years before time.” Supervisors said this was possible because they had to cut back on things, even paving roads themselves to save money.
He also said the district has been fiscally responsible. “I just wish we had a better working relationship [with the school board] to where if the county does dip, and we have to lower, they can know ahead and stay in between that.”
McIntire said they plan to do the same thing with the new nursing home. Stephenson added that the new nursing home would estimate about $20 million. But, the board plans to pay $10 million of that and they may have to borrow the other $10 million. As with the hospital, they plan to be fiscally responsible and do it without it being at the taxpayer’s expense.
Also, in the budget, were pay raises for county employees. Board President Joey Stephenson said the raises were needed.
“The grocery store is high, gas is high, rent’s high, everything is high. So, it’s needed. My employees go to the grocery store just like I do,” Stephenson said.
