The TEA in FWB Tea Party stands for “Taxed Enough Already”. Several months ago we stated that we would examine the proposed half cent School Board sales tax, and our answer now is a resounding “NO”. We further say “NO” to the newly proposed School Board millage rate increase of 1.5 mills.
A 1/2 cent sales tax? That sounds harmless enough – until you realize it’s a $135 million dollar tax increase to Okaloosa County. We are aware the original proposal assumed that 40% of the tax revenues would come from tourists, but that was pre-BP. The front page of the Sunday, July 25th, 2010 Daily News showed a stark and empty downtown Fort Walton Beach. However, as Florida is a balanced budget state, statutes dictate that taxes will be mandated to rise if the expected sales tax revenues don’t come in. Therefore, regardless of tourism dollars, the residents of Okaloosa County are on the hook for this $135 million dollar tax increase.
Next, despite being one of the most allegedly conservative districts in America, the School Board has been accepting Federal Stimulus dollars to the current tune of $18 million. As a result the board has not made hard cuts, but now expect us, the taxpayers, to start paying for the Obama stimulus dollars beginning in 2011 with this proposed millage rate increase.
To put it in perspective – 1 mil on a $100,000 appraised home is a $100 increase in property taxes. The Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners is considering a separate millage rate increase. The FWB City Council is considering one. Crestview is considering one, and now the School Board is considering one. If you live in the city limits of FWB or Crestview, you are looking at potentially $300 to $500 increased property taxes. If you live outside the city, you are looking at potentially $200 to $400, and that’s if your home is appraised at $100,000. If you own a more expensive home or business, you are looking at a substantially higher tax.
On page 8A of the Friday, July 23, 2010 Daily News, there was a list of Capital Outlay projects for the SB millage rate increase. We immediately noticed the list of projects appears remarkably similar to the projects listed for the $135 million dollar sales tax increase, resolution #10-04. We believed earlier in the year that we weren’t being told the whole truth about increased taxes when this resolution was passed, and now combined with the proposed millage rate increase, we see that our concerns were warranted.
What do we say yes to? One of the School Board’s constant comments is that the 2002 Class Size Amendment would cost the schools districts millions. We agree – so we support and encourage voters to vote in favor of the “Right Size” Class Size Amendment (Amendment 
on the November ballot. That will go a long way towards eliminating one of the major complaints regarding the rising costs of schools.
There are currently approximately 900 teachers in Okaloosa County earning between $50,000 and $70,000 per year. (source: http://www.thedestinlog.com/news/public-9839-county-employees.html)
Using $60,000 as a median income, a 10% reduction in pay in this group would yield annual savings of $5,400,000. There are approximately 100 administrators earning between $90,000 and $120,000. A 10% reduction there will be another $1,000,000.
Those of us in the private sector have laid off employees, and we have been laid off. Difficult times require difficult choices. Taking stimulus dollars without making cuts is an easy decision. Raising taxes, both sales and property, are easy decisions. Making hard cuts requires courage and leadership, and we will assist the school board in finding further cuts to be made, rather than stand by when our taxes are raised yet again by almost every municipal or county government in Okaloosa County.
Our business owners and families are having to make hard choices and hard cuts, and adding hundreds of dollars of new taxes in this economy will greatly increase the burden. We ask that the voters contact their City, County and School Board members NOW to say “No” to new taxes, vote “No” on the $135 million dollar sales tax increase in August, and vote “Yes” on the “Right Size” amendment on the November ballot.
I am in total agreement with the analysis that increased taxes OF ANY kind for school support in Okaloosa County is unjustified!
Keep up the watch on our tax dollars……………Good work!
Paying increased taxes to a bloated infrastructure during hard times is feeding the problem. I agree, no more taxes until I see cuts across the board and the establishment feels the pain as do the rest of us. Would also like to hear what is being taught in our schools about the responsibility of our citizens to the Constitution, before I will ever agree to another tax increase.
What this analysis misses is that it is equating education with business. Business is driven by elastic supply and demand, but education is not. We need the same product – educated young citizens – regardless of the market-driven demand for business products.