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Martin County staff recommend cutting millage to 5.177 mils; final TRIM hearing set for Sept. 9
Summary
District staff presented a budget update recommending a reduction in the tentative millage rate to 5.177 mils and said the change would keep the district's spending roughly level with last year, with a final public hearing scheduled for Sept. 9.
Carter Morrison, a district staff member, told the Martin County School Board during Budget Update No. 5 that staff recommend reducing the tentatively adopted millage rate from 5.727 mils to 5.177 mils for the 2025-26 fiscal year.
Morrison said the adjustment would leave the district's total budget about the same as last year's, primarily through changes to the capital budget. He told the board the prior-year proceeds were $220,231,428 and that the adjusted recommendation would yield a nearly identical funding level ($220,230,897).
The recommendation, Morrison said, would mean taxpayers' bills would either remain the same or fall if the board accepts the superintendent's recommendation at the final Truth in Millage (TRIM) hearing, which staff scheduled for Sept. 9. Morrison described the next administrative steps: staff will prepare the superintendent's annual financial report and program cost report to the state education department (Sept. 11), submit documentation to the property appraiser, tax collector and Department of Revenue (within three days of the final hearing), and certify TRIM compliance by Sept. 30.
Board members thanked staff for revising the proposal after public comment and discussion at a prior workshop. Superintendent Michael Maine and board members said they appreciated the effort to reduce taxpayer impact while preserving services.
The presentation did not include a final board vote on the millage at this meeting; the board will consider the recommended rates at the Sept. 9 final TRIM hearing.
Ending: Staff said they will return with formal millage and budget documents at the public TRIM hearing; until then, the recommended 5.177 mil rate remains a staff proposal rather than a board-adopted final rate.
