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Taylor County commissioners approve grants, appointments and send school quarter‑mill renewal to ballot
Summary
The board approved multiple routine and required items: a budget transfer for jail HVAC equipment, reappointment and appointment to the planning board, authorization to submit a Transportation Disadvantaged planning grant, and voted to place a longstanding 0.25‑mill school tax renewal on the November ballot.
Taylor County commissioners on May 4 approved a series of budget, personnel and grant actions and agreed to place a quarter‑mill school tax renewal on the November ballot.
Items approved included a budget transfer to fund replacement of two air‑handler units at the county jail, reappointment of Michael (Mike) Hunter and appointment of Jody (name variant appears in packet as Demaine/Devane) to one of three openings on the Taylor County Planning Board, and authorization to submit the Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged planning grant application for fiscal year 2026‑27. Commissioners also agreed to place a longstanding 0.25‑mill school tax renewal on the November ballot so voters may reapprove the levy.
During discussion of the jail equipment, staff noted updated vendor quotes were roughly $32,020 higher than the earlier estimate; staff told commissioners the awarded contractor could complete the work before the end of the fiscal year if approved. The transcript records the budget transfer amount in the packet as “2,020 thousand,” a phrasing clarified in the meeting as funding drawn from general fund reserves to cover the replacement of two units.
On the school funding request, S2 (public commenter) and commissioners discussed oversight: S2 asked whether a committee overseeing how referendum funds are spent could be structured to include representatives who are not taxpayers or otherwise to ensure broader representation. County staff (S11) described the required audit process and said the county will produce a project list and a separate accounting for the sales tax as part of the review; staff said the audit entrance interview was scheduled and that the final project list and audit will be made public via the county’s BoardDocs.
Other routine matters approved included the planning‑board appointments (one vacancy will remain open and be re‑advertised) and acceptance of sealed procurement responses for the Community Transportation Coordinator (CTC) process; Big Bend Transit submitted the only sealed envelope the board received for the CTC RFP. The meeting also recorded four bids for a road project, which staff read into the record.
Votes at a glance: the board recorded voice approvals for the consent agenda, the jail budget transfer, planning‑board appointments, the transportation grant application, and the Allen Roberts Mine final development order (see separate article), and approved placing the school quarter‑mill renewal on the November ballot.
Source: Taylor County Board of County Commissioners meeting minutes and public comment transcript, May 4, 2026.
