Okaloosa commissioners debate county role in School Resource Officer funding but keep tentative millage

The Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners on July 21 rejected an immediate removal of county funding for school resource officers (SROs) and instead voted to hold the tentative ad valorem millage at 3.8308 mills and the aggregate at 3.9615 mills.

The meeting turned into a lengthy policy debate when Commissioner Mixon asked staff to research seven years of SRO funding to determine whether the county has remained a 50–50 partner with the school district after state "Safe Schools" allocations began in 2019. County staff said the board’s allocation to SROs since 2019 exceeds $25 million and that the county’s FY27 proposed contribution to the SRO program is roughly $4.4 million; last year’s contribution was cited as about $4.25 million.

Chair (the meeting chair, S2) moved to remove the $4.25 million county contribution from the draft budget and lower the tentative millage to 3.6961 mills to reflect that change. "If we are funding something that's not really what we were hired to fund," the chair said, "I'm gonna fix it," arguing the county should not be routinely funding another local government’s operations.

Commissioner Mixon pressed for data before taking that step, asking staff to track how much the school district itself budgets for SROs and how much state Safe Schools funds offset that amount. Mixon said he believed the county has been the "overwhelming partner" and asked for a seven‑year review to clarify the county’s real share.

County staff (S6) explained the historical context: the board began funding SROs at a 50% level after 2018 in the wake of a statewide crisis response, and Safe Schools funds later flowed to districts to offset school safety costs. Staff said the county’s allocation since 2019 exceeds $25 million and gave the board a current SRO budget figure of $4.4 million for FY27.

Other commissioners urged caution about an abrupt removal of county funding. One commissioner warned that pulling funding in late July would be disruptive to the school district and sheriff’s staffing plans and could reduce protection in classrooms if not managed through the budget cycle; another noted pending November referendum issues that could materially affect the county’s fiscal picture.

Faced with split views, Commissioner Mixon offered a procedural alternative: set the tentative millage at the administration’s recommended level (3.8308 mills) while directing staff to return with the requested SRO funding analysis. That motion was seconded and carried 4–1, leaving the tentative millage and the MSTU (0.2880 mills) unchanged for now.

The board’s action sets a cap the county cannot exceed without a unanimous vote and preserves the budget timeline that includes public hearings in September. The decision also formalizes next steps: staff will provide the historical SRO funding analysis the board requested, and commissioners indicated they expect a later agenda item or workshop to consider changes after staff and the school district have had time to respond.

Votes and next steps: the board approved the tentative ad valorem millage of 3.8308 mills and the aggregate millage of 3.9615 mills and separately approved the MSTU at 0.2880 mills (vote tally reported as 4 in favor, 1 opposed). The chair’s motion to immediately cut SRO funding was proposed but not adopted.

The meeting record shows no public comments during the special meeting segment; staff listed budget hearings for Sept. 3 (Crestview) and Sept. 15 (final adoption).