One Mill Matters

About the One Mill

Alachua County citizens have come to expect great things from our schools. For the last three years, Alachua County has earned an 'A' grade from the state of Florida for the academic performance of its students. Recently we learned that local high school students had the highest scores in the state on the SAT, and also did much better than students nationwide on the test. Our district is also ranked first in the state for the percentage of students taking and passing the challenging Advanced Placement exam. These are just a few examples of the high quality results we're getting from our local schools.

On November 4, local citizens will have an opportunity to maintain that level of quality by voting to support a one mill increase in property taxes to support Alachua County Public Schools.

What will it do?

The increase would bring in nearly $13 million a year to pay for programs and personnel that have been lost or reduced because of state budget cuts-things like

  • art and music programs in our elementary schools,
  • guidance programs in our elementary schools,
  • media specialists in middle and high schools,
  • funding for the district's highly successful career/technical and academic magnet programs, and
  • classroom technology.
These programs are a big part of the district's overall success.

The one mill would also continue funding for school nurses. Nearly $1 million in federal funding for nurses will be eliminated in April of 2009. Without a new source of revenue, the district could no longer maintain a nurse in every school.

Citizen oversight

The one mill increase would last just four years, beginning in July of 2009. The funds collected through the one mill must be spent as indicated on the ballot, and must remain in Alachua County-they could not be touched by the state. An independent oversight committee of local citizens will ensure the one mill funds are being spent appropriately.

What will it cost?

The one mill would cost the average Alachua County homeowner about ten dollars a month. Here's how it works. One mill equals $1 in taxes for every $1000 of the taxable value of a property. What the one mill will cost depends on the taxable value of a property, which is determined each year by the Property Appraiser. The average home in Alachua County is valued at less than $150,000. If you use that number, then subtract the $25,000 homestead exemption, you get a taxable value of $125,000. Multiply that by one mill, and you get $125.00 a year, or $10.42 a month. The formula looks like this:

Assessed Value of Property $150,000
Homestead Exemption-25,000
  _________
Taxable Value $125,000

One mill x $125,000 = $125 a year or about $10.42 monthly