Laserfiche WebLink
/3c <br />MEMORANDUM <br />TO: Board of County Commissioners <br />FROM: Dylan Reingold, County Attorney <br />DATE: February 23, 2022 <br />SUBJECT: Children's Services Dedicated Millage <br />BACKGROUND. <br />On February 25, 2020, the Indian River County Board of County Commissioners ("Board") conducted a <br />workshop and provided guidance to the County Attorney on various issues pertaining to the dedicated <br />millage for the Children's Trust. The guidance addressed the proposed millage rate, sunset date, millage <br />phase-in, Children's Trust Advisory Board membership, executive director position and staffing, and the <br />use of dedicated millage funds. <br />After the workshop, the County Attorney's Office began drafting the proposed ordinance, which called for <br />the referendum and established a new chapter of the Indian River County Code of Ordinances pertaining <br />to the dedicated millage and the other issues noted above. On May 5, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 <br />pandemic, and at the request of County staff and representatives supporting the referendum, the Board <br />voted to defer placing the matter on the November 2020 ballot. At the time, the County Attorney's Office <br />noted that it would bring the matter and a draft ordinance back to the Board in 2021 for consideration of <br />placing the matter on the November 2022 ballot. <br />On May 11, 2021, the Board provided guidance on the proposed Children's Trust ordinance and <br />authorized County staff to work with the representatives supporting the referendum in obtaining the <br />approval from the municipalities and drafting any resolutions to effectuate such approval. The Board also <br />authorized setting a public hearing on the ordinance after obtaining the approvals from the municipalities. <br />Attached is a copy of the draft ordinance with the Board changes as directed at the May 11, 2021 meeting. <br />The proposed ordinance changed the make-up of the 15 member Children's Trust Advisory Board to <br />include an Accountant, a Certified Financial Officer, a Certified Financial Planner, or a person with <br />proven financial experience and replace the Taxpayers' Association of Indian River County representative <br />with an additional Member -at -Large. The proposed ordinance now includes a two-step phase-in, with an <br />ad valorem tax of 0.2500 of a mill for the initial four years, and 0.3750 of a mill for the remaining eight <br />years. <br />104 <br />