Monday, the Poplarville School Board approved their ad valorem request for the 2016-2017 school year operational fund, with an amendment that the amount not exceed 55 mills.
Poplarville School District Finance Director Samantha Sandifer told the Board that she looked at the new appraisal amounts. To collect to the same amount as last year, the district would need to request 55 mills, she added.
“We have to advertise by September 1,” she said. “If we don’t advertise the reappraisal values and millage amount we don’t get our homestead amounts.”
Sandifer asked the Board to approve the motion with an amendment that the operational mills requested not exceed 55 mills, which she said should cover what the district received last year.
According to the advertisement, “A millage rate of 55 for fiscal year 2016-2017 will produce the same amount of revenue from ad valorem taxes for the Poplarville School District as was collected the prior fiscal year in 2015-2016. The millage rate for the prior fiscal year was 57.”
The amount the district would probably collect will be about $4.8 million, Sandifer said.
In other action, the Board:
• Heard an update on Senate Bill 2500 from Poplarville School District Superintendent Carl Merritt. The bill consolidated the Lumberton School District with Poplarville and Lamar County School Districts. The district was required to form their own commission, which met for the first time with other appointed members from the other school districts. During the first meeting, Merritt said they discussed finding a common ground and other issues.
“Nothing was decided or set in stone,” Merritt said. “The commission was asked to come up with a plan for our kids.”
Merritt does not know the date of the next commission meeting, because they are dictated by the Mississippi Department of Education. During that next meeting, Merritt said commission members will discuss a time frame for consolidation.
• Approved a special events agreement with the city of Poplarville for security provided by the Poplarville Police Department at school-sponsored events. The district reimburses the city at an hourly rate of $25 per hour, which is an overtime rate, Sandifer said.
• Accepted a bid from ChromePilot in the amount of $58,752 for 327 Chromebooks.
• Approved a bid from Perkins Creek and Hunting Club for $6 per acre for a five-year term in regard to the district’s Hunting and Fishing Lease Section 16-1-17.
The next Board meeting will be held on September 12 at 6 p.m. in the meeting room in the district office on Julia Street.