Commissioners Approve School District Sales Tax Ballot Referendum

County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve a proposed School Board referendum for the 2024 ballot. Voters will decide if the current half-cent sales tax should be levied for an additional ten years.

The resolution first repeals a 2022 ordinance blocking the School Board’s referendum because of the timing. Since the existing sales tax was not set to expire before the next general election in 2024, the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) voted to deny its submission in 2022.

The resolution also accepts amendments to the original language, specifying that new school construction is a permitted use of revenues generated by the half-cent sales tax.

The language that voters can expect to see on the November ballot is as follows:
“Shall the one-half-cent sales surtax currently levied in Hernando County be renewed for ten years, to be used for new construction, reconstruction, renovation, remodeling or improvement of school facilities including safety and security improvements, and the purchase of technology equipment including hardware and software with the continued review of expenditures by a citizen’s oversight committee?”