Half Cent Sales Tax Accountability Committee Update: Revenues continue to climb

Gregg Laskoski, Hernando County School District Half Cent Tax Accountability Committee member, reported that the total revenue collected from the half cent sales tax since its inception in 2016 is $57.7 million.  Total expenditures are at 46 million and purchase orders issued are at 50.5 million.
Laskoski said that even with the COVID pandemic in 2020, the district saw month to month increases in Department of Revenue receipts over the previous year.  This year, the monthly average is $1.18 million earned for the school district in comparison to 2016; the average collected for the 10-month period was $670,000.  The monthly average reached $1 million for the first time last year, he reported.  The total collected in 2020 was $12.3 million.  If revenues remain steady for the remainder of 2021, the district expects to collect a total of 14.2 million this year.
Lori Sowers reported that through March of 2021, the district has initiated about 447 projects since the inception of the half cent sales tax in 2016.  All of the projects have been listed on the original resolution passed by the voters. There are around 721 projects listed on the original resolution.
She said that HVAC has been a huge expenditure, especially for widespread campuses.
Sowers mentioned that the Half Cent Sales Tax Committee is in need of an additional member to bring them up to four members.  There are only four meetings a year and the next meeting is scheduled for Aug. 17 at 5pm.  Additional information can be found under the facilities section of the Hernando County School District website: hernandoschools.org.