City Council delays bill to put 1-mill school tax renewal on November ballot

The Jacksonville City Council’s Finance Committee has delayed a bill authorizing a November referendum to renew the Duval County School District’s property tax levy used to bolster teacher pay.

The legislation was filed last month after the School Board voted 6-1 to bring the renewal of the 1-mill property tax first approved in 2022 to voters this fall.

In a 4-3 decision Tuesday, the council committee deferred Ordinance 2026-0387 for up to two weeks, which officials say will create a tight deadline for the referendum to make the November ballot.

When voters go to the polls later this year, the district is asking for an extension of the 1-mill they approved in 2022, not a new tax. The 1-mill levy — or $1 for every $1,000 of taxable value — comes to about $300 per year for the average homeowner.

On Tuesday, the committee’s decision, which by Florida statute is meant to be a pass-through, ended with more than an hour of debate. Some council members called for district officials to approach city lawmakers and explain the need to continue the extra tax revenue.

Council member Ron Salem said it took nearly two months for district officials to return his request for a meeting on the referendum.

“If this is so important to the School Board and community, somebody needs to respond,” Salem said. 

A lawyer from the city’s Office of General Counsel told committee members that the council’s role in placing the referendum on the ballot is a requirement based on the school board’s direction, not a decision for them to make.

“The statute indicates that the school board shall direct the council to coordinate putting this on the ballot with the supervisor of elections. In this one particular type of ad valorem millage, they don’t have the authority to directly submit it to the supervisor of elections. They have to go through the council,” Mary Staffopoulos, deputy general counsel, said.

“This is somewhat of a ministerial action of the council to approve putting this on the ballot.”

Staffopoulos said the district needs the bill to pass soon in order for the elections office to have enough time to get the referendum to make the November ballot. She says, at the latest, the full council would need to vote on the bill by its June 23 meeting.

Council member Matt Carlucci said the renewed 1-mill will boost pay for district police as well as maintain past raises for teachers. He told committee members the delay is “playing games with something we shouldn’t be playing games with.” 

“This is on a very sensitive time frame. I think it would be well if one of those who voted no would change their vote to a yes just to get it through committee and you can vote no at council all you want,” Carlucci said. “I think that would be a reasonable request, and I would ask that one of the committee members would be serious enough about our schools and our teachers to reverse the vote to get it out of committee.”

Council member Raul Arias called the need to extend the 1-mill to pay teachers a “false narrative.” 

Salem supported the 1-mill in 2022. On Tuesday, he pointed to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ property tax cut proposal, approved by the state Legislature on Tuesday, as justification for declining to support the district’s renewal.

“I think the world has changed with what’s going on in Tallahassee with property taxes, which is one of the reasons I’m voting no,” Salem said. “We have got to give relief to our citizens in this situation.”

DeSantis and the Legislature’s proposed property tax cut will also go before voters in November. It would need 60% for approval. But state lawmakers carved out public schools in their final proposals, allowing districts to keep their property tax revenues.

What the 1-mill pays for 

Duval County voters first approved the extra 1-mill tax in 2022 to boost teacher pay. It tax revenue is also used to enhance art, music and athletic programs, according to the district. And there is some revenue sharing required by state statute with Duval County’s public charter schools.

As of January, the 1-mill has been bringing in nearly $125 million annually, exceeding the district’s estimates in 2022 of $108 million. After the charter school share, traditional schools net just shy of $100 million.

For teachers, the referendum would help maintain teacher and other staff pay — including campus police officers — by $5,000 to $7,000 per year, depending on the employee’s pay rate.

Before the committee decided to hit pause on the bill, council member Will Lahnen moved to change his vote Tuesday from “yes” to “no” to break a 3-3 tie and send it to full council next week. 

That was after council President Kevin Carrico declined to commit to discharging the legislation from committee and setting up the final vote next week — a decision he could make before the regular council meeting Tuesday.

Lahnen said he supports sending the tax extension to the voters and planned to switch his vote back to yes when the bill comes to a final vote.

In the end, Carrico, Salem, Arias and Diamond voted to defer the bill. Finance Chair Joe Carlucci and committee members Ju’Coby Pittman and Lahnen voted against the deferral. 

Council Vice President Nick Howland, who sits on the Finance Committee, was absent from the meeting.

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Jacksonville Today Education Reporter Megan Mallicoat contributed to this report.