LEE COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) — [UPDATE: October 15 at 11:09 p.m.] The Lee County public hearing on a proposed millage rate increase lasted more than three hours before the school board voted to raise the rate by two mills instead of the proposed three mills.

Two options presented

After the hearing, Superintendent Kathleen Truitt explained two options to the board: the originally proposed rate of 18.96 mills, and a second option of 17.96 mills.

The lower rate will fully restore reserves but will only partly cover lost E-SPLOST funds. It will also put a freeze on new projects beyond the approved HVAC and tennis court repairs. The school system says future cuts will also be considered.

Board votes

The board approved the lower rate by a vote of 4-0.

After the vote, residents reacted with audible frustration, including profane language directed at the board.

WALB News 10 will have a full recap of the public hearing, including citizen comments and the moments leading up to the vote, tomorrow.

Lee County taxpayers will have one more chance tonight, Thursday, Oct. 15, to address the Lee County School Board on a proposed three-mill property tax increase. The district says it needs the additional revenue to recover nearly $3.3 million in refunds and project costs.

WALB News 10’s Zoe Wells sat down one-on-one with Superintendent Kathleen Truitt ahead of the final hearing.

Spending priorities

Wells asked Truitt why the district waited to fix a roof and HVAC system if those were significant problems, while also spending money on other projects such as a new gymnasium.

“So I think things have life cycles,” Truitt said. “And so, you look at what needs are. So one of the needs in that 2020 East Post was a gymnasium. And everyone thinks, oh, athletics, athletics. Well, what they’re not thinking about is school safety. And so there is not another building in Lee County that could take one whole school and put it in with another place if we had to evacuate a school. And so that gymnasium takes care of that.”

Response to criticism

Truitt was asked how she feels about criticism directed at her on social media.

“I think I wish that people would focus on the work at hand,” Truitt said. “And so I can understand if your taxes have gone up or you’re anticipating your taxes going up being really frustrated. And that is a super frustrating thing. There’s very few decisions that we’re debating the decision, but debating the person. And is it tricky to watch people say things that have never met you in person? Absolutely. But I think I stay focused. I stay focused on what’s right for kids, what’s right for the longevity of Lee County. And I’ve been hired to do a job.”

Taxpayer trust

Truitt was asked why taxpayers should trust the increase will address the school district’s financial needs.

“I think because we keep hearing a call for transparency and it’s there,” Truitt said. “If you go to our website and go to the finance page, you’ve got tax audit. You’ve got audits. You’ve got budgets. You’ve got tax records for 10 years. Financial records for 10 years. I think there’s nothing hidden. It’s these two things. It’s the refund for the fund balance and it’s ESPOST. We’ve kept the rest of the budget very in line with the last three years. And our goal this year was to have a rollback. Unfortunately, it does not appear that we’re going to be able to do that. Or, we’ll see. The board will have to make that decision this evening.”

The public hearing starts at 6 p.m., with the vote scheduled immediately after.

You can view the full one-on-one interview with Superintendent Kathleen Truitt below:

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