Restored Restore

They have restored the Restore. The Restore is the Walton Habitat For Humanity’s store where they take donated building materials and other items and turn them into cash to help build homes. A company might donate windows to be used in a Habitat home, but they might not be what is needed. The Restore is a way to turn the windows into cash to purchase the specific needs to build a home. The Restore, located on 331 south of Highway 20, staff and volunteers have worked to update the retail center. Last Saturday, approximately 35 volunteers participated in restoring the ReStore. Twenty plus were from Sacred Heart, several of their dependable "hammer grunts" were there and others from the community showed up to lend a hand. 

Here's what they accomplished:

The GMC truck was painted white in preparation for their Habitat logo. 

The door to the shed was repaired.

The shed in front of the building was cleaned out and painted.

The dumpster was filled with debris from the yard and damaged inventory

The shed in the back of the building was cleaned out.

The yard was mowed and ALL the excess weeds around the building and in the pool area were removed.

The pod was cleaned out and the doors were staged properly

All the windows were cleaned inside and out.

Several pieces of damaged inventory were repaired

The entire store was vacuumed, dusted and de-bugged!

The inside of the store was staged and organized. 

Just about finished putting the gutter on the back of the house.

The list goes on and on......................

Habitat gives special thanks to Bill Rennicke, David Petrasek and David Price for coordinating the volunteers and a big warm thank you to Kathy Ault of Sacred Heart Hospital for gathering a hard working group of volunteers.

Habitat says the place looks, smells and feels GREAT! And words cannot truly express their gratitude.

Listen to the Mp3 file for News Segment 2 http://www.wzep1460.com/WZEP%20News%20Friday%20Segment%202.mp3

WCSB Budget

The Walton School Board recently met for a budget hearing. The district’s overall budget is $122,941,378 with $73.3 million in the General Operating fund, $38.9 million in the Capital fund and about $10.4 million in debt service and special funds. The Board set the millage at 4.1250, an increase in the millage but less than the rollback rate. The rollback rate is the amount required to keep the millage at the same level as last year.

District Finance Director Jim McCall says the state required a millage increase. McCall says the millage rate for this year is slightly higher than last year, going from 4.047 mills to 4.125 mills, an increase of .078. He says the required increase is 100% required by the state legislature.

The term “Required” is used to describe part of the budget. There are 5 millage rates that combine to generate the total millage. Under the Operating budget there is the Required, Discretionary, Supplemental and the Voted ½ -mill Levy. There is also the Capital Outlay. McCall explains the Required millage under the operating budget is where the state required an increase of 0.086. The Discretionary was reduced by -0.012 so the whole millage increase is .078.

This requirement is under Florida Statute 1011.62(4), which states “the legislature shall prescribe the aggregate required local effort for all school districts collectively as an item in the General Appropriations Act for each fiscal year.” McCall again says the total millage has only gone up 86 one-thousandths of a mill. The portion the school district controls, known as discretionary millage, is lower than last year by 8 one-thousandths.

The increase in millage results in about a $14 increase for a $200,000 home. McCall agrees the Board can choose to lower the millage by cutting the budget under the Discretionary part, but the Required part is mandated by the state.

The State controls the Required Local Effort part of the budget. School Board member Mark Davis says this portion of the total millage, the Board levies, did go up. Davis says the Board had the ability to lower parts of the total millage to offset the State’s requirement, but Superintendent Anderson and the Board chose not to.

Davis says they need to find $1.2 million dollars to cut from the budget to avoid any millage increase. Davis questions anyone who says the State required them to increase the total millage. According to Davis, “If someone is saying the total millage we levied was required by the State of Florida to increase, they are being dishonest.” Davis says only a portion of the total millage is controlled by the state.

Davis notes it was just two years ago the Board was able to fully fund the budget. Some of the funding was put to hiring reading coaches. He credits the good school and district grades as being helped by a fully funded budget. While he recognizes the benefits of a fully funded budget, Davis is questioning if it is too big and feeling there are places it can be cut. He realizes the new Mossy Head School start up is taking up part of the budget dollars, but wants the board to find cuts to at least keep the millage the same.

Bonnie McQuiston with the Walton County Taxpayer’s Association points out Davis offered ideas and plans to prevent raising taxes. She says all were rejected and Board Member Mildred Wilkerson made the motion to approve the tax hike. The motion passed 3-2 with Davis and Sharon Roberts the nay votes.