School superintendent to recommend level tax rate

The Grady County Board of Education will conduct a budget workshop at 5:30 p.m. next Tuesday, Sept. 8, and the public is invited to attend.

School officials held a called meeting Tuesday night to address a number of items prior to the reopening of school next week.

At this week’s meeting, board members, after having seen the proposed budget and tentative tax digest, say they do not anticipate adjusting the ad valorem tax millage rate.

Dan Broome, finance officer for Grady County Schools, said the board could maintain the current rate of 13.60 mills and it would not be a tax increase for local property owners. However, the school system will need approximately $700,000 from its cash reserves of $5.5 million to balance its 2020-2021 operating budget.

Dr. Kermit Gilliard, superintendent of Grady County Schools, said that the board could discuss the budget more next week, but he said that his recommendation would be to maintain the current tax rate.

In other business Tuesday night, the board:

Revised resolutions to submit to the state regarding application for modernization money from the state for Eastside Elementary School and Southside Elementary School. Due to the fact that some of the projects considered by the state are being done through a lease with A.B.M. Building Solutions, Dr. Gilliard said that $289,885 would be available to the school system for other projects.

The superintendent is also recommending the system invest modernization funds to expand the cafeteria at Southside and to renovate the facility, which would provide a couple of additional classrooms while at the same time expande the cafeteria of the school to bring it in line with other local schools. According to Dr. Gilliard, the system would be eligible for approximately $750,000 for the project. Officials do not have an estimate for the project, but based on others, Broome is predicting in the $1 to $1.5 million range.

Approved the replacement of a 25-ton air conditioning unit that went out last week at the Cairo High School cafeteria. It is one of two 25-ton units that cool the facility, according to maintenance director Dave Mitchell. The board accepted the low bid of $25,200 from Lane Mechanical for the purchase and installation of the new unit.