Published in print July 29, 2015 CLAY COUNTY-With the pending shut down of Clay County schools looming in early October if the system receives no additional funding and the issue reaching regional and statewide media outlets, schools director Jerry Strong … Continue reading →

Under direction of the Clay County School Board, schools director Jerry Strong and his staff will pitch a 20-cent property tax increase to members of the Clay County budget committee here next Monday night at a budget meeting held after the July 6 regular commission meeting at the Clay County Government Complex.
Board members voted last month to propose the smaller increase after a $45 wheel tax hike to fund an additional $300,000 the school system requested was rejected in a May county budget meeting.

A proposed $45 wheel tax increase fell by the wayside here at a county budget meeting late last month, according to school board chairman David West.
“They basically rejected the idea,” West told the HORIZON Monday. “Now we’re heading back to the drawing board this week.”
In their May meeting, the school board unanimously voted to “approve the 2015-16 general purpose school budget and to request that the county commission raise the wheel tax by $45 to fund the increase,” recently released minutes from May 21 said.
West explained the increase “was about $300,000