Walton County school officials ask commissioners to place 0.5‑mill continuation on Nov. 3 ballot

Walton County School District officials asked the Board of County Commissioners to let voters decide whether to continue a 0.5 mill shift from capital-outlay to general-operating millage, a request the board approved unanimously.

Stephanie Hoffheinz, chief financial officer for the Walton County School District, told commissioners the measure would be placed on the Nov. 3, 2026 general-election ballot and described the question as a continuation of an existing 0.5 mill shift that has been in place for 23 years. Hoffheinz said the district budgets the half-mill at just over $25 million for the 2025–26 fiscal year and stressed, “This is not a tax increase.”

The board moved quickly. Commissioner Anderson made the motion to place the referendum on the ballot and Commissioner Gladwell seconded it. The motion carried 5‑0.

School officials and the superintendent’s office have attributed the millage shift to operational stability, saying the funds support school safety initiatives such as school resource officers, full staffing at the start of the school year, career‑technical education and extracurricular programs. Hoffheinz credited the continued availability of those funds with the district’s academic rankings and graduation performance cited in her presentation.

Board members asked procedural questions about timing and whether the measure would appear on the general-election ballot; staff confirmed it will. With the motion approved, county staff will include the district’s referendum question on the Nov. 3 ballot as requested.

The board’s action was an allocation only to place the measure on the ballot; final implementation details, if voters approve the continuation, will be handled through the school district’s budget processes and county election procedures.