Appeals court rules for Hillsborough schools in taxing case

Hillsborough voters will get to decide on the question of higher property taxes to supplement teacher pay, an appellate court ruled Monday.

The 2nd District Court of Appeal did not go along with the Hillsborough County Commission’s contention that it has discretion to move the date of the tax referendum from this November to 2026 or beyond.

While state law allows the county commission to place the referendum on the ballot, the appeals court found that this aspect of the law does not give them discretion to modify the date. One point they found in the school board’s favor was the ballot language, which specified that the tax would be collected between 2025 and 2029.