MARGATE – The Board of Commissioners Thursday, Feb. 5 introduced a $4.2 million school bond ordinance to finance three construction projects at the city schools.
The ordinance follows discussion at the Nov. 12, 2025, Board of Education meeting and the subsequent Board of School Estimate meeting held Dec. 10, 2025, where the members agreed to send their request for funding to the commissioners.
Margate is a Type 1 school district with school board members appointed by the mayor and the governing body approving funding for capital projects. Current members of the Board of School Estimate include the three commissioners, school board President Joseph Pepe and Vice-president Jack Sorensen.
City and school board auditor Leon Costello presented information that indicated the city could issue the $4.2 million bond without having to raise taxes.
“We found the sweet spot to fund the project without and impact on the taxpayers,” he said.
Superintendent Ryan Gaskill said costs would increase over time and require a more extensive construction process if the district waited until current bonds are paid off in 2030.
The district will complete three projects, drawing down the money when needed.
The first project would replace the roof at the William H. Ross Elementary School. Gaskill said the roof is within the timeline where it could be resurfaced instead of ripped off and totally replaced, which would be much more expensive. He expects the roof project could be completed during the summer months.
The second project will replace the solar panels on the roof of the Ross School. Doing the replacement project sooner-rather-than-later would allow the district to take advantage of federal tax incentives that will reduce the cost. The incentives expire for projects not already under construction by July 4.
The final project is to replace the dimmer light rack in the Dominick A. Potena Performing Arts Center at the rear of the Eugene A. Tighe Middle School. Gaskill said replacements for failing lighting racks are no longer available and that the building is slowly losing its lighting capabilities.
Gaskill called the PAC “a source of pride for the schools and the community” and that it makes sense to keep it that way.
He said the district conducted a fundraising campaign that raised substantial funding to replace a control board, which reduced costs for the rack replacement.
Costello recommended the district issue temporary notes to fund the projects as needed before going out to permanent financing in 2030 when existing bonds are paid in full. At that time, the district will see a nearly half-million dollar drop in debt service, which would allow the city to permanently finance as much as $10 million without increasing school taxes.
The district’s current school tax rate is 2.4 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, and one cent on the tax rate raises $417,000 in revenue.
Ordinance 03-2026 authorizes the issuance of $4.2 million for the projects - $700,000 for the PAC stage lighting and lighting control rack, including all soft costs; and $3.5 million for the roof repairs, including soft costs.
A public hearing and vote to adopt will be held 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19 at Historic City Hall, 1 S. Washington Ave.
Also at the meeting, the commissioners agreed to reimburse the Save Lucy Committee $8,443 representing taxes paid on its new Lucy the Elephant Gift Shop property located at 9219 Atlantic Ave., that was purchased in July last year. The resolution authorizes a tax exemption for the non-profit organization that maintains the city’s iconic roadside attraction.
The board also authorized the receipt of bids for an exclusive beach vending license. Vendors may submit bids to sell water, ice cream and other ice cream products on the beach during the 2026 and 2027 summer seasons. The minimum bid amount is $50,000 per year.
Copyright Fideri News Network 2026
