ORMOND BEACH
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
SHS FOOTBALL PAGE 11
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021
VOLUME 10, NO. 3
School Board backtracks on masks An opt-out policy for face coverings is now in place. JARLEENE ALMENAS ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Parents of students attending Volusia County Schools now
City approves 4.7% tax rate increase
have the opportunity to opt out of the district’s emergency mask mandate for students, a decision reached by the School Board in a 3-2 vote on Tuesday, Sept. 14. School Board members Carl Persis and Ruben Colon voted against.
The matter came before the board after a three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal placed a stay on a ruling by Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper, who found that the governor’s executive order banning school districts from requiring students
wear masks overstepped his constitutional authority, a ruling that was quickly appealed by the state. Parents involved in the legal battle now want the matter to be handled by the Florida Supreme Court. “We all want to be good stew-
ards of the law, but our children should not be utilized as pawns to prove a political point, no matter what that point is, said School Board Chair Linda Cuthbert, who voted in favor of letting parSEE VCS PAGE 4
Never forget
City hosts first 9/11 memorial walk. PAGE 3
No reserves will be used. JARLEENE ALMENAS ASSOCIATE EDITOR
The Ormond Beach City Commission passed a resolution 4-1 to raise the property tax rate by 4.7% for fiscal year 2021-2022 at its first budget hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 8. City Commissioner Dwight Selby voted against. The city’s new millage rate of 4.0308 mils includes a public safety vehicle and equipment replacement fund and two voter-approved general obligation bonds. The operating tax rate is 3.9128 mils, which is 4.7% above the rollback rate of 3.7370 mils. The budget for next fiscal year totals $101.7 million, which does not utilize any of the city’s reserves for operating expenses, according to city documents. In an editorial written by Selby to the Ormond Beach Observer, the commissioner detailed why he was voting against the tax rate increase: The city has $8.8 million in reserves, accounting for 25% of the operating budget, SEE COMMISSION PAGE 4
INSIDE CELTIC FESTIVAL The 10th Celtic Festival was held Sept. 11-12 at Rockefeller Gardens in Ormond Beach after it was delayed due to COVID-19.
PAGE 8
INDEX
Briefs......................PAGE 7 Calendar................ PAGE 8 Cops Corner...........PAGE 7 Letters................... PAGE 6 Real Estate...........PAGE 14 Your Town.............. PAGE 6
Ormond Beach firefighters Mark Allen, Kristi Brown and Mikayla Laks.
Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Jewish Federation’s Gloria Max leaves a selfless legacy of giving back Gloria Max is remembered by her generosity, work ethic, and relentless fundraising for those in need.
JARLEENE ALMENAS ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Gloria Max was a force to be reckoned with in the community. As the executive director of the Jewish Federation of Flagler and Volusia Counties, Max, despite her short stature, was like a “6-foot-6-inch champion boxer” in spirit, said Marvin Miller, the nonprofit’s president. Once
she got an idea in her head, she pursued it relentlessly. She was at the Federation’s Jerry Doliner Food Bank every day, Miller said, and it was her commitment to the nonprofit’s mission that impressed him from the very first time he met her 20 years ago. “People use that term — 24/7,” Miller said. “Well, that was in truth for her. She probably set the bar for 24/7.”
Max died on Friday, Sept. 10, after a six-year battle with cancer, days away from her 81st birthday. Remembered for her passion of helping others, and her persistent ways of fundraising for the Jewish Federation, Max, a native of Toronto, Canada, often remarked to many people that it was her job that was keeping her alive. SEE MAX PAGE 5