Pasco County voters will decide sooner rather than later if they want to increase their taxes to help raise salaries of school district employees.
At Tuesday's school board meeting, members voted to move the referendum up to August instead of November.
Officials say the move will help voters not confuse it with the Penny for Pasco sales tax vote set for November.
One commenter, Erin Pike, asked board members to keep the vote in November, saying that fewer voters show up for primaries.
"Let the public tell you what they really want. If they vote it in, so be it. Give it a proper chance to hear from the county as a whole," she said.
But the board unanimously approved the August 23 vote.
The referendum aims to make district salaries more competitive with nearby counties.
If voters approve it, the tax rate would go up $1 for every $1,000 of taxable value.
The property tax could bring in up to $37 million per year for the four years it would be in place, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
