financial reports from time to time that may be required by the board or by law; (4) keep the board advised of the financial condition and future needs of the district and make recommendations that seem desirable; (5) perform other duties prescribed by law or required of him by the board not inconsistent with the provisions of law; and (6) centralize all administrative functions, including, but not limited to, human resources, accounting, procurement, transportation, school bus services, and maintenance. SECTION 5. (A) The board of trustees of the school district, before July first of each year, shall prepare a school district budget for the ensuing school year. Before September second of each year, the board shall notify the county auditor and treasurer in writing of the millage required for the operation of the schools in the district for the ensuing school year. The notice by the board constitutes authority for the levying and collection of the millage upon all of the real and personal property within the school district. The levy must be placed to the credit of the district and expended for the district. Beginning in 2019, the school district may raise its millage by not more than two mills over that levied for the previous year, in addition to any millage needed to adjust for the EFA inflation factor and sufficient to meet the requirements of Section 59211030. An increase above this two mills for operations may be levied only after a majority of the registered electors of the district vote in favor of the millage increase in a referendum called by the district school board and conducted by the county election commission. (B) The board shall hold a public hearing prior to its final approval of the budget for the district. Notice of this public hearing must be placed in a newspaper of general circulation in the district at least fifteen days before the public hearing. (C) For purposes of determining the previous year’s millage of the district upon its creation, the millage levy for the district must be determined and calculated by the board based on the 2018 levy in each of the three districts and the value of a mill in each district as well as the 2018 countywide school millage levy and the value of a mill in the county. SECTION 6. (A) On July 1, 2019, the assets and liabilities of the three present school districts must be transferred to the district. The records and employees of the three present school districts of the county must be transferred to and, if applicable, assumed by the school district.
(B) The constitutional debt limitation on the issuance of general obligation bonds applicable to the district is to be computed based on the assessed value of all taxable property in the county minus that bonded indebtedness of each of the present school districts made a part of the district that was includable against the constitutional debt limitation of those present school districts. (C) During the transition period, from July 1, 2017, to July 1, 2019, no new general obligation bonds may be issued against the constitutional debt limitation of the present three districts, except in the case of an emergency. If new general obligation bonds are issued, then the board of trustees of the issuing school district must adopt an ordinance declaring the emergency and specifying the necessity of the issue. SECTION 7. (A) The three present school districts of Orangeburg County are abolished on July 1, 2019, at which time the school district of the county must be established as provided in this act. The terms of all members of the boards of trustees of the three present school districts of the county will expire on this date. However, members of the board of trustees of the school district elected at the 2018 nonpartisan election shall take office one week following certification of their election pursuant to Section 5919315. From this date and until July 1, 2019, the boards may organize, begin planning for the changeover to the district, enter into contracts to effectuate these purposes, and perform other related matters, except that the responsibility and authority to manage the schools of the county rest solely with the individual boards for each of the three present districts until July 1, 2019, and the board may not interfere with this authority. (B) Funding for the activities of the board, from the date the members assume office until July 1, 2019, must be provided from funds available to the three present school districts for operating purposes, each paying their portion based on their proportionate average daily membership report for 2018. (C) A member of one of the three present school boards of the county may seek election to the school district board of trustees in 2018. However, if he is elected to the Orangeburg County School District Board of Trustees, prior to assuming the duties of this board, then he must first resign as a member of the present board. In this event and notwithstanding another provision of law, the vacancy on the present board that is vacated must be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term by appointment of the county legislative delegation.