After sales tax defeat schools already scheming
Madison County residents overwhelmingly defeated the proposed countywide half cent sales tax increase yesterday with 64% of voters saying NO. Rich McAdams, president of the Madison County school board, is already leveling threats.
“Three years from now we’re going to have 400 portables spread out across the county,” he said, “and we’re going to stop hiding them behind the schools.”
That’s right, they’re going to make efforts to shame you into wanting to give them more money.
You want even more boldness? The body of the sales tax isn’t even cold yet, but…
McAdams said the county schools could approach the commission to reconsider the half-cent.
“That’s been the only hope to me,” said McAdams, saying support in certain districts might sway individual commissioners. “Winning countywide wasn’t what had to occur.”
The commission retains the authority to add the half-cent. Julian Butler, attorney for the commission, said the commission agreed to a “binding” referendum, but it’s not clear how long a “no” would be binding.
Just as I suggested last night, the county commission can still impose the sales tax despite the lopsided defeat. I’m just shocked that McAdams would be so dumb as to flat out admit that is his strategy. One would think he would wait until after the November election to state that publicly. Now Roger Jones, Jerry Craig, and Mike Gillespie – the only incumbents with general election opponents (and all supporters of the tax at one time or another) – will have to face tough questions from constituents about their intent to pass the tax after November. If I were running against them I would pass along McAdams’ comments to every voter I could find.
I think Mo Brooks summed up the situation best:
In a six-page memo against the sales tax increase, County Commissioner Mo Brooks wrote: “It is remarkable people move into rural Madison County for lower tax rates and then complain about the reduced services because they refuse to pay higher taxes.”
Bingo. Everyone I talk to who lives in the county cites the low property taxes (16 mills versus 27 in Madison and 27.5 in Huntsville) as a prime reason. Don’t complain about getting services in line with the tax rate. The problem with this specific tax increase proposal was that it was county wide. The county was trying to effectively export money from the city and force Huntsville residents to pay a tax we didn’t need. Huntsville could pass their own sales tax increase at any time – and keep more money than they would have under the county wide plan. But Huntsville schools don’t need the money.
The Madison County schools need to do now what they should have done two years ago when they started pushing for the sales tax increase: try to raise property taxes only in the unincorporated parts of the county. If that doesn’t work then do what the rest of us do and make the best out of what you have.
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Remember that the Sales Tax in the County is 5 1/2%, compared to 8% in HSV and Madison.
The County could also raise their own Sales Taxes.
BTW, I drove by the Mt. Carmel Elementary School polling place yesterday and saw a banner:
“Get our Kids out of Modular Rooms
Please Vote FOR 1 / 2 Penny School Funds Referendum
(from the PTA)”
The banner was posted on the school fence by the entrance.
What is wrong with portables?
You can’t expect children to learn in a non-permanent structure, now can you? :)
What’s wrong with portables? They have distressing tendency to make schools less attractive, which affects real estate sales, and cascade thru the rapids of decreased realty/mortgage commissions, to arrive at the shoals of decreased property values and tax revenue.
“They have distressing tendency to make schools less attractive,” That’s why you put them in the back.
They can learn all the propaganda in a trailer as well as a mansion.
David Prather editorialized “How schools can get more tax money”:
http://www.al.com/opinion/huntsvilletimes/dprather.ssf?/base/opinion/1212570960146080.xml&coll=1
I don’t usually agree with Prather, but I think he is mostly right this time: voters don’t trust the school leadership.
“Questions are being raised by people who strongly support public education about staffing levels and efficiency and the difficulty of keeping good teachers and getting rid of bad ones.”
I don’t agree with his proposal to merge the three school systems (Madison County, Huntsville City, Madison City), since that smacks of Metro Government – which I don’t support. If you don’t think school officials are responsive now, try giving them more power and less accountability…
I do agree with his proposal for Tenure reform. I’ve had to deal with bad teachers who were immune to discipline.
I also agree with his point about communications: “isn’t it amazing that education should have a communication problem”.