By Hannah Curran, Editor
TRUSSVILLE — The Trussville City Schools announced that on April 12, 2022, the citizens of Trussville will be asked to renew their existing support of our schools.
“A vote for this tax renewal equals a vote for our schools,” Superintendent Dr. Pattie Neill said.
This local financial support has existed since 1992 and provides resources that keep TCS among the top school systems in the state of Alabama. This is not a new tax – it is a vote to realign a current tax that is expiring. If not renewed, TCS stands to lose more than $4,000,000 in local revenue that annually funds personnel and programs which prove vital to student success and achievement, according to Neill.
“School supporters agree we must continue this revenue to ensure excellence in Trussville City Schools,” Neill said.
Jefferson County Commissioner Joe Knight said “net effect is absolutely even,” it’s continuing what was committed to the ad valorem tax collection in support of the schools.
“So it’s not a tax increase, even though it will be technically listed as a tax increase because you’re increasing the 5.5 to 13.9, but that’s just taking the 8.8 from the other constitutional amendment and added that on to this,” Jefferson County Commissioner Joe Knight said. “So net, it’s the same, you’re just continuing to support the schools. The main point is, it’s a continuation of the ad valorem tax to support the Trussville City School system.”
Representative Danny Garrett said that the citizens of Trussville previously voted to increase the ad valorem tax to support the Trussville city school system.
“The tax increases that were voted on by the citizens for ad valorem taxes to go to the schools were under two different code section authorities in the Alabama Code,” Garrett said. “One of those provisions is about to expire.”
Garrett said that this vote would allow the citizens of Trussville to decide if they want to continue to have that same level of ad valorem tax going to the school system. If they do, this will allow that tax that’s about to expire to be collected by the other authority.
“There’s no increase in tax, it’s just allowing the other authority, the code section authority to govern the collection of that tax,” Garrett said. “It’s my understanding that if that tax referendum is not approved, that there would be about a $3 million impact to the school system.”
“Simply put Amendment 3 exists for the next 25 years, and Amendment 82 is expiring,” Neill said. “So we’re just combining 82 on top of 3, and that’s what it is. So, if you do the math, we have a current 13.9 millage rate on the books for us that everyone in Trussville is paying. Amendment 3 that exists as 5.1 mills, Amendment 82 is 8.8 mills. We’re just combining those into one. There’s no tax rate increase, but technically, it’s renewal.”
