By Hannah Curran, Editor
TRUSSVILLE — The unofficial results for the Trussville City Schools ad valorem renewal are in.
Trussville residents voted on Tuesday, April 12, whether to renew an ad valorem property tax for schools. The expiring tax provides about $4 million in annual revenue for Trussville City Schools (TCS).
The votes are being counted from five polling places used for municipal elections, those being Trussville City Hall (Municipal Building), Trussville Civic Center, First Baptist Church, Faith Community Fellowship, and Northpark Baptist Church.
Voting was from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and voters had to be 18 or older to vote on the ad valorem tax in the TCS system. The unofficial vote as of Tuesday, April 12, at Trussville City Hall votes favored the renewal with 144 votes yes and 23 votes no, at Northpark Baptist Church votes favored the renewal with 390 votes yes and 69 votes no, at First Baptist Church votes favored the renewal with 494 votes yes and 89 votes no, at Faith Community Fellowship votes favored the renewal with 193 votes yes and 27 votes no, and at Trussville Civic Center votes favored the renewal with 467 votes yes and 84 votes no.
In total the unoffical result is 1,688 votes yes and 292 votes no.
Related Story: Trussville City Schools tax vote coming in April for ad valorem renewal
“A vote for this tax renewal equals a vote for our schools,” Superintendent Dr. Pattie Neil 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.
Jefferson County Commissioner Joe Knight said in a previous interview, “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,” 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.”
TCS urged citizens to vote in favor of the tax renewal citing state-of-the-art technology, coaches supplements, band, extracurricular programs, and revenue for future capital projects as Trussville continues to grow as areas funded by the tax.
Representative Danny Garrett said in a previous interview, that the citizens of Trussville previously voted to increase the ad valorem tax to support the Trussville city school system.
Garrett said that this vote allowed 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. This will allow that tax that’s about to expire to be collected by the other authority.