by Scott Buttram, Tribune publisher
Commentary
TRUSSVILLE — On Tuesday, Trussville residents will go to the polls to decide on a proposed property tax increase to fund additional school facilities. Specifically, a new elementary school, new special needs classrooms and cafeteria at the middle school and a new wing at Hewitt-Trussville High School.
In recent weeks, social media comments have emerged with local residents expressing support and opposition to the tax increase. I happen to believe that’s a sign of a healthy electorate. No matter where someone stands on any issue, conversation is a good thing.
Scott Buttram, publisher of The Tribune
I’ll be voting yes because I like money. And like virtually every homeowner in Trussville, TCS has increased the value of my home beyond any reasonable expectation which also happens to be my biggest asset.
While I’m a moderate on some issues, and downright liberal on a few, I tend to lean conservative on most. To that end, I prefer lower taxes and smaller government. So, why in the world would I vote for higher taxes on Tuesday? Well, because the bottom line is the bottom line and the bottom line tells me it’s the smart move. If you’ll stay with me, I’ll explain.
First, I want to make it clear that I have no criticism of those who decide to vote against the proposal. We’re all adults here and folks are free to have differing opinions. There are valid reasons, both pro and con. As a community, I hope we’ll respect one another no matter where we stand.
Superintendent Dr.Patrick Martin and Mayor Buddy Choat have spent the last several months meeting with citizens through a series of town halls, neighborhood meetings, clubs, organizations and just about anywhere else people are gathered and will give them five minutes to talk. They took any and all questions from attendees. TCS has made a ton of data available to the community and much of this has been live streamed or published by the Tribune.
Frankly, some of that data was little embarrassing. Did you know Trussville residents pay a lower millage rate to support schools than Bessemer and Birmingham residents? Or that Trussville is in the bottom half of all Jefferson County school systems in terms of our millage rate for education?
I’m guessing that was news to the average Trussville citizen. Bessemer City Schools are being taken over by the state. Birmingham City Schools were the first to be taken over by the state.
Honestly, I don’t think that any of that is in any way representative of how local folks really feel about TCS or how they view their willingness to support the schools. I think they simply didn’t know. But now we do and we can do something about it once and for all.
The upside is that TCS has skyrocketed up the academic rankings while doing more with less than most area school systems. That should be a point of pride, but it shouldn’t be allowed to justify not passing corrective funding measures.
Given the extraordinary transparency effort, I am somewhat disappointed in the volume of misinformation that entered the chat recently.
If passed, the additional revenue can only be used – by law – for the capital improvements outlined in the proposal. Suggestions to the contrary are false. The HTMS cafeteria is not overcrowded because of COVID distancing guidelines which are not in use. It’s overcrowded because Trussville has been the fastest growing city in Jefferson County for going on 25 years. The same goes for the growth at Paine and HTHS.
It’s easy to forget that TCS is still a teenager that didn’t even exist 20 years ago. Trussville has built, sometimes in spite of itself, one of the best public school systems in Alabama. Families want to live here and they want their children to attend our schools. Yearly updates from the U.S. Census indicate the growth will continue. The constantly rising test scores and rankings at TCS guarantee the growth will continue.
While there is never a good time to raise taxes and the current economic situation in the country is a valid concern, data and facts suggest now is the best time to move forward. Here’s an example of why.
About five years ago, Alabama decided to build two prisons for a total cost of about $1 billion. Due to rising construction costs and other factors, the first prison alone now has a price tag of $1.4 billion. Delaying multi-million dollar construction projects will only cost us millions more in the long run. It’s a mistake we can avoid by moving forward on the inevitable.
With all this growth comes challenges and benefits. In addition to schools, the growth stresses roads and public amenities. That’s why the library has been expanded, roads are being built, a gymnastics facility was added to accommodate almost 600 kids, ball fields are currently being revamped, and pickleball courts have been built.
But the growth has also expanded the tax base which has funded many of those projects. It’s drawn more retail businesses to town and expanded job opportunities. It’s hard to deny that Trussville City Schools are the number one catalyst for most of this growth.
The metro area is littered with examples of cities in growth mode and in decline. I’ll take a growing and flourishing city over the alternative every single time.
It’s also hard to deny that anything has grown more than the bottom line. Your bottom line.
If you’re a property owner in Trussville, the excellent school system has increased your property value far faster and higher than the state average. And the longer you’ve owned property in the city, the more you have benefited.
Unlike most taxes, local taxes stay local and are spent on you, your family and your neighbors. In the case of taxes supporting Trussville schools, the return on investment has been outstanding. Every Trussville homeowner has gained far more than they’ve paid. The bottom line is that a yes vote keeps the bottom line growing.
Scott Buttram is the publisher of The Trussville Tribune. He can be reached at Scott.Buttram@trussvilletribune.com and you can follow him on X @ScottButtram.
