Last Tuesday, when Franklin County voters (outside of the Russellville city limits) rejected the renewal of a 4.5 mill Franklin County school tax for the next 30 years, it raised more than a few eyebrows.
The defeated 4.5 mill tax goes completely to Franklin County Schools and is not shared by Russellville City Schools.
Those same voters also shot down the renewal of a countywide 5.5 mill school tax of which Franklin County Schools receive 58% to Russellville City Schools’ 42%, but Russellville residents overwhelmingly voted in favor of the 5.5 mill renewal and that allowed the overall 30-year renewal to pass in spite of county voters shooting it down.
On Wednesday, though, Franklin County Schools Superintendent of Education Greg Hamilton had only positive comments to make about Tuesday’s results.
“I want to thank the people who continue to support our county school system and let them know there will be no changes in our system’s funding based on Tuesday’s vote,” Hamilton said.
No changes in Franklin County Schools’ funding? Thanks to a 2006 Constitutional Amendment approved by Alabama voters, the system’s annual tax revenue will still include 10 mills in ad valorem tax payments annually as a result of that 2006 amendment.
“The revenue will continue to be appropriated based on the 2006 law and our system will continue to receive its portion of the 10 mill funding,” Hamilton said.
Tuesday’s vote results will change the procedure in how Franklin County Schools receives that share, though, as it will now be collected and distributed by the State of Alabama rather than through Franklin County.
The Alabama School District Property Tax Amendment, also known as Amendment 2 on the November 7, 2006, ballot, established a minimum requirement that every school district in Alabama at least 10 mills of ad valorem property tax, with one mill equal to one-tenth of the actual appraised land value of Class III property, defined as: Owner-Occupied Residential (Homestead), Single-Family Homes, Condominiums, Agricultural Land, and Timber Land.
The law took effect October 1, 2006, for real estate.
The intent of the law, its legislative supporters explained, was to bring counties below the threshold of 10 mill education taxes to adjust or levy additional mileage to meet that minimum.
The 2006 amendment passed statewide with 58.59% of the vote (583,445 Yes votes to 412,446 No votes).
As a result of City of Russellville voters approving the 4.5 mill renewal for Russellville City Schools, the funding procedure for that system will not change.