Tuscaloosa Council Temporarily Stalls On Property Tax Referendum For City Schools

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The Tuscaloosa City Council was stalled by a single vote Tuesday regarding approval of a referendum to allow voters to decide on raising property taxes to provide additional funding to Tuscaloosa City Schools (TCS).

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The Council on Tuesday voted 6-1 to approve adding the referendum to the ballot, with District 4's Lee Busby being the only vote in opposition.

Indeed, city officials told Patch that for the measure to pass on its first try Tuesday night, it required unanimous approval from the Council.

Instead, following the dissenting vote from Busby, it will be put off until next Tuesday's Council meeting, which will only require a simple majority to pass.

TCS Superintendent Mike Daria has said in recent weeks that increasing property taxes is the only method that a school district can utilize to increase revenue, with the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education unanimously approving the tax referendum in October.

If approved by the City Council next week, the referendum will be considered by the Alabama Legislature sometime this spring during its next legislative session.

The desired date for the referendum is set for Aug. 27, 2024, with the millage increase, if approved, going into effect in the autumn of 2025.

And if city voters approve the tax referendum in August 2024, school system leaders say, it would result in the city's property tax millage rate increasing by up to 11.5 mills. If the measure is voted down at the ballot box, TCS says it will be required to make additional cuts, including reducing up to 50 educators.

What's more, TCS said it would also be forced to remain stagnant on educator compensation and it could decrease the ability the ensure future funding of essential safety needs.

Daria explained that this increase would generate around $17.25 million a year starting in 2025. This funding would then be used for school safety, employee recruiting/retention and expanded programs for students.

He then pointed out that, at present, the millage rate for homeowners in Tuscaloosa is 51.5 mills, of which TCS receives 15.5 mills, plus an additional 1.8 mill.

If supported by a simple majority of voters, the referendum approved on Tuesday by the Tuscaloosa City Council would increase the millage rate that the Tuscaloosa City Schools receive by 11.5 mills — marking a roughly 22% increase of the city's total millage rate.

City leaders pointed out that the last time local tax rates were increased to support TCS was in 1986.

It's also worth pointing out that the much larger Tuscaloosa County School System was dealt a resounding defeat at the ballot box earlier this year when residents voted down a proposed property tax increase to provide additional funding for much-needed capital projects and improved school safety. Voters will remember the visible opposition to the proposed property tax increase, primarily by the Tuscaloosa County Farmers Federation.

The next meeting of the Tuscaloosa City Council is set for Tuesday, Dec. 19.

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