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Opp could repeal city tax
If county hikes sales tax, Opp would stop city’s 1-cent tax
Published Wednesday, November 4, 2009
If the Covington County Commission passes a 1-cent sales tax increase, the city of Opp will repeal its existing additional 1-cent city sales tax, Opp Superintendent Michael Smithart said Tuesday.
Covington County’s three school systems are expected to ask for a 1-cent county tax increase for education at the commission’s Mon., Nov. 9, meeting.
In July 2007, the Opp City Council approved an additional 1-cent city tax, increasing Opp’s total sales tax to 9 percent. The additional tax was passed to help fund the $10 million bond issue for a new Opp Elementary School. Smithart said that 1-cent city tax would be repealed if the commission passes a county tax increase.
He said that in an average year, the Opp City Schools receives about $600,000 from the city tax. Under a 1-cent countywide increase, the OCS would receive about $850,000.
“If there was an increase in the county sales tax, it would more than cover what we’d lose by repealing the city’s 1-cent tax,” he said.
Opp Mayor H.D. Edgar confirmed the city tax would be repealed if the commission were to approve an increase in the county tax.
“When we passed the increase in the city, we agreed that we would take it off the books if the county later voted to pass an increase,” he said.
Smithart explained the 2007 city tax currently meets the school system’s debt obligations, but does not provide any additional revenue for general operational costs. A countywide tax would generate approximately $250,000 more a year, and it’s money that is needed by the OCS, he said.
“The problem is that when you have proration, all of a sudden you’re really cut back in terms of your operating money,” Smithart said. “With a county tax, we’d have additional money that we could then use the way we need to use it. We’d still pay off the OES debt, we’d just transition it to the county tax and still have additional operating money left over.”
According to the 2007 ordinance, the city tax remains in effect until it is either repealed or until the school system’s debt is paid off. Any repealing ordinance would require a first reading in a city council meeting, followed by a vote in a later meeting.
Comments
Posted by workingman (anonymous) on November 4, 2009 at 6:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Tax Tea Party set for futrue date. Why keep on with higher tax's on the poor. Those of money can pay, those with out will have now even less.
I have said this several times and will continue to do so, my question was, is, and will remain, "Why don't you pass a .05C tax on all feed? If I go to the any feed store and buy 1,000.00's of dollars of feed for rover, my cows, dogs, rabbits or any animal, "I DO NOT PAY TAX!" on this feed and yet to buy food for my chrildren I must pay.
Maybe the ones in charge have cattle, horse's and the like and do not think that they should pay tax on the feed.
Well I will just start going to Florida. Yes I will spend more in gas but at least County will not get it.
Posted by thugg4life (anonymous) on November 4, 2009 at 7:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
mebbe we could stop the sales tax increase with this revenue idea:
stuff the bear and stick him at the front entrance of walmart. charge people $2 to take a picture with him. Judging from the pix going around on email, the interest would be huge!! County schools keep the proceeds!
Charge extra dollar for props like funny huge sunglasses.
Posted by 2boys (anonymous) on November 4, 2009 at 10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
workingman....judging by your comments you do not have children in the Covington County school systems? At least I hope not! I would hope that you would not make such comments about the funding of YOUR child's school?? While I agree with exploring other options for taxation, such as your feed idea, I would certainly hope that parents, grandparents or anyone with a child in OUR school system would not justify driving to Florida to further fund their already prospering school systems. All this just to keep from having to pay a 1 cent tax that our schools so desperately need. I too am a working class individual with 2 children of my own to support, but I would much rather pay a tax that benefits MY children's education than to give my money to another state who already has funding in place to support their systems (lottery??). Don't we already give enough of our revenue to Florida by purchasing lottery tickets from them??? If you think that there is a problem with the way our county revenue is being spent there is only one sure way to remedy that...SPEAK be heard, VOTE for change, but please don't sacrifice MY child's education to fund the already amply funded Florida school systems!
Posted by workingman (anonymous) on November 4, 2009 at 2:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Thank you 2boys.... Yes I have one in coving county school syestem now and six grand chrildren, all in the same school. Yes a lottery here would help, then we would not go to GA., FL., MISS., AK and TENN. If the great leadders did not say one thing and do another.
Case in point; Florida said all the profits from the Lottery would go to the school system and most did but, when the lottery came in, they took away all alocated tax money from the schools. Now the school funds come from the lottery so does other programs.
As far as the school syestem, I am not aganest them having all funds nessary. I am just saying it is time to close all the loop holes that the rich have and all ways will enjoy.
How does a business man succeed, by cheating all that he can.
If we would stop paying all of our Federal Income Tax to the Eight over seas. Read the 28th. amendment of the IRS and it clearly shows we are still paying for the 1776 war.
Who owns the Federal Reserve Bank?, we do not.
Take a real good look at all Govt's and one can see we are all being...... well find and write me back.
Posted by workingman (anonymous) on November 4, 2009 at 2:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This is why I am for afair tax plan, this is where all people, rich man poor wiil pay the same amount of tax. This way we could do away with the state tax and the jobs, the federall tax and all those jobs. Some will be needed for this plan but, not as many as they have now.
Posted by workingman (anonymous) on November 4, 2009 at 2:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I forgot to say that Education is power and power is money and money is absolute power (for those that have it)
Posted by kbklc (anonymous) on November 4, 2009 at 10:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
How about this....Opp - you have your tax and take what money you make off of it because Andy nor County Schools saw any of that 600,000 dollars. Andy - You make your own 1 cent tax and take your money, and leave the county along. Let the county do this 1 cent tax for our schools. COUNTY LEADERS make this tax for COUNTY SCHOOLS only......You all should be trying to make our county schools better...
Posted by getonit (anonymous) on November 4, 2009 at 10:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Once again, a good reason for the state to put a lottery in place. I guess they think we are all ignorant to the fact that the Southern Baptist Association as well as others are the ones keeping the lottery out of this state. Then again, what would they have to moan and groan about if we had a lottery to help in the funding of schools and other things that would benefit from a lottery. I honestly cannot understand why they are so determined to keep the lottery out of Alabama. They are worried that folks will take their last dollar and spend it on the lottery instead of food for their family. THEY DO IT NOW YOU MORONS ONLY ANOTHER STATE BENEFITS FROM IT. They need to open their eyes. If someone in Alabama wins "big money" Alabama is front row and center to "collect" their portion of the taxes from it. Maybe one day we will get someone in office with some backbone that will tell the Southern Baptist Association to just learn to deal with it and they won't be bought off by them to keep the lottery out.
Posted by lawsuit (anonymous) on November 5, 2009 at 8:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
i wonder if hd edgar paid for the cable put in at his cabin before election last time oh opp cable put it in hd was scared i guess guber might would have won .
Posted by getonit (anonymous) on November 5, 2009 at 9:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Has anyone, except me, noticed that since we went digital on our tv how sorry the service is? I have to turn my volume button up so high that when a commercial comes on it would wake the dead. Half the time I have a blue screen because a signal cannot be found and yet what are they gonna do........... raise our rates, again. The more expensive it gets the sorrier the service. Not only that but when you complain to the individual stations (12, 4) etc, they blame it on the locals and the locals blame it on the individual stations. Once again our government has decided what is best for us and shoved it down our throats and we have no sayso in their decision. Gotta love em'.
Posted by madashell (anonymous) on November 5, 2009 at 12:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It seems that Opp is pushing this tax. I don't think the noise is coming from Covington County School or Andalusia City Schools. Could it be that Opp mismanaged or under estimated the cost of a new building. Just wondering.
Posted by 2boys (anonymous) on November 5, 2009 at 4:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
As a resident of Opp, I can say that Opp is pushing this tax because a majority of our spending is done outside of Opp. Opp does not have the businesses that Andalusia does yet our tax dollars pour into their school systems when city taxes are collected. Opp is pushing this sales tax because we would get our fair share of tax dollars off of monies that were spent by our citizens in other areas of the county. WIth selfish attitudes such as kbklc, opp citizens spend money in Andalusia, as well as the county, but never see any of the tax dollars and vice-versa. She forgot to think that if the county passes this tax and only taxes businesses in the "county", not city limits, there would be little revenue to tax! There are not that many businesses outside of city limits in our county and the taxes collected could not properly fund the county schools.
Posted by WAtidefan (anonymous) on November 5, 2009 at 5:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
2boys: excellent point.
kbklc: how much of the tax money going to Andy city schools comes from citizens of the other towns and rural areas of the county spending money in Andalusia?
I repeat, consolidate the systems into one and the monies will stay in that system.
Posted by lawsuit (anonymous) on November 6, 2009 at 7:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
getonit ,it is the people who run the cable system they have no clue ,go to florala or andalusia cable you will not have a 12 problem hell i got a 20 year old outside antana and pick up 12 fine never have a problem, as far as the volume the workers out there at channel 6 and opp cable are too busy playing cards ,so what do you think "if"they ever get digital phone service how it will work ,,, it won't. Opp still has r-g 59 cable for house drop's, that squirels haved chewed up, opp cable cable only does cli maintance 1 time a year , cli is monitering radiation of channel signal, ever wonder way your internet drops out all the time ,,there you go.
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