Voters reject property tax increase,

By Staff
school officials vow to continue fight for new high school
Leada Gore, Hartselle Enquirer
Hartselle school officials are vowing to continue their fight for a new high school.
Hartselle voters rejected a 7.5 mill property tax increase Tuesday night. The money - along with a half-cent sales tax increase that would have gone into effect if voters OK’d the property tax - would have gone towards construction of a new high school.
The measure failed at both voting sites, but by a lesser margin than previous tax increase efforts. Unofficial results have a total of 1,690 voting against the measure, 1,459 for the increase. Hartselle has 8,426 registered voters.
At the American Legion polling location, there were 583 no votes to 549 yes votes. At Sparkman Civic Center, there were 1,079 no votes to 887 yes votes. Twenty eight absentee ballots were cast against the measure, 23 for it.
Hartselle’s city council will meet March 18 at 9 a.m. to certify the results. All totals are unofficial until then.
School officials expressed their disappointment at the outcome, but said they would continue to work to improve all the schools.
Dr. Andy Dukes, chairman of the school board, said the city will eventually get a new high school, “but it will be in a reactionary measure.”
The property tax increase was projected to bring in some $700,000 per year, with the half-cent sales tax bringing in close to the same amount. That money would have been used to finance a bond issue to pay for the $30 million facility. On its own, a 1-cent sales tax increase would probably generate enough to cover the cost.
But the chances of the council adopting a 1-cent sales tax increase, especially in light of municipal elections in August, are slim.
Tankersley said he has no plans to introduce a 1-cent sales tax increase but does expect it to be an issue in August.