COLBERT COUNTY, Ala. — 88 percent of voters in Colbert County, Alabama, rejected a proposed tax increase Tuesday, in an astounding outcome some are calling more evidence of the state’s strong distaste for tax increases.
The 3-mill property tax increase was slated to be spent on the Colbert County school system. Historically, taxes for education have a much easier time being passed in Alabama, where property taxes are one of the primary funding mechanisms for public schools.
Only two years ago a vote on a tax increase of the same size, and for the same purpose, was overwhelmingly accepted by 70 percent of Colbert County voters.
Generating approximately $960,000 for the school district, the increase would have meant a $30 per year increase in taxes for residents with homes appraised at $100,000, according to the Times Daily.
An unusually high percentage of voters, around 19 percent, turned out for the special election, according to Colbert County Probate Judge Daniel Rosser.
The doomed proposal was characterized as a “Farm Tax” by opponents, who argued that it would be detrimental to the many owners of agricultural and rural properties in the County.
“Last night was a mandate,” Stop the Farm Tax PAC campaign manager Trey Edwards told Yellowhammer Wednesday morning. “Not just to Colbert County, not just to every school board in the state, but to the legislature and the Governor – No. New. Taxes.”
Edwards intimated that the large turnout and crushing defeat were an indication of how the state as a whole feels about the prospect of a tax increase.
“Baldwin lost with 68 percent of the vote, Lawrence lost with 79 percent of the vote and last night, Colbert County, one of the few remaining Democrat counties in the state, rejected a tax increase by 88 percent,” Edwards said. “The people have spoken. Tax increases on any level will not be tolerated by the voters, and anyone that votes to take more money out of the pockets of Alabamians will see the consequences of their decision come election time. Every legislator and the governor needs to pay attention to what happened last night.”
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— Elizabeth BeShears (@LizEBeesh) January 21, 2015
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