Spanish Fort city leaders are once again moving forward with a plan that could see a special election for creating a tax district for education come later this year.
“This council has been kicking around the thought of doing some additional funding for the schools above and beyond what the school board is doing,” Mayor Mike McMillan said. “This would add three mills to the ad valorem tax that would be dedicated strictly to the arts or academics.”
A three mill tax increase in the Spanish Fort area would generate nearly $800,000 per year in revenue for the area schools to use.
McMillan said the move had been discussed with the Baldwin County School System and would take into account any possible new school zones that could be changed by the board later this year.
“We know the feeder pattern will probably change from what we currently have, so we’ve made some adjustments for that,” McMillan said.
McMillan said quality schools were something Spanish Fort has always been known for and he believed residents would likely support such a proposal if they knew it meant continuing the area’s legacy of academic excellence.
“There are always pros and cons, but there is going to be so many positives out of this,” McMillan said. “The big negative, it’s going to cost three mills more. But, what has sold Spanish Fort in the past has been our schools. We’ve seen a lot of growth come from the quality of our schools, and making sure they stay quality schools is something this funding can help address.”
McMillan said the call for the September referendum would likely be introduced at the council’s first meeting in March.
“We will be the first off the block on this,” McMillan said. “We’re going to stick our toe in the water and go from there.”
