Central Baldwin voters approve 3 mil tax for schools

Voters in Robertsdale trickle into the PZK Hall to decide on the 3-mil tax for local schools on Tuesday, Sept. 21. Preliminary totals show less than 8 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots on Tuesday with the tax passing by a narrow margin.
Voters in Robertsdale trickle into the PZK Hall to decide on the 3-mil tax for local schools on Tuesday, Sept. 21. Preliminary totals show less than 8 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots on Tuesday with the tax passing by a narrow margin.
JOHN UNDERWOOD / STAFF PHOTOS
Posted

ROBERTSDALE — By less than two dozen votes, residents in Central Baldwin County approved a 3-mil property tax on Tuesday that will be used to fund education opportunities for local students.

According to the Baldwin County Probate Office, less than 8 percent of the 21,889 eligible voters in Baldwin County school voting District 5 cast ballots in Tuesday’s election.

Voters approved the 3-mil tax by just 23 votes with 881 voted (50.66 %) for the tax and 858 (49.34 %) against.

In a statement, Baldwin County School Superintendent Eddie Tyler called it a “great night to be a Robertsdale Bear.”

“I am very grateful to the leadership in the Robertsdale feeder pattern including all three Mayors, our principals in that area – especially Joe Sharp our principal at Robertsdale High School who took a sincere interest in trying to bring about a major change for Robertsdale,” Tyler said. “Most importantly I want to say thank you to all of our parents who got together, campaigned and worked hard alongside these other individuals to bring about a real change for the future of Robertsdale.”

The Baldwin County Commission was scheduled to meet at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Fairhope Satellite Courthouse to canvass the returns from Tuesday’s election. The Commission will meet at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 28 to canvass provisional ballots and certify election results.

The tax is similar to those that were passed in 2019 by the cities of Fairhope and Spanish Fort. The tax will run for the next eight years, which would coincide with the renewal schedule for the Spanish Fort tax. The Fairhope tax was approved for 30 years.

According to information provided by the Central Baldwin Education Foundation, a 1-mil property tax is equal to .01 % (.0001) of appraised property value, or 6 % of the assessed value of farmland. Senior citizens would be exempt from the tax.

For more election coverage visit gulfcoastnewstoday.com or pick up a copy of the Wednesday, Sept. 29 edition of The Onlooker.