School board discusses possible property tax increase

BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WALA) - FOX10 News is taking a closer look at the possibility of a property tax increase in Baldwin County.

Baldwin County Public School Board Vice President Robert Callahan, Jr. said the conversation about a possible increase came up while the board was discussing the school system's priorities, including new schools and hiring more teachers.

"All of these issues were discussed and the price tag for 100 percent fulfillment was actually more than the revenue we bring in,” said Callahan.

Callahan said a potential property tax increase was mentioned as a new source of revenue.

“Very briefly, it was mentioned by the financial officer that we would need roughly 8 mills equivalent in additional revenue to fully fund all of the initiatives that were on the table for discussion," said Callahan said.

The possible additional 8 mills would put Baldwin County at 20 mills which is below a number of Alabama school systems, including Mobile County at 21.5 mills, Huntsville’s 27.9 mills and  Hoover at 53.9 mills.

For every one mill increase on a $100,000 property, your tax bill increases by $10. An 8 mill increase would cost you an extra $80 a year for every $100,000 in value.

Baldwin County residents recently voted to renew one-cent sales tax for education.

Some folks we talked to were okay with the possibility of more money going towards their school system.

“We would like to be known in our county as having the best schools,” said Adele Hermann.

“If I recall correctly, we just raised our sales tax again for the second year. That went directly towards our educational funds which I definitely approve of,” Jackie Tyner

Callahan said Thursday’s discussion was more like a brain-storming session, and they have not adopted any of their ideas as official initiatives yet.