Saraland approves temporary sales tax

SARALAND, Alabama (WALA) - It will soon cost you a little more to shop in Saraland. The city has approved a temporary one cent sales tax.

Mayor Ken Williams said Saraland was facing a $600,000 deficit heading into the 2011 fiscal year. Despite steady growth in population and businesses, Williams said the city was facing a shortfall.

The mayor said the city's sewer system was no longer self sufficient.

"I've been transferring around $600,000 a year over to the sewer department, which they're not bringing in enough to cover the expenses over there," Williams said.

Williams said the one cent sales tax will generate about $2 million a year. It will be enough to make some much needed upgrades at the sewer facility and plan for the future. He added that's why the city went with a sales tax rather than increasing sewer rates.

"Sales tax is the least of the evils. I don't like going up on taxes, but it's the least, because everybody pays it, everybody that shops here," Williams said.

Mayor Williams said he has not received much feedback one way or the other about the tax approved by the city council last week. But people FOX10 News talked with said that's because they didn't know about it.

"I wish we knew beforehand that we would have had an increase. I don't think it's advertised enough," said Elizabeth Key.

However, others said it's a necessary move to keep the city on the road to progress.

"It's a fact of life. We're gonna be having increased taxes. We have to pay for our schools here. I have no complaints about it. There's nothing I can do about it," Sam Powell said.

The increase takes the sales tax to 10 percent in Saraland. The tax was approved for two years. It goes into effect October 15.