In a 4-1 vote the Marengo County Commission passed a 1 cent sales tax. The tax has been talked about for awhile now, with much opposition coming from the community. Commissioner Freddie Armstead stated,
Quote:
We knew that if the people voted on tax, they wouldn't pass it, so we passed it ourselves.
The lone no vote came from our own Ken Tucker, who has stated all along he wouldn’t support a tax unless the public voted it in.
What hasn't happened, things that Tucker has stated he wanted, is a public hearing on the tax and an outline as to what exactly the money is going to be used for. Armstead says the money will first be used to remodel the courthouse and annex building. He also states that every dirt road in Marengo County will be paved, money will go to schools (county schools I'm assuming), and the Commission will begin funding the indigent care at Bryan W Whitfield Hospital, assumingly as part of a sealed agreement between the County and the hospital that occurred shortly after Mike Marshall took over.
The actual vote that passed is a resolution, which is sent to State Representatives Thomas Jackson and Bobby Singleton. Once they approve it (considered a done deal), it will be voted through by the legislature without challenge, then the Governor signs it. This will occur most likely in February. The tax is predicted by Armstead to raise around $500,000 a year. A financial group recently stated that the money raised would be lower, though Ken Tucker feels the money could reach $1.5 million a year. No actual plan has been presented though. The Commission is supposed to present a detailed plan at the next meeting in February. The thinking is to fund all the projects, they will get a bond, which can be up to about $20 million dollars based on $500,000. Problem is, how will they know how much tax will be collected before time to pay the bond?
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I, for one, as pretty steamed about this. I do not think that it is right for them not to let the county vote on it. Again, I, for one, will do all the shopping I can outside of Marengo County. It is not so much that I oppose the tax - I oppose the way the tax is being put on us.
All you need is an ounce of hope…a measure of faith…a touch of glory…and a taste of grace
I also disagree with the way they went about passing this tax.But if you do all of your shopping out of county it isn't getting back at those who passed the tax,it's hurting OUR county.I see many areas where they do need the funds,but there was a better way of going about it.
With where some of the funds need to go (i.e., renovations of the courthouse) I agree with. What I do not agree with is (and I quote the Demopolis Times) "Armstead also said every dirt road in the county will be paved. However, only dirt roads already in existence will be eligible for paving." What is the purpose of that? I don't have a problem with the schools or the indigent care at the hospital (as long as surrounding and participating counties are also doing their share). (Quoting the Times again) "Finally, Armstead believes the money should be used to retire debts the county has on some of its equipment." A few weeks ago, the papers talked about all the next equipment (road, I think) that the county had purchased. Why do we need new equipment so often? I realize that things do wear out over time but it seems to me that they replace the equipment more often that it actually needs it. Why should I give the county money to throw away? Also, why won't they show us how much is going to be used for what? Have they said anything about the tax being taken off when all this is done?
All you need is an ounce of hope…a measure of faith…a touch of glory…and a taste of grace
Like I said before, both here and in my Letters to the Editor of both newspapers in Marengo County, once this tax goes on, it is NEVER coming off!
The fact that the County Commissioners (with Ken Tucker being noted as the dissenting vote) passed this tax on us like a bunch of thieves in the night shows just what the citizens of this county have representing them in the courthouse! A bunch of sneaky snakes in the grass! Ken Tucker is the ONLY one who has spoken out FOR the people of Marengo County in regards to any new taxes.
I can't see letting this tax get passed! Reason number one is because they have FAILED to define EXACTLY how this money is going to be spent. They can say what they want in the paper, but it's probably not going to be spelled out that way when it gets to the state legislature. Reason number two is because we still have two loose cannons on the County Commission, those being George Baldwin and Freddie Armistead, who like to spend our tax money doing things like "private property work with county materials, equipment, and manhours" and "extravagant cell phone service and usage" all at our expense. Reason number three is I personally don't like having a new sales tax crammed down my throat!
As for any payback, I agree with Rob when he said the only people we would be hurting by spending money out of town would be ourselves. You want to show the County Commissioners how displeased we are with this new sales tax? Vote these sleazeballs out of office! Votes are what they answer to! I for one think it's high time to clean house! Ken Tucker is the only County Commissioner worth keeping out of the five. That's because he gets out and talks to people, not only from the district he represents, but from the county as a whole. He listens to the people and knows what's going on out here and what we as taxpayers want! I am EXTREMELY displeased with my Commissioner John "Fish" Crawford for his part in this. You can bet next time I see him, I'm gonna let him know it, too! He can kiss my vote in the next election goodbye, that's for sure!
Vote'em out of office! That's the only way we as taxpayers are gonna send them any kind of message they'll listen to!
I recently discussed the courthouse condition with one county commissioner. I told him I would vote for a temporary sales tax increase to renovate the courthouse, just like we did to build the new jail. If we could raise millions to build a new jail, which most of us won't ever see the inside of, I hope most people would want to keep our vital records from burning up in a fire like the last courthouse. But again remember the commissioners wanted to keep the jail tax on after more than enough money was raised to pay off the jail debt.
I would most likely voted for the tax increase. A vote of the people should be the way to do it.
This tax is going to go through. There will be no public meetings or hearings on the subject. It'll simply be pushed through the legislature without fuss or fanfare. Armstead has made it perfectly clear what he thinks of the public's opinion: We're just too stupid to do what's "right" for the county.
The bond issue, which is what the tax is actually going to be covering, could have been budgeted in. Once the Commissioners stopped all the private road work, they were saving enough to pay the bond, though they never have figured that money into any budget.
They are talking about paving all the roads; didn't they state they were tapped out on workers to do the roads? That being the reason they didn't use all the funds freely available from the state.
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Rob, no, I wouldn't be okay with the tax if it was itemized but I would feel better about it. I agree with Stickman in that I feel like this has been rammed down our throats without a second thought to anyone except the 5 commissioners. I don't expect the commission to give us a date of when this tax will (or should) come off. It would be nice if they would even mention it is passing though. As far as getting these people out of office, this year is election year. We have a change to get 2 of them out. Districts 2 and 4 run this year. The rest of us have to wait another 2 years. What are we supposed to do in the meantime? I understand what you guys are saying about it only hurting the ones in the county. I don't have to worry about anyone in the county except myself - I don't have kids in school so I don't have to worry about that. I don't live on a dirt road so that doesn't affect me either. I certainly don't use the hospital here so the indigent care is not any concern on mine. The only thing that would directly affect ME is the courthouse repairs. Like Stickman, they "say" what the money is going to be used for but we all know that there are 5 people in the county who will have even fatter wallets when this is passed.
All you need is an ounce of hope…a measure of faith…a touch of glory…and a taste of grace
We all know the people in Districts 2 and 4 will re-elect these same two people back in. A penny doesn't seem much by itself, but when yo see that it will cost you another $50 when a $5000 item is purchased than it starts to add up. Let's say a family spends $20,000 of their yearly income in Marengo County. It will cost $200 more a year in sales taxes. Not much to some people, but a lot to others. I'm glad my Commissioner had the guts to want the people decide on this proposal. I can't believe most of them believe we don't know what is best for us.
