City officials squash idea of snatching school funds
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In a meeting of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen Tuesday, an ordinance being considered for second reading that sought to claim about $1.2 million in local option sales tax from the county was voted down unanimously.
Vice Mayor and newly-appointed Finance Committee Chair Patti Nunley said since city leaders voted to claim the tax when it was approved on first reading last year, stifling concerns has been no easy task.
Nunley, who voted “no” on first reading, said she asked for the issue to be placed on the agenda Tuesday to close the matter.
“This won’t go away in the public,” she said. “And for the public’s sake, it doesn’t need to be a nagging problem.”
Previous board members voted in November to repeal late 1960s laws that provide for some of the city’s share of the local option sales tax to be distributed to the county for school operation. The funds were distributed to the county in conjunction with county school consolidation.
City officials estimated their portion would be $1.2 million if they were allowed to keep half of the $2.4 million generated from the tax, according to City Administrator Herb Llewellyn.
Llewellyn said to resurrect the matter, an entirely new ordinance would have to be drafted all over again. He added his interpretation of Tuesday’s vote was that current city officials want to continue the tradition of contributing sales tax to the schools.