Government
Voters Overwhelmingly Approve Extension of School Taxes in Jefferson County
Jefferson County voters approved extending more than $100 million in property taxes for schools Tuesday, most of them with a vote of more than 90 percent.
Jefferson County school Superintendent Craig Pouncy and other superintendents had put on a full-court press to persuade voters to extend the taxes, which help schools pay for things not funded through state and federal taxes. The taxes provide a total of $100 million a year for academic programs, facility upgrades, textbooks, buses, computers and other education needs.
The taxes were enacted about 30 years ago but were set to expire in 2021. Tuesday’s vote extends them for another 25 years, to 2046.
Also on some ballots was the race for the House District 58 seat, replacing former Rep. Oliver Robinson, who retired last year. Rolanda Hollis, a real estate broker, won the Democratic nomination without a runoff. She took 62 percent of the vote. Rodney Huntley, a retired prison guard and former neighborhood association president, received 27 percent of the vote and James T. Howell, a member of the Center Point City Council, took 11 percent.
With more than 98 percent of the vote tallied, the Jefferson County Board of Registrars reported these results for each of the tax issues on the ballot:
- Jefferson County, countywide, 2.1 mills: 92.87 percent for; 7.13 percent against.
- Jefferson County, countywide, 5.4 mills: 92.56 percent for; 7.44 percent against.
- Jefferson County school system, 5.1 mills: 89 percent for; 11 percent against.
- Jefferson County school system, 8.8 mills: 89.17 percent for; 10.83 percent against.
- Bessemer city schools, 5.4 mills: 94.19 percent for; 5.81 percent against.
- Birmingham city schools, 5.7 mills: 95.08 percent for; 4.92 percent against.
- Birmingham city schools, 7.1 mills: 94.85 percent for; 5.15 percent against.
- Fairfield city schools, 5.8 mills: 95.71 percent for; 4.29 percent against.
- Homewood city schools, 5.5 mills: 94.71 percent for; 5.29 percent against.
- Homewood city schools, 9.6 mills: 94.62 percent for; 5.38 percent against.
- Hoover city schools, 13.9 mills: 93.17 percent for; 6.83 percent against.
- Leeds city schools, 5.1 mills: 94.98 percent for; 5.02 percent against.
- Leeds city schools, 8.8 mills: 94.75 percent for; 5.25 percent against.
- Midfield city schools, 6 mills: 98.05 percent for; 1.95 percent against.
- Mountain Brook city schools, 5.7 mills: 98.46 percent for; 1.54 percent against.
- Mountain Brook city schools, 18.5 mills: 98.30percent for; 1.70 percent against.
- Tarrant city schools, 11.2 mills: 93.38 percent for; 6.62 percent against.
- Trussville city schools, 5.1 mills: 86.28 percent for; 13.72 percent against.
- Vestavia Hills city schools, 15.1 mills: 93.99 percent for; 6.01 percent against.