By Gary Lloyd
TRUSSVILLE — The Trussville City Council on Tuesday approved of a property tax election to fund two new elementary schools.
The vote of residents for or against the seven-millage property tax increase will be Feb. 25, 2014. Public hearings are expected to be scheduled in January and February.
A seven-millage property tax increase would fund one community school in the Magnolia Place area and the renovation of the New Deal-era school building on Parkway Drive, which has served as a high school and middle school. Both schools would be equipped with Federal Emergency Management Agency-approved community tornado shelters.
The Magnolia Place school site in Trussville
file photo by Gary Lloyd
A seven-mill increase means $70 per year extra in property taxes for homeowners who own homes appraised at $100,000. That number is $140 per year on $200,000 homes and $210 per year on $300,000 homes.
The funds from the increase would also support school resource officers at all city schools and the possible retrofitting of existing schools to have community tornado shelters.
In March 2010, Trussville residents voted overwhelmingly against a property tax increase. That tax proposal was to be split between the city and the schools and included projects such as renovating or rebuilding the football stadium and renovating the Parkway Drive school property to relieve overcrowding at Paine Primary and Intermediate schools.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
