Baldwin County commissioners pressed county revenue officials this week over why property tax collections have not rebounded the way population growth would suggest.
During a commission work session, Interim County Administrator Ron Cink presented figures showing that while five other Alabama counties have seen climbing property tax revenue since the recession, Baldwin County’s take into its General Fund has stayed essentially flat. Commissioner Tucker Dorsey asked why the fastest-growing county in the state wasn’t seeing that growth reflected in tax collections.
Revenue Commissioner Teddy Faust Jr. told commissioners he expects at least a 6 percent increase in the coming year, and defended his office’s property appraisal work. Cink’s report showed Baldwin County’s property tax revenue into the General Fund peaked near $20.8 million in 2007 before falling sharply during the housing downturn. Collections crept up only slightly between 2012 and 2013, from about $16.04 million to $16.12 million, leaving the county roughly 22 percent below its pre-recession peak.
By comparison, counties such as Tuscaloosa and Lee posted far larger gains over roughly the same stretch, with Tuscaloosa County’s collections climbing 41 percent.
Dorsey said the commission wants a clearer picture of where its revenue estimates come from and whether the county is missing opportunities to capture growth that has clearly occurred on the ground since 2011.
The discussion comes weeks after Baldwin County voters rejected a special property tax referendum that would have added 8 mills to fund a $350 million school expansion plan, and also voted down renewing an existing 4 mills that helps fund the school system, a defeat that could strip roughly $7 million from school coffers within a few years. County and school officials have scheduled the first of several public meetings on the school funding question at the commission’s Robertsdale annex, aiming to explain the financial stakes to residents ahead of any future funding proposals.
Commissioners did not set a timeline for revising revenue projections but asked staff to continue comparing Baldwin County’s performance against similarly situated counties.