Baldwin County Schools Unveil $350M Plan, Push for March Tax Referendum

Baldwin County school leaders unveiled a sweeping $350 million, 10-year capital needs plan Thursday night and announced they will ask voters to approve an 8-mill property tax increase to help pay for it during a referendum set for March 31, 2015.

About 900 people packed the Daphne Civic Center for the third annual Baldwin County Education Summit, where officials rolled out both the long-range facilities plan and a companion campaign dubbed “Build Baldwin Now.” The summit was organized by the Baldwin County Education Coalition, and attendees were encouraged to sign up as volunteers for the tax campaign.

Just two hours before the summit began, the Baldwin County Board of Education passed a resolution asking the Baldwin County Commission to schedule the March referendum. Under the resolution, revenue from the proposed 8-mill tax increase would be earmarked exclusively for the public school system’s capital needs.

Interim Superintendent Robbie Owen and Assistant Superintendent Russ Moore presented the capital improvements plan, breaking down projected needs across each of the district’s seven feeder patterns. The numbers presented painted a stark picture of a system straining under growth: 24 of the district’s 45 schools are already over capacity, enrollment is projected to grow by 25 percent – or roughly 6,158 additional students – over the next decade, and the district could need 447 more portable classrooms without new school construction.

Owen told the crowd the plan had been thoroughly vetted, with input gathered from community members and school leaders throughout the process.

John Wilson, the school system’s chief financial officer, told attendees that the proposed 8-mill tax increase would create a stable, long-term funding source, giving the district the bonding capacity needed to finance major construction projects rather than relying on piecemeal funding.

The plan reflects the pressure facing one of Alabama’s fastest-growing school districts, as new subdivisions and steady population growth across Baldwin County continue to push enrollment higher year after year. School officials have said that without new revenue, the district risks falling further behind on classroom space, forcing more schools to rely on temporary buildings to house students.

If voters approve the tax increase in March, the additional revenue would begin funding new school construction and renovations aimed at addressing overcrowding across the district’s elementary, middle and high schools, from the Eastern Shore to north and south Baldwin County.

How the 8-mill tax would work

A mill is one-tenth of a cent, so each mill of property tax equals $1 for every $1,000 of assessed value. In Alabama, owner-occupied homes are assessed at 10 percent of their appraised market value, meaning 8 additional mills would add about $80 a year for every $100,000 of a home’s appraised value.

Alabama’s constitution requires voters to approve local property tax increases, which is why the school board asked the Baldwin County Commission to call a referendum rather than raising the tax itself.