Fairhope, Alabama
TOP TEN STILL THE GOAL?
Funding To Remain Flat
The city council voted unanimously to appropriate the usual $345K to the city's Educational Advisory Committee this year to be distributed among the five schools -- not the $620K they had requested to begin implementing a process recommended by an education consultant to begin upgrading the city's five feeder-pattern schools to be within the top ten in the state by the year 2020 (They are already within the top twenty).
The Akrobos Group's study (clk), commissioned by the last city council (costing $49K) and completed last April, provided several options for the city council to consider -- among them forming a special tax district, an independent school system, or maintaining the status quo.
An additional $355K was originally requested this year by the committee last Summer, but that was reduced later to $275K -- because of personnel additions by the Baldwin County School System.
School funding became an issue in the city's municipal election last August; the primary advocate for increasing funding, Diana Brewer, was not re-elected.
EAC SOUGHT DIRECTION
At a meeting in November, EAC members discussed the need for direction from the new mayor and city council on how they wanted to proceed (clk): councilman Burrell told the Times last week he had since explained the reduction to the committee's chairman and he was ok with it.
Burrell said the the upcoming penny tax renewal could prove problematic; he also red-flagged lost sales tax revenue from Internet sales, which must be addressed at the national level.
When asked about it several weeks ago, mayor Wilson speculated that "top five" may be a better long-term goal for the city but did not mention how that would be funded.
Also, some frustrated EAC members are complaining privately about a continuing lack of support/cooperation from the Baldwin County Board of Education.
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| EAC's November meeting |
TOP TEN STILL THE GOAL?
Funding To Remain Flat
The city council voted unanimously to appropriate the usual $345K to the city's Educational Advisory Committee this year to be distributed among the five schools -- not the $620K they had requested to begin implementing a process recommended by an education consultant to begin upgrading the city's five feeder-pattern schools to be within the top ten in the state by the year 2020 (They are already within the top twenty).
The Akrobos Group's study (clk), commissioned by the last city council (costing $49K) and completed last April, provided several options for the city council to consider -- among them forming a special tax district, an independent school system, or maintaining the status quo.
An additional $355K was originally requested this year by the committee last Summer, but that was reduced later to $275K -- because of personnel additions by the Baldwin County School System.
School funding became an issue in the city's municipal election last August; the primary advocate for increasing funding, Diana Brewer, was not re-elected.
EAC SOUGHT DIRECTION
At a meeting in November, EAC members discussed the need for direction from the new mayor and city council on how they wanted to proceed (clk): councilman Burrell told the Times last week he had since explained the reduction to the committee's chairman and he was ok with it.
Burrell said the the upcoming penny tax renewal could prove problematic; he also red-flagged lost sales tax revenue from Internet sales, which must be addressed at the national level.
When asked about it several weeks ago, mayor Wilson speculated that "top five" may be a better long-term goal for the city but did not mention how that would be funded.
Also, some frustrated EAC members are complaining privately about a continuing lack of support/cooperation from the Baldwin County Board of Education.
Comments
I think that the editor should clear up some of this, b/c it appears that the more money the city has gifted to Brewer, the worse our schools have become? Please, anyone, who understands this, please clarify to the city!
It would take about $620K/yr to enter the top ten by the year 2020, according to the Akrobos study.
Diana Brewer is no longer on the city council.
This has already been addressed at the national level, and the county has a use tax, the city should have a use tax also. How this works, when someone orders something where tax is not collected it is up to the customer to submit the tax on the amount owed to the various cities, counties or state.
It is up to the state on how this is to enacted and Alabama is at the forefront of this, as is Baldwin County. Perhaps someone at the city should contact the county to ask how they are collecting this tax. I would think this would fall under the Finance Directors preview.
The city can audit businesses to view their credit card bills or other invoices.
Now, this also means that cities that order anything online where sales tax is not paid, then the city has to submit the tax to the state, and county.