City of Madison Considers Sales Tax Increase - WHNT

Madison residents gave mixed reaction the the proposed half-cent sales tax increase during Monday night's city council meeting.

[Concerned Citizen]

A special tax on wage earners over 200,000 per yr should fund the school. This group has been protected under Bush Terms it is time for them to pay their fair share.

[Even more concerned]

Tax earners of $200K+? Yeah, let's just kill any incentive for business owners to make money, in a time of national crisis. Take more money out of their pocket, as well as the employee's pocket. Great idea. You need a new school? You help pay for it. Throw in your fair share. Alabama has the lowest tax rates in America, and here ya'll are complaining about a 1/2 cent increase? Get over it.
Another example of the "Gimme Generation" in action. "I don't want to pay for something to advance my children's education, so let's make hard working business owners pay more." Typical. I'm guessing you voted for Hussein Obama.

[Concerned citizen]

I am proud of our schools in Madison. I am glad that we can provide such nice facilities for our children. But, it seems like some of the money put into the fancy buildings could be better spent toward improving the older schools in the Madison school district and toward helping out with the new High School. We need technology in the schools and we need new schools. But fancy buildings we don't need.

[Lee]

Bottom line... A property tax increase is put to the voters which they will vote down every time. A half cent increase in sales tax is going to be ~$20 for every $4000 sold.

As a property owner, i come out better paying more sales tax than a property tax increase.

BTW, I don't have kids and I support this. They NEED this new school and it has to be paid for somehow.

You chose to live in Madison, your kids may be going to be going to this school, it is not going to pay for itself.

[Dr Thomas]

Tax just the people with kids. Make it a school usage tax. The more kids you have the more you pay. OR.....use the current funding more wisely and stop wasting it.

[Bob]

4 words.....PAY CUT FOR TEACHERS

[Jon]

Pay cuts for teachers are not practical. We compete for our teachers in a free employment market, and higher paying districts in Georgia and Florida already drain our education colleges of recent graduates. Teachers are underpaid in this district as it is. Most dig into their pockets for supplies. Only the low cost of living keeps our classrooms staffed. Why a well educated and energetic young person would choose to teach school in Alabama on an inferior salary is a mystery to me, but I’m extremely grateful. They’re unsung heroes.

[Voting county citizen]

i think we need to take a hard look at the county leaders. First the city of Huntsville built a jail they could not afford and now the county is trying to run a jail it can't afford. I am sure that the state did not order our elected officials to build a 70 plus million dollar jail for a bunch of convicts. This is such a waste of tax payers money. Now the madison county commission is trying merge madison county water with Huntsville Utilities. As a county resident I hope that the county is doing a better job with the merger (so called:(buy-out)) than it did with the jail. Where is the accountability with both the Hunstville City government and the Madison county Commission. There thinking seems to be on the "here and now" and for the long term.

[Former BJHS Student]

I believe that if you create a second High school for the city Madison, you are dividing everything that previous council men and students have worked for. BJHS has come a long way in the last 30 years. I remember and attended BJHS when it was just a shack (Now were Discovery Middle is located). When you add a new school, I can guarantee that the excellence that has been created at BJHS will drop. There is a reason why people are moving into Madison.. The education and the programs that were built from previous students. I believe you just need to add to BJHS.. There is alot of land behind the Baseball fields that is being used for Practice fields for the Football and soccer teams.

[Bob]

I've got some bad news for you Jon.....Teachers only work 9 months a year (not including vacation and sick days) for a decent salary. A majority of teachers are those who could not make it in more demanding fields of study. I know alot of teachers. They were mostly C students that couldn't hack it in other courses of study. So they took the easy route of teaching. There is always talk of being underpaid and unappreciated, but they continue to be teachers. There is currently a waiting list for teaching positions all over the state. Seems odd that so many people would want such an underpaid, difficult position.

Jon wrote:

Pay cuts for teachers are not practical. We compete for our teachers in a free employment market, and higher paying districts in Georgia and Florida already drain our education colleges of recent graduates. Teachers are underpaid in this district as it is. Most dig into their pockets for supplies. Only the low cost of living keeps our classrooms staffed. Why a well educated and energetic young person would choose to teach school in Alabama on an inferior salary is a mystery to me, but I’m extremely grateful. They’re unsung heroes.

[Jill]

Bob your out in left field. Get a life.

Bob wrote:

I've got some bad news for you Jon.....Teachers only work 9 months a year (not including vacation and sick days) for a decent salary. A majority of teachers are those who could not make it in more demanding fields of study. I know alot of teachers. They were mostly C students that couldn't hack it in other courses of study. So they took the easy route of teaching. There is always talk of being underpaid and unappreciated, but they continue to be teachers. There is currently a waiting list for teaching positions all over the state. Seems odd that so many people would want such an underpaid, difficult position.
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[Cary]

It seems to me that as Madison's population grows from 43,000 to a projected build-out of 60,000, these addition residents, who will be property owners and consumers, would generate a substantial increase in the tax base. This larger tax base ought to go a long way toward paying for a new school.

[Rob From Madison]

Cary wrote:

It seems to me that as Madison's population grows from 43,000 to a projected build-out of 60,000, these addition residents, who will be property owners and consumers, would generate a substantial increase in the tax base. This larger tax base ought to go a long way toward paying for a new school.

This is true, but, the property tax income from new property owners lags the need for new infrastructure. What has not been stated in this discussion is the fact that the Feds are providing a $36M interest free loan (as long as we have a way to pay it back), and that building costs are down due to the recession (contractors are being very competitive in their bids in order to get work). We need to move on this issue, now is the time, and we need to pass this 1/2 cent sales tax increase.