What to know before the Tuscaloosa County property tax special election

Ken Roberts, The Tuscaloosa News
·4 min read
Poll workers close out the voting machines and post the vote totals at the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse Annex Auditorium on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. Rosemarie Childress and Jamie Brewer close out a voting machine at the Annex polling place.

On Feb. 14, voters will decide whether to raise property taxes to fund the Tuscaloosa County School System.

Here's your guide to the special election:

When will the vote be held?

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Feb. 14.

What's on the ballot

The proposal would raise property taxes on landowners outside the Tuscaloosa city limits by 8 mills. The ballot is split into one measure for a 3-mill increase and the other for a 5-mill increase because the county school system has two separate tax districts on either side of the Black Warrior River.

How would this affect me?

If the plan is approved, someone who owns a home or property with a $100,000 assessed value would pay about $75 per year in additional property tax. Someone who owns a home or property with a $200,000 assessed value would pay about $150 per year in additional property tax. Someone who owns a home or property with a $300,000 assessed value would pay about $250 per year in additional property tax.

Why is this needed?

Leaders with the Tuscaloosa County School System say the property tax increase will provide them with $15 million a year, giving the system a dependable source of local funding for immediate needs and long-range initiatives. They say that Tuscaloosa County, which has 35 schools and 19,000 students, currently ranks at the very bottom of the state in millage rate for local school funding but operates one of the largest school systems in the state. The last time Tuscaloosa County voters approved a millage rate increase for local school funding was in 1917. The increase would bring the county from 10 to 18 mills. By comparison, Tuscaloosa City Schools receives 21 mills in property tax funding.

Who can vote?

The vote is for people who live within the Tuscaloosa County School Board District and excludes those who live within the municipal limits of the city of Tuscaloosa, which has its own school system. To see if you are eligible to vote in this election, call the Board of Registrars office at 205-464-8415.

When will the vote be held?

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Feb. 14.

Where to vote

• Whitson Place Church of Christ, 13231 Brandon School Road, Berry

• Windham Springs Baptist Church, 20105 Alabama Highway 69 N., Berry

• Sheriff’s Office Firing Range, 22794 P&M Mining Road, Berry

• Mayfield VFD Fire Station, 19572 Alabama Highway 171, Northport

• Montgomery VFD Fire Station, 16780 Mormon Road, Northport

• Northside Lions Club, 13166 Northside Road, Berry

• County Road Camp No. 3, 17504 Finnell Road, Northport

• Carroll’s Creek VFD Fire Station 2, 11604 Stonehedge Road, Northport

• Yellow Creek Baptist Church, 15515 Yellow Creek Road

• Kellerman Antioch Baptist Church, 15755 Lock 17 Road, Brookwood

• Tannehill Valley Baptist Church, 12858 Tannehill Parkway, McCalla

• Lake View Baptist Church, 21168 Mountain View Circle, Lake View

• Abernant Baptist Church, 13646 Lodge Road, Vance

• G.G. Hardin Community Center, 15689 Alabama Highway 216, Brookwood

• Mary Ann Phelps Activity Center, 2200 Rock Quarry Drive

• Carroll’s Creek Baptist Church, 14247 Alabama Highway 69 N., Northport

• Chapel Hill Baptist Church, 8790 U.S. Highway 43 N., Northport

• Echola VFD Fire Station - 14908 Echola Road, Elrod

• Mount Olive Baptist Church - 13303 Mount Olive Road, Coker

• Flatwoods Baptist Church - 4520 70th Ave., Northport

• Northport City Hall - 3500 McFarland Blvd., Northport

• Daystar Family Church - 3975 Watermelon Road, Northport

• Church of the Highlands - 721 Rice Mine Road N.E.

• Soma Church - 212 44th Court N.E.

• Peterson Community Church - 8709 Old Birmingham Highway, Cottondale

• Alberta Baptist Church - 2210 University Blvd. E.

• New Zion Missionary Baptist Church - 1317 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Northport

• Northport Community Center - 2100 Park St., Northport

• Coker Town Hall - 11549 Eisenhower Drive, Coker

• Buhl VFD Fire Station - 11965 Sipsey Valley Road N., Buhl

• Elrod VFD Fire Station - 11789 Malone Creek Road, Elrod

• Romulus VFD Fire Station 1 - 16500 Romulus Road, Buhl

• Unity Baptist Church - 6622 Unity Road

• Stillman College (Birthright Auditorium) - 3600 Stillman Blvd.

• McDonald Hughes Community Center - 3101 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

• Cornerstone Baptist Church - 610 Brooksdale Drive

• Leroy McAbee Activity Center - 3801 Loop Road

• Cottondale Community Church - 1801 Prude Mill Road, Cottondale

• Cottondale Methodist Church - 2225 Buttermilk Road, Cottondale

• Jerry Belk Activity Center - 2101 Bowers Park Drive

• Grace Presbyterian Church - 113 Hargrove Road

• New Life Baptist Church - 5201 Jug Factory Road

• Bobby Miller Activity Center - 300 Bobby Miller Parkway

• Duncanville Middle School - 11205 Eagle Parkway, Duncanville

• Coaling Town Hall - 11281 Hagler Coaling Road, Coaling

• Vance Activity Building - 17718 Vance Municipal Drive, Vance

• Hagler Community Center - 15451 Hagler Coaling Road, Duncanville

• Big Sandy Baptist Church - 14611 Old Greensboro Road

• Fosters VFD Fire Station 1 - 14661 Gainesville Road, Fosters

• Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church - 15882 Wesley Chapel Road, Ralph

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: What to know before voting on Tuscaloosa County's property tax hike