By Gator Kincaid Last Wednesday, the Chambers County Commission in partnership with the Chambers County School District, and Lanett City Schools held a Rules Ways and Means Committee Meeting regarding the upcoming continued 6-mill Ad Valorem Tax in a special election on June 21st. A minimal tax for the residents of Chambers County is crucial for our schools as well as road, and bridges.
“This is not a not be a tax increase but a continuation of the current tax, and let’s be crystal clear, it’s the same exact amount you’ll be paying in the future that you’ve been paying in the past,” said Chambers County Attorney Skip McCoy.
The tax was implemented in 2003, shortly after the closing of the textile mills.
“We were struggling economically, and we needed to improve our road systems as well as education. That’s when we as a county decided on the six mil dollar Ad Valorem tax where three mil dollars goes towards the education system, and the other half goes towards road systems”, added McCoy.
Chambers County Superintendent Casey Chambley, and Lanett City Schools Superintendent Jennifer Boyd echoed McCoy’s remarks.
“We use the 6-mill Tax to fund programs from after-school programs to summer learning opportunities and want to use part of the money in the future for more security for the kids and teachers. Without it those essential programs may not happen”, said Boyd
”If we lose this money, we are going to lose about a million dollars a year that would go away and come out of our budget.” added Chambley.
So, how much will this continued tax cost? Small, so small it’s measured in fractions. This cost you one-tenth of one cent. For example, if you live in a single-family home on a half-acre lot in Chambers County, you will be paying 20 cents a day or less than $75 a year.
As for the Roads, and Bridges, without the 6-mill Tax, our roads and bridges would be in dire need of repair or be non-existent. That’s right, the same roads we travel on every day in Chambers County.
“Our portion of the 6-mill tax is just over a million dollars and represents about 25% of the funding we receive at the Highway Department. So, even though it’s not exactly a linear comparison, can you imagine what this map would look like without 1⁄4 of these projects. The projects identified in red represent our very aggressive plan for the next 3 years. They represent close to $8 million in improvements. And again, if not for this tax, we’d have to take several projects off this list. We all know that there are many projects left to be planned and completed”, said County engineer Josh Harvill.