Ad valorem tax renewal goes to vote

A property tax that has been in place in the city of Russellville since 1958 and has been used to help fund construction and renovation projects for the Russellville City Schools System will be voted on for renewal April 28.

The ad valorem tax is assessed yearly on city property owners only and raises, “somewhere around $500,000 yearly,” according to Russellville City Schools Superintendent Rex Mayfield.

“This ad valorem tax is essential to the school system to help pay for construction and renovation projects,” Mayfield said.

The ad valorem, or property tax, was first voted into place by residents in 1958 to help fund the construction of Russellville High School.

Mayfield said the way the law was written back then provided for a 30-year period for the tax before it had to be voted on to be renewed. The voters last renewed the ad valorem tax in 1987.

“We haven’t changed anything to the way the tax is,” Mayfield said. “We decided to keep the 30-year period so voters can review it and decide to keep it or not by voting.”

Mayfield said the ad valorem tax goes to paying the current bond of indebtedness for the recent renovations to the high school and the construction of Russellville Elementary School.

“Those payments are around $62,000 per month so this tax doesn’t pay for all of it, but it helps us pay on that debt,” Mayfield said. “There’s more than 15 years left on the current bond.”

The 7.8-mill tax is assessed on a yearly basis and only affects city property owners. Nothing has changed in the tax for those 65 and older or those under the Homestead exemption, according to Mayfield.

The vote on the renewal of the tax will be  the last Tuesday of April at the following locations:

Russellville High School Auditorium

College Avenue School

Russellville City Hall

Chucky Mullins Centre

A. W. Todd Centre

Absentee ballots can be sent to Russellville City Hall located at 304 North Jackson Avenue, Russellville, Ala.