Entries Tagged 'County Government' ↓

Baldwin County commissioners said they could take action within the next two weeks on requests for financial assistance by the Board of Education, but did not vote on or endorse school system requests for a tax increase or other help Tuesday.

Commissioner Wayne Gruenloh, chairman of the county’s finance committee, said members of the commission, school board and local legislative delegation will meet today to discuss finances. The meeting is the final discussion of three this week. Gruenloh said he hoped officials will have a better idea of a solution after the meeting.

“I’m expecting us to have a plan as far as the course we’re willing to take to try to deal with the situation that they’re agreeable to and the legislative delegation with the support of the commission,” Gruenloh said

County Commission hears more school requests

Local lawmakers are working on a measure to get more money for local school children in Baldwin County. A new one cent sales tax is still on the table as Baldwin County Commissioners and school board members discuss the plan.

The group has decided to form a financial task force of lawmakers and accountants to look at all options to make up for an expected 13 million dollar shortfall facing the school system. The task force plans to meet on Monday.

One other option discussed today is the possibility of a half cent sales tax for four years - instead of the one cent tax for 24 months already on the table.

Tax to Help Schools Discussed

There are always other options. A third option is not to increase the taxes at all. A forth option is to reduce the tax rate and spur economic activity.

How much does it cost to have a new task force of accountants? Doesn’t the school board have several accountants on staff already?

Baldwin County commissioners will hear from school board members and officials Tuesday on a new 1-cent sales tax for education.

Board of Education members have endorsed the increase for 24 months as a way of countering worsening deficits.

After discussion by the four-member commission Tuesday, the proposal could move on to the Aug. 4 regular meeting for a vote.

Baldwin school board will make sales tax pitch Tuesday

On Thursday, the Baldwin County Board of Education adopted a resolution to request the county commission to levy a one-cent sales tax increase. The money is needed to help bail the school district out of a 38 million dollar budget shortfall.

School board member Robert Wills was the only member voting against the resolution.

Baldwin School Board Adopts Sales Tax Increase Resolution

Baldwin County commissioners Tuesday worked on new and existing ordinances regarding parks, zoning and flood prevention.

Meeting in a work session, commissioners continued a nearly three-year effort to regulate hours and activities at county-owned boat launches and other public access sites.

A constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2006 gave officials some authority to govern such areas, but enforcement was limited to issuing civil fines. Last fall, Baldwin voters passed another constitutional amendment to close a loophole that prevented criminal penalties

Commission works on county ordinances

With both state and local revenue down, Baldwin County Commission and Board of Education members stressed the need for cooperation to deal with growth in times of short funding.

Commissioners and board members met Friday at one of the panels’ bi-annual meetings at the Baldwin County Annex in Robertsdale to discuss joint projects, such as roads to improve access to schools, county public service announcements promoting school bus safety and education programs

Baldwin County Commission and Board of Education need cooperation

The Baldwin County Emergency Management Agency announced the closing of storm shelters at 6 tonight after the threat of severe weather subsided.

The shelfter facilities, which were opened this morning, included the Fairhope Satellite Courthouse, the Foley Satellie Courthouse and the Baldwin County Level II Community Shelter at 207 N. White Ave. in Bay Minette. As of late this afternoon, no one had sought shelter there

Baldwin County closes storm shelters

The Baldwin County Board of Equalization will begin its 2009 session this week in a new setting and with a workload about half the size of last year’s record-setting schedule.

The first hearings will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday in the new offices of the Baldwin County Revenue Commission at 1705 U.S. 31 S., the former headquarters of the county Department of Human Resources.

A hearing room at the building will be the location for the estimated 7,000 appeals of property tax valuations in coming months, officials said. That is about half the number of cases handled last year by the three-man board

Tax valuation appeals begin this week

Baldwin County will receive $2.1 million for three needed projects in the new federal budget, but county commissioners said Tuesday that they were disappointed in local highway funding in the new stimulus package.

The county will receive $1 million for a flood elevation study. The Baldwin Rural Area Transportation System also gets $950,000 for improved bus facilities. The federal budget also includes $150,000 for the Fort Morgan State Historical Site, said David Brewer, assistant county administrator.

On the other hand, Baldwin County will get less than 0.04 percent of the $513 million included for Alabama roads in the federal stimulus package, said Commission Chairman David E. Bishop

Baldwin will get $2.1M for projects

“Obama Road” was not vetoed. Vernon and Cheryl Jackson requested Obama Road for the short, previously unnamed street where they built their house last year in Daphne. The sign was put up Monday.

But future street names in Baldwin County that are deemed too popular, odd or humorous could be subject to rejection by officials.

Commissioners will vote Tuesday whether to grant the building official power to deny certain proposed street names in order to cut down on thefts. The meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. in the county administration building in Bay Minette

County seeking authority to reject street names

Anyone from Daphne know where to find this Obama Road? Does it happen to intersect with MLK Blvd?

Baldwin County Sheriff Huey “Hoss” Mack Jr. brought breakfast to county com missioners last week.

The meal, prepared at the Baldwin County Corrections Center on Friday morning, consisted of link sausages, a boiled egg, grits, an apple and 2 percent milk.

Commissioners in the work session said it looked appetizing, but politely declined to sample it. More important, they told Mack they want nothing to do with the responsibility of providing those breakfasts, lunches and dinners at the county jail

Mack: Jail has balanced meals, balanced budgets

A specialty car tag that will celebrate Baldwin County’s 200th birthday and raise money for its Bicentennial Park is heading to the Legislature this week as part of the approval pro cess.

The initial design for the license plate was approved last April by the County Commission. Last week, the commission unanimously approved a final design, which included a few color and style changes, but also added the words “Baldwin Bicentennial Park” to indicate the recipient of the funds.

It features the county’s seal and the words “Celebrating Our Past, Anticipating Our Future.”

Bicentennial tag moves toward approval

County officials are preparing to change how revenue from a nearly half-cent Baldwin cigarette tax is distributed in an effort to help Boys and Girls Clubs in three Baldwin cities continue under new names.

Representatives of Fairhope, Daphne and Foley civic groups, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of South Alabama in Mobile, spoke to commissioners at a work session held Friday.

The meeting was rescheduled from Tuesday, when most commissioners will be at a national conference in Washington, D.C

County to send tax to cities for youth clubs

County officials are preparing to change how revenue from a nearly half-cent Baldwin cigarette tax is distributed in an effort to help Boys and Girls Clubs in three Baldwin cities continue under new names.

Representatives of Fairhope, Daphne and Foley civic groups, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of South Alabama in Mobile, spoke to commissioners at a work session held Friday.

The meeting was rescheduled from Tuesday, when most commissioners will be at a national conference in Washington, D.C

County to send tax to cities for youth clubs

A massive Baldwin County subdivision didn’t meet a deadline to seek another year to begin construction and now would have to start over under zoning regulations, planning officials said.

Developers of SweetBay on Baldwin County 49 in Bon Secour received final site plan approval in November 2006 for the 2,157-unit project on 280 acres. But county officials said there was no activity on the site for two years and that permit automatically expired Dec. 16.

Massive Baldwin County project’s permit expires