Editor’s Note: We highly encourage those who are seeking more information on Senate Bill 138 to watch the video from last night’s meeting from Jerry Cimis in its entirety. It can be viewed here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZrR9Dvpm4k
Top Photo: State Representative Will Dismukes, at right, and Kelvin Lawrence were in attendance at the meeting Monday. All photos from this article are still shots from the video from Monday night’s meeting. Thank you Jerry Cimis for sharing the video.
BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
The Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a Tri-Governmental Meeting Monday evening. In each meeting officials present give an update on various topics of importance.
Senator Clyde Chambliss, via telephone call, spoke to the group on education, particularly an Alabama Senate Bill he has sponsored that has been presented this legislative session.
Alabama House Bill 138 has been read before the Senate, and has moved to a House Review Committee.
Chambliss is from Autauga County and his forefathers have been here since the 1830s. Education is very important to him, and he has often talked of how our areas of Autauga and Elmore Counties are the lowest funded as far as education in the state.
He mentioned that over the years talks have been had about Prattville establishing a city school system, but he said he is not in favor of that idea.
“Some 30 years ago I graduated from college. I never envisioned that I would be able to come back to Prattville and Autauga County for my career. Not that I didn’t want to, it was just there weren’t that many engineering jobs in Prattville. It happened that the assistant county engineer retired at the exact same time that I needed a job. Some folks would call that coincidence. I would call it divine.”
Over the 30 years Chambliss said he has watched all the education and non-education issues. Among those was the city school system discussion. His fear then, and to a lesser agree today, is that it would devastate the county school system.
“I think we need to fix what we have to make it as strong as we can and move forward,” Chambliss said.
Back in June 2021 Chambliss met with Autauga County School Supt. Tim Tidmore. During that discussion Tidmore updated Chambliss about thoughts on the Ad Valorem tax increase to benefit all Autauga County public schools.
“I committed to him that day that I supported that…and would do what I could to make that happen,” Chambliss said. “Most that were supportive…lived in or around the City of Prattville. Almost unanimously, those against it were from the rural areas.”
Chambliss said that it became clear those in opposition would be able to block it. So, he started working on a plan on how to move forward.
“If we don’t come up with some other solution then we are going to stay exactly where we are…status quo…the lowest funded in the state. We are the lowest funded state in the nation, so practically the lowest in the nation. It is my opinion that at this time we address that from a local level. From my perspective and opinion, our schools are in decline. My three daughters all went to Autauga County Public schools. They got a great education. They have done really well in college and beyond. I have been extremely happy with their level of education.”
However, he said that today, if he had to make a choice on public education, he is not sure he would make that same choice. That is reinforced with the Air Force’s view of public education in the River Region. “We have always been on top on the list of officers and their families coming into the Region. Now we are at the bottom of that list. It is not just anecdotal with me. From what I am told most of the military officers just don’t bring their family here anymore because of the education system. That is not just Autauga County, it is primarily a Montgomery County, however I feel that our students are going that same way.”
Money and facilities do not give a good education, Chambliss said. “However, facilities do matter. They are an important piece. Our facilities in the Prattville area are old and dated and need to be brought up to date to provide the platform for a good education. But also, to recruit those that are coming to this area. When they come and see an early 1900 school verses a newer school, they are probably going to go to the newer school.”
Chambliss said it is time to review the investments in Autauga County education. He said he sees no path forward for the Countywide school tax to make it through the legislature because of opposition from other area legislators.
He believes Senate Bill 138 is the best option that addresses the current needs.
“If somebody has a better idea, a better plan, we can talk about it,” Chambliss said. The bill is halfway through the process but can be amended or changed.
The proposal was drafted specifically with the Prattville area in mind. However, it also takes in Prattville High School, which is not in Prattville City Limits.
The bill would create a new special tax district consisting of the central attendance zone and the Daniel Pratt Attendance Zone. It includes all of the Autauga County portion of Prattville and a band on the north and west side of the city. If a house is zoned right now to go the Junior High or the high school, they would be included in this new tax district. If they are zoned for another school they would not be in the tax district.
“The vote would be of the people in the tax district, not the entire county. The cost would be borne by those in the tax district. The benefit would be for those in the tax district.,” Chambliss said. However, if new schools are built, or older schools renovated in the district, that would cut down on the high maintenance costs of current buildings. It is possible, he said, that some funds to help with maintenance of schools outside of the district would be made available.
Chambliss was asked who opposed the legislation pushed by the county.
Autauga County Commissioner Larry Stoudemire asked state representatives who were present for the meeting, “Why do we think that the first agreement we made would not pass?”
Representative Van Smith said that he has talked about the prior legislation proposed, and the current legislation. He spoke of why he opposed the previous legislation. “First of all, when we got together and knew it had been proposed we discussed it. There were a lot of mixed feelings. It was an extremely large increase. I am a public school person …always have been. I want to support our public schools. I was a principal, county commissioner – those district lines don’t matter to me.
“We were there to help the good for all. When proposed, I felt like this was a tremendously large increase. In fact, behind the scenes when you (The Autauga County Commission) tabled the vote and sent it to committee there was a lot of input that came from many of us. Let’s do some smaller increases in ad valorem. We came up with three other methods to come up to the same amount of money as was proposed with the ad valorem tax. The ad valorem adversely effected the people in my district. That pushed me to the side of not being for that. But I (was) still on the fence. Until (the County Commission) had two meetings of the committee and a third committee meeting was scheduled and you skipped the meeting and went directly to a vote.” At that time, Smith said he became firmly against the original ad valorem tax.
Smith said that he and others in opposition to the original plan had hoped that organizers would come back with a recommendation of a smaller increase on the people that own land and spread the increase over a larger group of people. For example, in Chilton County there is a tag tax that goes specifically to schools. In Chilton County, it raises $750,000 per year.
Smith said that newer schools have been built in many areas of Autauga County, and it was done without an increase to the ad valorem tax. His concern is for the landowners and the farmers who would bear the brunt of the tax.
Autauga County Commissioner Stoudemire asked Rep. Smith, “So what you are saying is, you are more worried about the farmers than us, so the way I am looking at this whole picture, the people of the county are about to get left out regardless. Am I correct?”
Smith responded, “How will they be left out anymore if there is no school being built out there with the increase? If the increase that you proposed…there is not going to be anything for Autaugaville, Marbury or Billingsley. With the increase Clyde is talking about now… there won’t be anything built out there either.”
Smith said, “It would be real easy for me to just sign on with Clyde and let this go ahead and be done. Because I don’t get any votes but from about four or five people that are in here. But I am not doing that. I am here trying to listen and find a better solution.”
Smith said that all of this is about the children, and he wants to work toward a measure that would benefit all.
“I had four people to ask me to increase the ad valorem tax in the county. One of those was an elected official. The other three work and get a paycheck from the school board. I had hundreds that said do not increase the ad valorem tax.”
Stoudemire said he feels by not supporting the ad valorem increase to go to a vote of the people, it took away the people’s right to pass it or not pass it.
Rep. Will Dismukes added comments during the meeting to explain why the initial ad valorem tax vote failed to move forward.
“The way local legislation works, if a bill gets filed that comes from a county commission to the legislature, if one of us does not agree with or sign it, we can kill the bill. I was very up front from the get go that I was a ‘no’ on the vote. I went to Mr. Tidmore before it ever went to the County Commission. I said ‘this is dead when it gets to the legislature. If it passes the County Commission it is dead.’ I would like for us to look at it and maybe do a three-phase plan. I just threw this out there. Some variation to get there to get it through the legislature where it can come to the people to vote on. And then you don’t have people from all over, including us, that have a problem with it. My district is in the City.”
When the issue went to the County Commission last year it was tabled.
Dismukes said that what he gathered from the County Commission in their desire for an ad valorem increase, is the Commission would be transparent.
“(The Commission) would discuss it, talk about, and come up with a plan that could go across all lines. We obviously made an effort to find some common ground. There were two committee meetings after you tabled it. I just happened to be part of a group giving away a grant at the County Commission prior to the meeting that night. I saw something about the ad valorem tax on the agenda.”
Dismukes said that he was with Rep. Van Smith that night, but they had to leave before the regular Commission. He would later hear that the Commission had voted to move the ad valorem tax increase to the legislature.
“I really had a problem with that. We can have our problems outside of our political office. But if we tell people that we are going to do something, be transparent, work to reach across common ground, we should uphold our word on that. I fully believe that because a third meeting was not held and this was passed when nobody had any earthly idea in the common public that it was coming, I have a problem with that. I can’t stand by and just let something like that just go through and then say ‘Hey, we should just let the people vote on it.’ If we tell people that we are going to be transparent, that we are going to notify people, let the public know what is going on, I think that we should do that.”
Dismukes said he told the County Commission before it even became public that everyone needed to work together to create legislation that would pass a vote of the people.
Dismukes said his family has long ties to the Autauga County area, and he wants to see the school system flourish. But he said accountability is important.
“I just got the (new proposed bill from Clyde Chambliss) I have some issues with it, but I need to get with Senator Chambliss and work on some of that. I really can’t say I am for it or against it because I have not really had enough time to study it.”
County Commissioner Stoudemire asked Dismukes for clarification, asking him if his non-support of their original plan was just because a third meeting was not held for the public.
“If there is planned committee meetings and then you pass something in the dead of the night when people weren’t properly notified, whether it is city council or the legislature…I have a problem with that,” Dismukes said. Later Dismukes said the Commission lied to the public, saying there would be another committee meeting, and instead voted to push it to the legislature.
County Commissioner Stoudemire said that he never knew there would be a third meeting.
Autauga County Commissioner John Thrailkill responded saying, “Everything I hear has been accurate. We did have an additional meeting planned. We had people present that are in this room. We went ahead…when we table something it does come back on the agenda. Whoever is sitting in that meeting has the right to either vote or table it again. It is the prerogative of whoever wants to vote on it to go ahead and move forward on a vote. I felt it was time to table it again. Others felt like it wasn’t. But there was a meeting planned. So whatever was chosen to do was chosen to do and it is time for us to move past it. But those are the facts.”
Thrailkill said he shared information with Stoudemire about another committee meeting, and at that time Stoudemire did not agree.
“Whatever the case, we have to move past this now. It was tabled. It has to come back on the agenda, and then we have to make a decision to vote for it or not. We voted. It didn’t go the way I wanted it to. I felt we needed to have more common ground,” Thrailkill said.
He said there were a number of different issues to be considered, but the vote by the Commission was 4-1 to move it to the legislature.
Rep. Kelvin Lawrence then made comments.
“As it relates to the ad valorem tax here in Autauga County, I really haven’t given it much thought simply because speaking with my colleagues they informed me they are adamantly opposed, some of those reason stated here tonight,” he said.
He said that he was neither for or against the earlier proposed ad valorem increase the Autauga County previously pushed, but is now a dead issue due to lack of support.
He said he was in contact with Chambliss about the new proposed legislation. He also said he needs to study the bill.
Prattville City Councilman Robert Strichik wanted to stress that this new proposal by Chambliss is not to create a city school system.
“That is a myth, we are not pushing a city school system. The (city council) is not behind this tax, the (city council) is not voting for this tax. The city has nothing to do with any of this so we should move on from that. Let’s get back to the county….they had an open forum meeting. Everybody in the county came down to the commission meeting. The people should be allowed to vote on something as important as this. Whether it is yes or no.”
Strichik continued that Autauga County is at a crossroad when it comes to funding the schools.
“Senator Chambliss sees the big picture. Senator Chambliss has come up with a way that not everyone is left behind. Representatives Mr. Dismukes and Mr. Smith don’t think that their constituents in the county have a right to vote for it, or they are not able to make an intelligent enough decision to vote for it. Then that is on them. ”
He went on to say, “If (Chambliss’ bill) does pass and the area around Prattville gets additional funding, and then the people in Autaugaville, Billingsley and parts of Marbury are concerned about their facilities, all I ask is they pick up a phone and call you Mr. Smith and you Mr. Dismukes and ask you why you didn’t think (they) had the capability to vote for such a thing. The rest of the county should be allowed to vote. I don’t understand why you gentlemen think people don’t know how to vote and make their own decision. This is very important. This is the last bullet in our gun. If we don’t do something now we are going to be sitting there 20 years from now, still at 10 percent falling off a cliff with our education. And it’s not going to be the fault of Board of Education or the Superintendent. I went to Prattville High School. All of my kids and my wife did, too. There are great teachers and educators here in this county. We are going to be left behind with our facilities and technology and we are going to lose the Air Force backing us and a lot of other things.”
Autauga County Commission Chairman Jay Thompson said he appreciates everyone who is working on the improvement for education in the county. He said something to consider is if a successful vote creates a specific tax district for a portion of the county, it could cause issues down the road of the other areas of the county are also asked for an increased tax.
