Shelby County Suburb May Raise Sales Taxes For Schools

CHELSEA, AL — School funding has been a decades-long issue in Alabama, as the state remains the only one in the country that relies on sales tax to fund its public schools, leaving individual communities to raise their own taxes to make up the shortfall. Chelsea may become the latest city to raise taxes in order to fund its local schools, according to a recent announcement.

Chelsea Mayor Tony Picklesimer and the Chelsea City Council proposed a one cent sales tax to generate additional funding for schools, according to a Birmingham Business Journal report.

The funds from the increase would go into an account designated for school purposes. City leaders said they want to hear from residents about the proposal and depending on the results of a public hearing on July 16, the measure could be put on the agenda for Aug. 6.

Mountain Brook recently proposed a property tax hike for its schools, a 10 percent increase that will go to a vote September 24.