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August 8, 2009

JeffCo rescue debate comes to Cullman

By Patrick McCreless

Sen. Zeb Little will hold a public meeting Tuesday in Cullman to discuss how the proposed Jefferson County legislative tax rescue may impact some local residents.

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in the chamber room of the Cullman City Council.

At the meeting, residents will be informed about the various proposed bills drafted to create a new occupational tax to raise revenue for Jefferson County, which is currently in a financial crisis. The tax would replace an older occupational tax struck down by a court as unconstitutional. Gov. Bob Riley plans to call a special legislative session next week to consider the bills.

“We’ll have the bills by then (Tuesday),” Little said. “We’ll know what we’re looking at.”

Little said he also hopes to get feedback from his constituents at the meeting, especially because so many of them work in Jefferson County.

He said according to the 2000 U.S. Census, approximately 3,000 Cullman County residents commute to Jefferson County each day to work and would be forced to pay the occupational tax if it were passed.

“This is not just a Jefferson County issue,” Little said. “Especially if Jefferson County goes bankrupt. Jefferson County’s problems affect the bond rating of everybody in the state.”

For example, the bond rate for Cullman’s proposed Duck River Dam project may be considerably higher if Jefferson County’s financial problems are not properly resolved.

Other legislators disagree with Little’s opinion that the tax is not just a Jefferson County issue. According to the Associated Press, Jefferson County legislators have said they will ask that lawmakers from other parts of the state to mostly avoid voting on the bills.

“It is a local bill, and typically outside senators stay out of local issues,” Little said.

Little did not say how he would vote on the issue or if he would vote at all, but noted he would be sure to at least argue for some safeguards to go along with the tax, such as creating a Jefferson County manager position and new county accounting procedures.

Little added, however, that he would not support a bill that completely replaces the old occupational tax with a new one.

“I am not for any new taxes,” Little said.



‰ Patrick McCreless can be reached by e-mail at patrickm@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131 ext. 270.

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