Comments on February 14, 2023 Tuscaloosa County Property Tax Referendum
from Tuscaloosa County Farmers Federation (2/10/23)

• We heard of this upcoming tax increase in January of this year and met with the Tuscaloosa County School Superintendent and two of her staff. We offered to give advice on how to raise taxes for the Tuscaloosa County School System, but the tax referendum was already finalized.
   
• This will be a special called countywide vote for constituents in the Tuscaloosa County school board districts.
   
• This will be a two-ballot measure consisting of a 3-mill increase on one ballot and a 5-mill ballot. If successful, the two ballot measures would cost taxpayers $15 million a year, with unclear goals and little accountability.
   
• This would raise taxpayers from 10-18 mills - a 76% increase.
   
• This comes at a time we can least afford it. Inflation is 6.5% after peaking at over 9% last year. Fertilizer prices have doubled; feed is up almost 50%. Seed, lime, gasoline and diesel prices have also escalated.
   
• Tuscaloosa County School System's (TCSS) budget grew 107% from $122 million in 2014 to $252 million in 2023.

If this tax passes, all property, homes, rental apartments, car tags, etc. will all go up.
How is our board helping? The Tuscaloosa County Farmers Federation has 16 Board Members and an Area Organization Director. There will be 38 polling locations in the county. ALFA and our County Board have made 500 18" X 24" Vote NO! signs, 40 larger signs (approximately 4' X 5') as well as several hundred 5 ½ / X 4 ½ information cards dispersed throughout the county. Board members have placed all Vote NO signs throughout the county. Each Board Member is assigned certain voting locations to place additional signs at each voting location on February 14. Today, (February 10) 11,000 text messages stating the voting facts will be sent to all republican voters. We also have a digital billboard in Tuscaloosa stating our cause.