What's on the horizon for 2017: Property tax renewal coming up for a vote in March

Hoover residents in March will be asked to renew three property taxes that together brought in $20.7 million for Hoover schools in fiscal 2015.

The vote originally was planned to take place on Nov. 8, 2016 — the same time as the general election, but the Jefferson County Commission delayed the tax renewal vote until March 7.

Two of the taxes cover all of Jefferson County and will be voted on by all Jefferson County voters. Together, they total 7.5 mills and brought in about $7.1 million for Hoover City Schools (plus additional money for other school districts) in fiscal 2015, school officials said.

A separate 13.9-mill property tax just for the Hoover school system brought in about $13.6 million for Hoover schools in 2015 and will be voted on by only registered voters in the Hoover portion of Jefferson County, tax attorney Heyward Hosch said.

Superintendent Kathy Murphy emphasized that they are tax renewals, not new taxes.

“That money is substantial and important to us,” Murphy said.

School board member Craig Kelley said it is extremely important to get the tax renewals passed to maintain current funding for Hoover City Schools.

All three taxes are set to expire in 2021, and officials are seeking to get all three extended for 25 years to 2046.

It’s important to go ahead and get them approved far in advance in order to maintain school systems’ credit ratings and allow school systems to obtain financing for needed capital projects, Hosch said.

Plus, if a first tax renewal vote fails, there still could be time to seek a second vote later, he said.

There are other property taxes in Hoover and Jefferson and Shelby counties that support Hoover schools. In total, the school system estimates it will receive $70.2 million in property tax revenues in fiscal 2017, which represents 42 percent of the total $168 million in revenue projected in the 2017 budget.