Measures won’t be on next month’s ballot

By Patrick Johnston
Published: May 16, 2008

Barbour County voters will not be deciding on a 2 1/2-mill property tax increase next month.
That’s because the proposed measure and another proposal that would give commissioners limited home rule were not printed on the ballots that will be given to voters June 3. Commissioners discussed the apparent miscommunication between the commission and the probate judge’s office at this week’s meeting.
The measures will likely be on the November ballot. The 2 1/2-mill proposal, if passed, would include one mill for healthcare (approximately $165,000 annually) and 1 1/2 mills for the jail (approximately $250,000 annually).
The mill for healthcare would help fund improvements at Medical Center Barbour. The remaining amount on the proposal would help pay off the approximately 10-year-old jail, located in Clayton near the airport and Ventress Correctional Facility.
With the additional funding the jail could be paid off by 2014-15, if not before.
Commission Chairman Earl Gilmore said commissioners were even more concerned about the limited home rule proposal. That would give commissioners increased authority to act on issues such as noise and animal control without having to go through the Alabama Legislature.
“There’s a lot of things we could do. It will help,” he said. “We really needed it on the June ballot.”
Gilmore said that commissioners thought Probate Judge Nancy Robertson was aware that the proposals needed to be on the ballot, though he stopped short of placing the blame on anybody.
Gilmore added that the opening of the county’s animal shelter might be delayed a few months.
That is bad news for county commissioner Henry Franklin, who is overseeing the development of the shelter.
“Every time we feel like we get over one hurdle, something else happens,” Franklin said. “We don’t know what happened. All I know was that it wasn’t on there.”
Franklin said the commission is dedicated to bring animal control to the county.
“People call me all the time about dogs and cats. Right now I’m a little disturbed...but I’m not going to give up on it. I may give out, but I’m not going to give up.”
Attempts to reach Robertson for comment by press deadline were unsuccessful.