Whether DeKalb County will get a new school seemingly hit a snag last week after a planned Alexandria Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting was canceled after several aldermen were no shows. The County Commission’s decision to build a new Smithville Elementary School was contingent on all municipalities in the county, Alexandria, Liberty, Dowelltown, and Smithville, extending their sales tax agreement with the county to the year 2055.

The county says it needs to extend the sales tax agreements in order to secure a 30-year bond resolution, not to exceed $55 million, to fund construction of the new school without raising property taxes. A previous vote to move forward on the issue by the County Commission will become void if all county municipalities do not agree to extend their current sales tax agreement, which is due to expire in 2037. So far, Alexandria is the only town that has not yet approved the measure.

In the agreement, the four cities, Smithville, Alexandria, Liberty, and Dowelltown turn over to the county for schools a greater percentage of their local option sales tax collections than they would otherwise be required to do. By law, the municipalities must contribute 50 percent of their sales tax money to the county for schools, but by agreement since 1968, the towns give basically two thirds of their share and all that sales tax money goes into the Local Purpose Tax Fund for Schools to help fund school operation and debt.

Alexandria has delayed a vote on the issue until the last minute, and during a planned meeting on Tuesday, December 17, only Mayor Tripp, Aldermen Jeff Ford and Sherry Tubbs showed up. Due to the lack of a quorum, Mayor Tripp announced that the meeting could not be held as planned. The other four aldermen, Luke Prichard, Bobby Simpson, Tiffany Robinson, and Jonathan Tripp were absent for the meeting.

The meeting was planned with several county officials in attendance to explain the need for the sales tax agreement. County Mayor Matt Adcock, county commissioners Tony Luna, Tony (Cully) Culwell, Greg Matthews, Glynn Merriman, Andy Pack, and Beth Pafford were in attendance, along with Director of Schools Patrick Cripps, School Board Chairman Shaun Tubbs, and school board member Danny Parkerson. All had attended to answer questions about the sales tax agreement, and how the money is used.

Funds from the current sales tax agreement go towards all county schools, including DeKalb West School in Liberty, which recently had renovations including tornado shelters installed at the school.

At the County Commission’s Meeting of the Whole last Thursday, commissioners discussed extending the deadline on the measure to February 1, 2025, in order to give Alexandria more time for a “yes” or “no” vote to move forward on a school project. Without an agreement from Alexandria, the plan for building a new school may fail.