Council was set to meet Wednesday for final vote on penny hike
The Flomaton Town Council was expected to approve a 1-cent sales tax increase late Wednesday afternoon after the same body approved an ordinance Monday afternoon to implement the tax increase.
The increase will raise the sales tax in Flomaton to 11 percent with town receiving 5 percent, the state receiving 4 percent and the county receiving 2 percent.
The first reading of the ordinance passed Monday on a 5-1 vote with Mayor Dewey Bondurant, Jr., and council members Charlie Reardon, Lillian Dean, Jim Johnson and Roger Adkinson voting yes. Councilwoman Kay Wagner voted no. Since the first reading didn't pass by a unanimous vote a second reading and vote is required. The council called a special council meeting for 4 p.m. for the second reading and vote.
Wagner said one of her problems is that the business people in town can't get away for a 4 p.m. council meeting.
“There's no public comment,” Wagner said. “That's my problem.”
Councilman Jim Johnson asked Wagner how many had contacted her about the proposed tax increase and she said she had some.
Johnson said he understood the pros and cons of the tax and went to several business owners to discuss the issue.
Johnson also said it was a decision the council needed to make to just get the town back to where it was financially before losing Air Products, Church's Chicken and NAPA Auto Parts.
“I'm looking at it from a business side,” Johnson said. “We have two choices, pass the tax or lay people off.”
Based on previous years, the extra penny would generate about $174,000 per year for the town of Flomaton.
Johnson said he talked to some business owners face-to-face and they understood.
Mayor Bondurant said if the town didn't pass extra penny, it could be faced with losing half of its police department and half of its utility department.
'We will have to cut the services to the people of Flomaton,” Bondurant said. “From a business standpoint, from a money standpoint, I don't see how we can survive without it.”
Wagner said if a penny tax increase was what was needed to keep the police and buy cars, “We have bigger problems”.
Dean said she agreed the tax increase was needed to benefit the town.
Johnson said currently, Police Chief Chance Thompson is having to come in and work nights because the town can't afford to hire new officers.
He also said when the county passed a 1-cent sales tax increase a few years ago, he heard no complaints in Flomaton although the tax was collected in Flomaton.
Mayor Bondurant also said the majority of the sales tax paid in Flomaton is being paid by people traveling through town to the beaches.
As the council began discussing paying the bills, Johnson also said the people in Flomaton and the town really needed to shop at home.
He said anything the town can buy from Advanced Auto Parts or any other business in town, needs to be bought in Flomaton.
