Sales tax vote expected today in Colbert

TUSCUMBIA -- The Colbert County Commission is expected to vote on a resolution today supporting a bill that would allow Colbert and Lauderdale to enact a half-cent sales tax for economic development.

Commission Chairman Rex Burleson said the commission has already ap-proved the idea of raising sales taxes to create an economic development incentive fund.

Lauderdale commissioners have endorsed the concept and approved the bill.

Funds from the tax, which is estimated to generate more than $6 million a year, would be used to help lure industries to the Shoals and provide other economic development incentives.

Burleson said the commission wanted to see the bill and approve it once it was written and before-it was introduced into the-Legislature.

"What we're passing is a resolution supporting it," he said.

A draft bill was returned to officials in Colbert and Lauderdale counties last week and is being advertised in newspapers in both counties.

The money can only be used to provide inducements for recruitment of new industry, acquisition and development of land for industrial parks, construction of buildings for lease to industries, support for expansion of existing industry in the Shoals and funding operations of the Shoals Economic Development Authority.

Burleson said the bill also will allow the money to be used for businesses such as Wal-Mart or Target department store distribution centers or call centers such as the Walgreens Health Initiatives center in Muscle Shoals.

Local incentive money was used to entice Walgreens to locate here. Those types of businesses were not included in an earlier draft of the resolution, Burleson said.

"Obviously that's something they wanted to be able to do," said attorney Jimmy Hughston.

Hughston said the bill has gone through about six drafts to get to the present form that is now being advertised.

Burleson said the bill also states that the county commission could decide to reduce or eliminate the tax after a 10-year period.

If legislators approve the bill, it will allow the two county commissions to approve the sales tax increase.

A separate bill will create the Shoals Industrial Development Committee that will oversee proceeds from the sales tax.

In addition to the sales tax bill, Burleson said he will ask the commission to approve an ordinance that would give the county the power to control accumulations of junk.

The commission has already conducted a public hearing on the issue and advertised the proposed ordinance in local newspapers.

The commission work session begins at 5 p.m. and is followed by the regular business meeting.

Russ Corey can be reached at 740-5738 or russ.corey@timesdaily.com.