Eye on Politics
Paul DeMarco
There is an old saying that “Money is the answer: What is the question?”
Well in Alabama, the question is what is behind all of the litigation at the county courthouses being brought by cities and charter school systems.
First, there are a number of cities, including Tuscaloosa, that have filed lawsuits against the state in the manner it collects and distributes revenue from the state online sales tax. The cities say they are losing millions of dollars that should go back to their communities. This fight between the state and the cities will draw a lot of attention as he it drags out in court.
Another lawsuit in the state has Alabama charter schools seeking more of a share of the distribution of property tax revenues from the county in which they are located. The state school superintendent is fighting the charter schools efforts to take more money from other public schools.
These court cases have a long way to go before they will get resolved and ultimately will end up being decided by the Alabama Supreme Court.
But in the meantime, Alabama lawmakers could have their say on how all of this money is parceled out since they ultimately have the power of the purse.
Alabama state representatives and senators head back to Montgomery in a few months. Let’s see if they short circuit some of this litigation with their own legislation.
Paul DeMarco is a former member of the Alabama House of Representatives and can be found on X, formerly Twitter, at @Paul_DeMarco.
