By ALLISON WOODHAM

allison@gulfcoastmedia.com

MAGNOLIA SPRINGS, Alabama — At Magnolia Springs Town Council meeting on Jan. 24, council members voted unanimously to back a resolution supporting the Baldwin County Commission on the permanent passage of the once-cent sales tax to maintain educational programs and services to the Baldwin County Public Schools.

Karen Biel, town clerk, explained several years ago, the town council created this resolution to support the commission, and that’s what this current resolution is: supporting the current vote the commission made.

At the work shop two weeks prior, Mayor Bob Holk asked the council for their opinion, if they wanted to send a letter as a town.

“I personally, and I’ll do it personally, want to send them a letter to thank them for doing this,” Holk said. “The education system, especially Baldwin County, needs this.”

The resolution states, “Whereas, the correlation between strong, well-funded schools and thriving, prosperous communities is demonstrated daily across our nation; and

Whereas, the Baldwin County Board of Education has been responsive to recent calls from elected officials and local residents to provide new facilities and innovative instructional programs to meet the demands of rapid growth and higher public and governmental expectations; and

Whereas, failure to permanently pass the one-cent sales tax would result in irredeemable losses to educational and economic development opportunities over the coming years as well as higher dropout and employment rates, lower property values and a widely diminished civic reputation.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Magnolia Springs Town Council supports the Baldwin County Commission on its decision on January 3, 2017 to renew and make the One-Cent Sales Tax to maintain needed teachers, administrators and programs which promote student safety and academic success.

Be it further resolved that the Magnolia Springs Town Council encourages citizens of Magnolia Springs and all of Baldwin County to support the Baldwin County Commission’s decision to make the On-Cent Sales Tax permanent to keep school doors open, teachers in their classrooms and our children on a level playing field with others across the state.”

“This is a real positive step,” Holk continued. “As a community servant, sometimes you do things that are in the best interest of people that are not always the most popular thing. They’ve saved a tremendous amount of time and effort and money for the school to not have to go through a whole election process on that.”