St. Clair County mayors request county gas tax be split between county and cities

St. Clair County mayors have proposed the county's four-cent fuel tax be split between the county and municipalities for road improvements.

Since 2015, the fuel tax has brought in over $25 million according to Stan Batemon, St. Clair County Commission Chairman. The tax currently results in just under $4 million annually.Batemon said as the county grows, the money from the tax would increase.

The funds were designated for road construction, resurfacing, and purchasing of equipment for road work in the county. The funds are controlled by the county government.

Local mayors believe it's time they get a specific share of the funds.

Ashville Mayor Derrick Mostella said much of the money from the fuel tax comes from the cities.

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The initial proposal would split the tax 50/50 between the county and cities. As of now, the county would keep $2 million for work in incorporated areas.The other $2 million would be divided among municipalities in a tiered approach.

"Our methodology behind it was certainly the large communities, Moody and Pell City, they contribute quite a lot to that fund at the end of the day," said Mostella.

Pell City and Moody would get 20 % each. Springville, Odenville, Margaret, and Argo get 10 % cuts. Five percent portions would be allocated to Ashville, Riverside, Ragland, and Steele. Any money that isn't used in a year, rolls over for up to three years.

"We work hand and hand with the county on a ton of projects, especially paving. With the amount of growth that's happening in some of these other communities, the county has been fantastic in partnering with them and making sure they have everything they need to push through on these projects, but in the midst of all that you have often times have these other communities like mine and Riverside and Ragland and Steele that don't get quite as much attention because we aren't growing as much and we don't have as much activity," said Mostella. "In having conversations as a group we just felt like it was time that we approach the county commission to see if we can get a process in place with a little more accountability to make sure that each one of these communities are receiving some of the benefits from those gas taxes as opposed to just kind of one-off, priority based projects that often times leave some of the smaller communities left out."

For his city, the added funding would help facilitate growth by allowing some of their road projects to be taken care of with the four-cent tax funding, thus freeing up other funds to match grants and complete projects that benefit the city.

"We don't want to find ourselves in a position where we are having to choose between two needs at the end of the day," said Mostella.

Before getting the money, cities must submit specific projects to the county.

"We did not want to put any type of system in place where the county was just cutting us checks every year. We didn't feel like that was the most prudent way to go about it," said Mostella. "We wanted a system where we were partnering with them at the end of the day. Whatever allocation is there if this plan is accepted, we would basically have to submit something similar to a grant proposal."

"This tax in my opinion belongs to the city citizen, as much as it does the county citizen," said Batemon.

He said well over half of the county's population lives in city limits. He believed the proposal could help let people know exactly what the money is used for.

"Those municipalities are claiming they are not getting their share of the four-cent fuel tax. It's hard to argue if they are if we don't have any documentation about the projects that are done in their municipalities, which the county commission did not have those," he explained. "50 percent of it will go to municipalities. 50 percent will go to unincorporated road projects that we identify each project. In other words, it's not just mixed in with our road budget which it basically is now."

He'd like to see the specification of uses for the fund altered.

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"I would like for it to take out that it can be spent on equipment. I think it should all be spent on resurfacing roads," he said.

He believed that should be a rule for all who use the tax. According to Batemon, out of the $25 million collected since 2015, $7.5 million has been spent on non-paving projects, like equipment and engineering fees.

"It's coded. It's not illegal but it is things that did not go to paving. Where I can actually go out to a citizen and say this is one of the projects that your four-cent tax paid for. I have a little bit of a problem with that.A tax passed by the county should be identifiable with everybody in the county if it all possible," said Batemon.

He'd also like to see specific names for projects that clearly indicate where it is and what is being done at that location.

"Identifiable projects that's named in the minutes of the meeting," he said. "Accountability is where the citizens understand that you had good intentions. Our accountability has been very good when it comes to audits. This money has been spent on equipment, engineering on that road, drainage on that road, paving on that road, but it comes out saying x-number of thousands of dollars was spent on emulsion or number 5 stone. The citizen hasn't got a clue what that is. What was spent on Highway 33 from mile marker so and so to mile marker so and so out of the four-cent gas tax? That's what I want. It's easy to do. We just haven't done it."

Batemon said he is working with the county's Chief Financial Officer to create a spreadsheet that shows those projects and the funding for the projects.He intends to present the information at the next meeting with the mayors regarding the tax.

"If a mayor says 'they're not giving me any of the money.' A commissioner says 'yes we are'. Well if I was the mayor I'd say, 'then tell me which one.' We haven't been able to tell them which one because it's been scattered out through page after page of accounting," said Batemon. "We can make it simpler if we choose to."

The proposal could change in the coming weeks. Another meeting between county commissioners and the mayors is expected to take place on April 4th.

"[The commission] has been very receptive and we've always worked well together," said Mostella. "We wanted to make this request of them. It is certainly not a demand. We understand that money was allocated to them by the state and it is theirs to do what they wish with it. We just wanted to put a plan out there that we feel like benefits us but them as well."