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Opelika Chamber Board Endorses Proposed Tax Increase to Benefit Opelika City Schools
Opelika, AL - (March 26, 2007) - The Opelika Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors voted unanimously at its meeting Wednesday, March 21, 2007 to endorse a proposal by the Opelika City Schools to increase the local millage rate by 7 City Mils.
According to the proposal, introduced to the Opelika City Council by Opelika School Superintendent Mark Neighbors at the regular council meeting February 20, 2007, money raised from the increase would partially fund the construction of a new high school. The construction, which would take place at the site of the current high school, would largely replace the footprint of the original 136,000 square foot structure which was built in the early seventies, adding 63,000 square feet and a second floor.
“The Opelika Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors believes that quality K-12 educational facilities are important to a healthy business climate locally,” said Wendi Routhier, president of the Opelika Chamber of Commerce. “Thus, the Chamber Board has voted to endorse the Opelika City School Board’s decision to pursue new high school facilities as opposed to undertaking what would otherwise be costly renovations to the existing structure. In the long term, it made more sense to replace the original building as opposed to continuing to shoulder the cost of both bringing it up to code and dealing with ongoing deferred maintenance issues at the same time.”
If passed, the increase, which would be voted on by special referendum in August, would not take effect until 2008. The Opelika City Council has already voted unanimously to support the increase.
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