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Chapter 4. Economic and Industrial Development
Article 1. Economic Development
§6-4.00. Bullock County. (Amendment 128)
Any provision of the Constitution or laws of the state of Alabama to the contrary notwithstanding, Bullock county shall have full and continuing power and authority to do any one or more of the following, provided that such action is first approved by a majority of the qualified electors of the county who vote at an election held for such purpose.
- 1. To purchase, construct, lease, or otherwise acquire real property, plants, buildings, factories, works, facilities, machinery and equipment of any kind.
- 2. To lease, sell for cash or on credit, exchange, or give and convey any such property described in subdivision 1 above, to any person, firm, association or corporation.
- 3. To promote local industrial, commercial, or agricultural development and the location of new industries or businesses therein.
- 4. To become a stockholder in any corporation, association, or company.
- 5. To lend its credit or to grant public moneys and things of value in aid of, or to, any individual, firm, association, or corporation whatsoever.
- 6. To become indebted and to issue and sell interest-bearing bonds, warrants (which may be payable from funds to be realized in future years), notes or other obligations or evidences of indebtedness, to a principal amount not exceeding fifty percent of the assessed value of taxable property therein as determined for state taxation, in order to secure funds for the purchase, construction, lease or acquisition of any of the property described in subdivision 1 above or to be used in furtherance of any of the other powers or authorities granted in this amendment. Such obligations or evidences of indebtedness may (in addition to any pledge or pledges authorized by subdivision 9 of this amendment) be issued upon the full faith and credit of the county or may be limited as to the source of their payment.
- 7. To levy and collect, in addition to all other taxes now authorized or permitted, a special county privilege license tax or taxes of not exceeding one percent paralleling the state sales and use taxes imposed by chapter 20 of Title 51, Code of Alabama (1940) as amended.
- 8. To construct a dam or system of dams, and to acquire a site or sites therefor, on any public stream flowing within the county for the purpose of impounding waters to be used in irrigation projects, or in generating hydroelectric power, or in providing recreational facilities, or for other purposes, and to accept any funds by way of gift, grant, or loan from the federal government, or any agency or instrumentality thereof, for the purpose of constructing such dam or system of dams.
- 9. To pledge to the payment of any bonds, warrants, notes or other obligations or evidences of indebtedness the annual proceeds from any such special tax or taxes and to obligate itself irrevocably to continue to levy and collect such taxes annually until such obligations or evidences of indebtedness are paid in full and to pledge thereto any rental or sales proceeds of property leased or sold by it.
- 10. To create a public authority or corporation having such powers, managed and governed by such board or governing body and subject to such limitations as the governing body of Bullock county may impose, by approving and filing a certificate to that effect in the office of the judge of probate or the secretary of state, or their respective successors in function, and to delegate to such public authority or corporation and its board or governing body all powers and authority conferred in this amendment upon the county.
The recital in any bonds, warrants, notes or other obligations or evidences of indebtedness that they were issued pursuant to this amendment or that they were issued to provide funds to be used in furtherance of any power or authority herein authorized or that any special tax herein authorized has been pledged to the payment thereof shall be conclusive; no purchaser or holder thereof need inquire further; and the levy and collection of such tax shall continue until the principal of and interest on such obligations or evidences of indebtedness shall have been paid in full. The bonds, warrants, notes, or other obligations or evidences of indebtedness issued hereunder shall not be considered an indebtedness of Bullock county for the purpose of determining the borrowing capacity of such county under section 224 of the Constitution.
This amendment shall be self-executing; but the legislature shall have the power by general, special or local act to adopt laws supplemental to this amendment or in furtherance of the purposes and objectives hereinabove set forth. (Amendment 128)
§6-4.01. Promotion of Economic and Industrial Development in Certain Counties. (Amendment 429)
For the promotion of local economic and industrial development, the governing body of Bullock, Coffee, Coosa, Dallas, Etowah, Geneva, Houston, Jefferson, Lawrence, Macon, Marengo, Mobile, Morgan, Talladega, Madison, Shelby, and Tuscaloosa counties and of each municipality situated in said counties, other provisions of law or this Constitution notwithstanding, shall each have, independently or in cooperation with one or more of such governmental entities in such counties, full and continuing power (a) to purchase, lease or otherwise acquire, land, or to utilize land heretofore purchased or otherwise acquired, and to improve and develop such land for use as industrial site, or industrial park, projects, including, but not limited to, grading and the construction of roads, drainage, sewers, sewage and waste disposal systems, parking areas and utilities to serve said projects, and (b) to lease, sell, grant, exchange, or otherwise convey, on terms approved by the governing body of the county, or of municipality exercising such power, all, or any part of, any such project to any person, firm or corporation, public or private, including to any industrial development board or authority heretofore or hereafter created by any such county or municipality therein, for the purpose of the constructing, or developing thereon, by such purchaser or lessees, and the equipping and operating of, industrial, transportation, distribution, warehouse or research facilities, and of named, or any municipality there, to construct residential or any other buildings for the purpose of lease or sale.
In carrying out the purposes of this amendment, neither the governing bodies of the counties named hereinabove, nor of any municipality situated in said counties to which this amendment is or becomes applicable, shall be subject to the provisions of sections 93 or 94 of the Constitution of Alabama, as amended. The provisions of this amendment shall be self-executing and the powers granted hereby may be exercised as alternative to, or cumulative with, and in no way restrictive of, powers otherwise granted by law to the governing body of such counties, or of any municipality therein, or to any agency, board, or authority created or approved thereby pursuant to this Constitution or the laws of this state.
The names and addresses of all parties involved in conveyances of land herein provided, and the amount of any monies paid or received, shall be published in the newspaper in the county with the largest circulation.
This amendment shall not be construed to grant any power of eminent domain in addition to that which may be provided otherwise by statute heretofore or hereafter enacted by the legislature of Alabama; nor shall this amendment be construed to affect the annexation statutes heretofore or hereafter enacted by said legislature.
Furthermore, no county or municipality shall sell any real property acquired under the authority hereof for a price less than its actual purchase and development cost of such property, unless:
- (a) The price be approved at a public meeting of the governing body of such county or municipality; and
- (b) At least fourteen (14) days prior to such public meeting at which such price is approved by such governing body, it has published notice in the newspaper with the largest circulation in the county in which the property is located stating (1) the acreage proposed to be sold, (2) the section or sections or subdivisions of record in which the property is located, (3) the price per acre at which sale is proposed to be made, and (4) the place where a map of the property can be examined by the public; and
- (c) The price thus approved is no less than the price advertised as aforesaid; provided, however, that should any real property be acquired for any purpose authorized by this amendment by eminent domain pursuant to other legislative authority as aforesaid, such property shall not be sold, in any event, for less than the price determined and paid pursuant to the orders of the court in such condemnation proceedings. Provided further, that no municipality shall acquire real property in unincorporated areas without a prior consent thereto as expressed in a resolution by the county governing body. Provided further, that no county or municipality shall acquire real property which is located in another county or municipality without such other county's or municipality's prior consent thereto as expressed in a resolution by its governing body. Nothing in the provisions of this constitutional amendment shall be construed to allow construction of dormitories or other type housing on or off university or college campuses. (Amendment 429)
[Note: Amendment 759 is identical to Amendment 429. except for the addition of Baldwin County. For the text of Amendment 759, see §2-4.01.]
Article 2. Bullock County Development Authority
§6-4.20. Established; Membership; Duties. (Amendment 431)
As used in this amendment, "the authority" means the Bullock county development authority authorized and established pursuant to Section 6-4.00; "board" means the governing body of the authority; "member" means a member of the board; "commission" means the Bullock county commission; "jail and county buildings" means the Bullock county jail or other facility for holding prisoners and shall include any building owned and construed [constructed] by the county or a building authority and occupied by the county, or a state or federal government agency or entity; "building authority" means the entity established or to be established to finance and construct a jail and county buildings; and "industrial tax" means the tax authorized and imposed under the authority of Section 6-4.00.
The authority is hereby granted continuing and permanent status. The membership of the authority is hereby fixed at seven (7). Each member shall serve a term of six (6) years and shall not serve more than two consecutive terms; provided however, that a member shall continue to serve until a successor is appointed. When a vacancy occurs or upon expiration of a term of a member, the remaining members shall nominate three reputable citizens interested in county development and present their names to the commission which by majority vote shall appoint one of the nominees to the board. If the commission fails to appoint one of the original nominess [nominees], the remaining members shall nominate three additional citizens in accordance with the aforementioned procedure. If the commission fails to appoint one of the six nominees, then the remaining members shall continue to submit nominees according to the aforementioned procedure until the commission appoints a member.
All expenditures, bids and contrcts [contracts] respecting the industrial tax, except those made by the building authority, shall be in the name and under the control of the authority; provided, however, except as provided in the third sentence of this paragraph, no industrial tax funds shall hereafter be expended without the approval of the commission. The authority may borrow money and expend funds for educational and health purposes and to enhance or develop other resources for the purpose of attracting industry to Bullock county. The authority may expend or appropriate or pledge or contract to pay over to the building authority for as long as its original issue of bonds or warrants is outstanding not more than one-half of the industrial tax revenues, subject to all prior commitments thereof for debt service, debt retirement or other debt repayment, for the purpose of constructing, financing or maintaining a jail or county buildings, or to assist the building authority in doing so, or for educational purposes, provided that such expenditures shall not impair the debts of the authority, and the industrial tax shall not be pledged to secure debts incurred for construction or maintenance or any other purposes except those provided for in this amendment or in Section 6-4.00.
The rentals and obligations of the county under any lease entered into by the county with the building authority shall not be charged against the county's constitutional debt limit, regardless of the duration of the lease.
Act No. 81-838 of the 1981 Regular Session is hereby validated and declared to be fully effective according to its scope and tenor. The tax authorized by said act or by Act No. 81-1028 of the 1981 Second Special Session and any other tax for a jail or county buildings authorized by any act of the legislature in the 1981 or 1982 regular or special sessions shall not exceed one-half of one percent and any such tax shall be imposed only until the original issue of bonds or warrants for such construction is paid.
The tax authorized and permitted by sections 40-12-4 through 40-12-8 of the Code of Alabama 1975 for educational purposes is hereby fixed at one-half of one percent in Bullock county. Provided, however, the commission may levy an additional one-half of one percent tax provided by the aforementioned code section if the county board of education revenues fall below 1980-81 levels from all sources including funding provided by the authority. The industrial tax is hereby declared to parallel the state sales and use taxes and such tax shall be collected by the Alabama department of revenue.
Any changes in tax rates or tax collections required by this amendment shall be accomplished within ninety days from the effective date of this amendment. (Amendment 431)[1]
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