Montgomery Public Schools asks voters to "Save Our Penny" as county commission plans to keep 10% of penny sales tax

The Montgomery County Commission wants to keep 10% of the 1-cent sales tax that has gone to public education for more than two decades.

At a work session on Dec. 18, the county commission discussed the wording of a resolution that would redirect 10% of the 1-cent sales tax, about $4 million, to the county commission. The rest of the tax would continue to go to Montgomery Public Schools and the Pike Road School System.

The county commission is scheduled to vote on the resolution on Jan. 6.

Meanwhile, Montgomery Public Schools has launched a “Save Our Penny” campaign. On their website, Montgomery Public Schools said the move would cost the system $4.5 million a year, which is about 30 positions.

The loss of funds would prevent Montgomery Public Schools from expanding magnet and international baccalaureate programs and the Trenholm Workforce Development Campus. Safety, security and maintenance would be impacted, and the system’s credit rating would take a hit, according to the Montgomery Public Schools website.

Montgomery Public Schools urges its supporters to attend the Jan. 6 meeting to show their support for the school system.

Montgomery County Commission Chairman Doug Singleton said at the work session that the county commission needs the money to help grow the county’s tax base, which would help everyone, including the school systems.

“Keeping a portion of this money is not something that I take lightly,” Singleton said at the work session. “It’s not something that’s popular. It’s not something that I really want to do. But it puts a tremendous strain on Montgomery County Commission to continue to provide the services and the funding that we need to keep quality health care.”

Singleton told 1819 News that the diverted tax money would fund health care, public safety and economic development.

At their work session, the county commission discussed how to make sure the wording of the resolution to divert 10% of the 1-cent sales tax would pass legal muster.

Montgomery County collects 2.5 cents on sales tax. One cent of that tax, about $41 million a year, was dedicated to education in 2012, Singleton said in the 1819 News article.

Singleton said at the work session that between 2026 and 2030 the Montgomery Public School system and the Pike Road Board of Education could see almost $1 billion collected between sales tax and ad valorem property taxes.

A copy of the resolution can be found here.