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The Chilton County Commission continued its previous discussion about the Chilton County Board of Education’s interest in holding a special election to renew ad valorem taxes during a work session on Nov. 12.

As stated at the previous meeting, the special election would be needed because the taxes in question recently expired due to the end of the previous 20-year agreement.

Both sides have stated the importance that this tax be renewed, because without it on the books, the school system and the county would not receive the full allotment of state funding that it needs.

County attorney Roger Bates informed the Commission during the work session that the BOE plans to present the Commission with a resolution on Nov. 19, one day after voting on it in their meeting.

According to Bates, the BOE’s resolution would contain what they would like to see on the special election ballot.

Commissioner Jimmie Hardee believes that one of the reasons for the previous confusion was the fact that the BOE wants to extend the tax agreement from 20 years to 30 years this time around.

However, each of the commissioners was more than receptive to the extension and actually backed it as a good idea.

“It’s their decision, it’s just our job to put it on the ballot for them,” Commissioner Joe Headley said.

At this point, the special election is dependent on if the BOE can vote to approve on it during its next meeting.

“If they [BOE] don’t bring us a packet in two weeks (the next Commission meeting is Nov. 26), you’ve got nothing to act on,” Bates said.

To make the show of support complete, Hardee proposed a resolution during the official voting portion of its meeting to have Commission Chairman Joseph Parnell sign a letter to the BOE in support of the renewal of the education tax for up to 30 years.

The BOE will need to collect 500 signatures prior to bringing its special election proposal forward to the Commission.

Despite the show of support, the Commission once again stated that it does not excuse the BOE for waiting this long to act upon renewing the tax, which they had been aware of for some time.

“It could have saved $15,000 to $20,000 if it had been done earlier,” Parnell said. “They’ve [BOE] scrambled and realized it has to be done.”