In this file photo, Baileyton's Windell Calloway, left, speaks with town councilman Wendell Peterson during a town council meeting.

BAILEYTON — The Baileyton Town Council has passed a resolution opposing the recent passing of a half-cent sales tax increase by the Cullman County Commission and using a portion of it to build a $30 million sports/arts complex for the Cullman County School System.

In the resolution, the reasons for opposing the tax and complex include the need for repairs and expansion of local schools and the potential for detrimental economic impacts on schools and businesses around the county.

Mayor Pro Tem Windell Calloway said the vote can’t stop the implementation of the tax, but other municipalities are passing similar resolutions to show that they are opposed.

“It won’t stop the tax, but it can speak out that you’re against it,” he said. 

The resolution passed on a 3-0 vote, with council members Myra Martin and Gene Sumner abstaining until they learned more about the tax and project.

The proposed complex would be located on a 58-acre tract off Alabama Highway 157, and would include an indoor recreation facility, a football field, a tennis court and other sporting facilities and amenities. 

During the unveiling of the sports complex earlier in March, Cullman County Schools Superintendent Shane Barnette said some of the upgrades include the replacement of window air conditioners with new air conditioners, cafeteria expansions at several schools, paving the parking lots and driveways across the county and new buildings like a greenhouse at Harmony and a home economics building at Holly Pond.

Safety improvements are also planned with the revenue, such as an integrated camera system that will connect with all of the schools, additional fencing around campuses and the hiring of additional school resource officers on campuses that are separated.

During a discussion about the resolution during Monday night’s meeting, the council questioned the priorities of building a sports complex while so many facilities need work, and Town Clerk Pat Gilbert said she would like to see those needs addressed first.

“If we had state-of-the-art schools all over the county, if that money wasn’t needed elsewhere. That’s my big thing,” she said. 

Barnette has also said he would like to see each school have two of their home football games at the sports complex instead of their home stadiums, and the council discussed the possible economic impact that could have for the schools and organizations that work during games and collect money from parking.

Councilman Greg Griffin said the impact could be seen in Fairview a few years ago when they were unable to use their home stadium, with several restaurants that suffered from the lack of business that usually comes from people attending those games.

“My biggest question at this point is how does it benefit Baileyton,” he said. “I can see how maybe this is going to affect the Cullman County Board of Education, but does it benefit Baileyton.”

Councilman Wendell Peterson said he would also like to see the security upgrades take a higher priority than the complex.

“I think personally, that safety is more important than the complex,” he said. “That would do a lot of good for the City of Cullman, but it ain’t going to do any good for me out here. I’d rather my kids be safe.”

Baileyton Mayor Johnny Dyar was unable to attend Monday night’s meeting, but told The Times last week that he opposed the tax and agreed with Hanceville’s passing of a similar resolution Thursday night.

“I’m with Kenneth Nail 110 percent,” he said. “We have Parkside School here, but I’m sure this would hurt a lot of the high schools in county.”