EDITOR’s note The Cullman Times takes a look back at the top stories from 2019. There is no scientific method to our selections, so if you disagree, feel free to share on our social media pages which stories meant the most to you. Our Number 1 story – County schools sports complex announced, shelved after pushback.

The Times top local story of 2019 was easy to select, but is hard to summarize for all its many parts.

A very short version would be: the county commission approved a half-cent sales tax to fund needed school improvements, the county school superintendent announced an ambitious plan to build a sports complex funded by a tourism tax, which led to a public outcry, a reversal of plans, a shake up at the Chamber of Commerce, pledges of transparency and confusion at the cash register. And that leads us into 2020 with a one-cent sales tax increase to be voted on by the public in March. Whew.

The longer version is that in March, the Cullman County Commission approved a half-cent sales tax for the county and city school systems. While it was generally agreed that the schools need the money for improvements, the move by the County Commission took people by surprise as it was passed without public discussion.

Around that same time, Cullman County Schools Superintendent Shane Barnette unveiled plans for a $30 million sports complex, including features for the arts, at a press conference. The plans for the complex included a main indoor facility of 120,000 square feet, a football field and track with seating for 2,500, tennis courts, concession areas and parking. 

Barnette said the complex could host a multitude of sports and competitions, including football, basketball, tennis, soccer, volleyball, cheerleading, archery, track and cross country, well as serving as a venue for school classes, summer camps, theatre and arts events, along with corporate events and conventions from around the Southeast.

“This is something I think could be a moment in time for Cullman County Schools that could be really special, and the beginning of something that could last for generations and something that could make a lasting impact,” he said during the complex’s unveiling.

However, in the following weeks, mayors and council members from several of the county’s municipalities spoke out against the lack of transparency in both the passing of the sales tax and plans for the sports complex, with Baileyton and Hanceville both passing resolutions making their opposition official.

After passing the resolution, Hanceville Mayor Kenneth Nail suggested litigation against the school system was a possibility if the decision was not reversed.

“I think there may well be other things that come to pass in the future,” Nail said in March. “I hope and pray that the people involved in making this decision will reconsider. I can’t say what this may lead to. It ain’t a done deal yet, and we’re going to fight this tooth and nail.”

The announcement also caused some division within the Cullman County School Board. Board member Heath Allbright, who was serving as chairman of the board, said the half-cent sales tax was an opportunity to do more than patch problems on the system’s 29 campuses.

“I can’t speak for the entire board, but I believe there are too many questions that need to be answered about the project that has been proposed,” Allbright said in April. “I’ve traveled all across the county since I became chairman of the board and there are too many deficiencies everywhere on our campuses before we embark on something as large as a sports complex.”

The controversy also caused a shakeup among other local organizations. 

At the press conference to announce the sports complex, former Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Leah Bolin said the chamber would dedicate money from the lodging tax to the project.

The Cullman Hospitality Association, made up of hotel owners and managers, called for the lodging tax and tourism board to be separated from the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce because they hadn’t been aware the chamber was pledging the lodging tax to the project.

Several long-time chamber members, including Wallace State Community College, revoked their membership, and Bolin resigned her position as executive director of the chamber after 7 years.

In April, Barnette announced that the project would not go forward, and said 100 percent of the sales tax would go toward security improvements and facility upgrades around the county.

Before the tax could take effect, however, the Cullman County Commission rescinded the tax, a little more than a month after passing it. At the time, Commission Chairman Kenneth Walker said he believed the issue should be decided by the people of the county.

“I’m gonna vote that we repeal it [now], because I think if the taxes are raised in Cullman County, the people should have to vote on it,” he said after the tax was repealed.

In October, the Cullman County School Board asked the County Commission to put the issue in the hands of voters, and a one-cent sales tax will be on the ballot on March 3.

The plans for the sports complex are still shelved, and if passed, the school board has pledged to use the revenues from the tax on school facilities and safety improvements. Some of the plans for the possible revenue include a new career tech center, new elementary classrooms and a new high school, along with additional improvements across the system.