(MOBILE, Ala.) The Mobile City Council did not pass a 1 percent sales tax for the city, that Mayor Sam Jones says would have fixed a $29 million budget shortfall.
The council met and discussed the tax and the budget for nearly three hours Tuesday. Council members Fred Richardson, Jermaine Burell, Reggie Copeland and William Carroll voted for it, but five votes were needed. Council members Gina Gregory, Bess Rich and John Williams voted against the tax.
The mayor says now it's up to the council to balance the budget. Today several members of the public spoke out in favor of the tax including former mayor Mike Dow. He strongly urged the council to pass the tax but it failed once again. Mayor Sam Jones had included the tax for the next fiscal year to help pay for the shortfall and help pay for infrastructure upgrades.
"What it means is that 30 million dollars in revenue has to be pulled out of our budget proposal. So it means that the council has to put the money back in or they have to cut 30 million from the budget, whichever" said Mayor Sam Jones.
