CENTRE — County Commissioners Carlton Teague, Kimball Parker, Elbert St. Clair and Wade Sprouse have called a three-hour public forum for tomorrow night to allow residents the chance to speak out about the one-cent sale tax proposed last week by Probate Judge Melvyn Salter. 

The meeting, to be held at the First Baptist Church ROC on Chesnut Bypass in Centre, will begin at 5 p.m. 

Salter proposed the sales tax last week at a public forum in Centre.  

During that meeting, Salter explained to a crowd of around 150 residents that he came up with the idea after the Cherokee County Board of Education announced plans earlier this month to close the Career and Technology Center campus in Centre. 

The Board made the cuts in response to a $1.5 million budget shortfall, which included the loss of nearly $800,000 in funding from Montgomery for the 2011-12 school year and the need to replenish a dwindling state-mandated reserve fund. 

Teague told The Post he and the other commissioners want to hear from anyone who is either for or against the sales tax, which would be imposed for approximately four years and raise around $1.7 million annually. 

“We want to hear any ideas, good or bad,” Teague said. “Everyone please come out if you can. We want to hear from the people.” 

Responses to an earlier article about the sale tax proposal on The Post website and Facebook generated a wide range of positive and negative sentiments from Cherokee County residents, although a clear majority voiced support for the tax. 

“If paying nine cents for every dollar I spend in Cherokee County saves the [tech center] I will gladly pay it,” wrote Tonya S. on Facebook. “I’ve heard several kids say, ‘if it weren’t for vocational school I would quit’.” 

“If there was ever a time that we all need to come together for the good of our county and for the hope of the next generation it is now,” wrote Melody T. 

A minority took to the Internet to speak against the sales tax proposal. 

“People are paying all the taxes we can, we are taxed to death,” wrote a reader who declined to leave his name. “I hope the taxes are not raised, not one cent.” 

Last week, Salter explained several stipulations that he would request from the Board of Education in exchange for the sales tax increase, including dropping an ongoing lawsuit against the Commission, signing over the former Centre Middle School property to the county, and agreeing in writing that the Board would use the money from the tax to keep the trade school open. 

Since the proposal was made public, several county officials have told The Post they do not believe the Commission can require the Board of Education to earmark the funds specifically for the tech center. 

“Personally, I don’t want to get involved,” Probate Judge Melvyn Salter told around 200 county residents who gathered at the First Baptist Church ROC in Centre. "And everything I'm going to talk about is based on the big word 'if'."

In exchange for asking the Cherokee County Commission to approve a temporary, countywide sales tax, Salter said he hopes the county can reach an accord with the cash-strapped Board of Education, and maybe even get a few beneficial concessions in return. 

“This is not about politics,” Salter said. “This has to do solely with the process of educating the children of Cherokee County.” 

Salter said the increase, which would raise the sales tax to nine cents, would bring Cherokee County up to the level of surrounding counties. 

“If the Commission will consider this tax, they have the authority to levy a tax without a vote of the people,” Salter said. “Time is of the essence, and I realize this will be placing a huge burden on them to make this decision.” 

Salter said the tax would generate around $1.7 million a year and would only go into effect if the Board agreed to allow all funds to be designated for the primary purpose of keeping the CCCTC open. Salter also said an additional $50,000 per year would need to be set aside by the Board specifically for equipment upgrades at the tech center. 

Salter also asked the Board to “immediately drop” its lawsuit against the county over a funding dispute regarding operating expenses at the Board’s main office. He also wants the Board to sign over the former Centre Middle School property to the county. 

"You might ask why I would want that in the proposal," Salter said. "Because it offers future development opportunities for our county."

In addition, Salter requested that the Board agree to stop accepting a portion of the royalty funds the county receives from the Three Corners Landfill. He also wants the Board to streamline the process of requesting discretionary funds from individual commissioners for items such as sports equipment and travel expenses. 

Finally, Salter called for annual meetings at every school campus in the future to keep parents and teachers better informed of impending budget decisions. 

Salter hastily put together the pair of forums Friday at the ROC – one at 10 a.m., another at 2 p.m. – to give the public a chance to speak for or against his proposal. 

“I’m not ready to sign up for a one-cent sales tax,” said Cedar Bluff resident Mary Fath. “I’m not sure the money the Board of Education receives now is being spent properly.” 

Former Cherokee County High School principal Freddie Reynolds spoke in favor of the increase. 

“Some people say we can’t afford a tax increase, but I say we can’t afford not to educate our children,” he said. 

Overall, a majority of the crowd, which included many educators and school employees, seemed to be in favor of passing the tax increase.  

The Commission would have to vote on the proposal in the very near future, because the school year begins Aug. 8 and, as it stands, the CCCTC has already been cut from the school system’s 2011-12 budget. 

Board members said they stand to save $1.5 million by enacting a series of cost-saving measures, including firing 15 employees and closing the tech center. The plan calls for four of the programs formerly taught at the CCCTC to be cut and the remaining seven relocated to campuses around the county. 

All four county commissioners attended the 10 a.m. meeting, as did Superintendent Brian Johnson, Rep. Richard Lindsey and other local officials.

After Salter delivered his proposal, Lindsey took to the mic to explain how the state education budget has been reduced by 23.5 percent since the recession began in 2008. He said the Cherokee County school system has seen its share of state funds reduced by a total of around $5.6 million during that time.

After the meeting, Commissioner Carlton Teague said he would like to give the people more time to speak their minds about the proposed tax increase. 

“I think it would be a good idea to have some meetings in the evening on Tuesday, or Wednesday,” Teague told The Post. “I want to make sure people who were at work today have a chance to say what they think before we decide anything.”