Voters in Madison will soon have their say on a 12-mill tax increase to cover the cost of two new schools.

The Alabama Legislature approved bills last week paving the way for the vote. Once signed by Gov. Kay Ivey, a referendum will be scheduled. School officials said they hope to hold the vote in the fall to enable construction to begin as soon as possible.

A 12-mill increase would add $120 per year of property taxes for each $100,000 in value to a home, roughly the equivalent of $10 per month per $100,000.

Superintendent Robbie Parker said the tax increase is needed to pay for a new schools and expansion of existing facilities for the fast-growing system. The city plans to use $34 million for a new elementary school and $49 million for a third middle school. Up to $20 million will be used for additions to Bob Jones and James Clemens high schools; $3.5 million will go towards additional operational support at the new facilities.

Parker’s plan also calls for repurposing West Madison Elementary School into a districtwide PreK Center and completing several deferred maintenance projects.

The new elementary school would house about 900 students and be constructed on 20 acres of land the district owns next to Kroger on Wall Triana Highway. The new middle school, built for 1,200 students in grades six through eight, would be built behind the central office on Celtic Drive. Each high school would be expanded to accommodate an additional 500 students.

Parker said the system’s consistent enrollment gains are unsustainable without new facilities. Madison is the third fastest-growing of Alabama’s 137 school systems, adding 560 students from February 2018 to February 2019.

Earlier in the year, Madison City Schools instituted a fee - $360 a year, or $30 a month – for the children of teachers that live out of the district. The fee was unpopular with some teachers but was necessary as the system moved forward, Parker said.