Alabama County Economic Development, Amendment 8 (1955)
|
|
|
The Alabama County Economic Development, Amendment 8, also known as Amendment 8, was on the ballot in Alabama on December 6, 1955, as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment. It was defeated. The amendment proposed to amend the constitution. The amendment proposed that any municipality in Walker County, or any one or more of them, would have full and continuing power and authority, without any election or approval other than the approval of its governing body to do any one or more of the following:
1. To purchase, construct, lease, or otherwise acquire real property, plants, buildings, factories, works, facilities, machinery and equipment of any kind.
2. To lease, sell for cash or on credit, exchange, or give and convey any such property described in subdivision 1 above, to any person, firm, association or corporation.
3. To promote local industrial, commercial or agricultural development and the location of new industries or businesses therein.
4. To become a stockholder in any corporation, association or company.
5. To lend its credit or to grant public moneys and things of value in aid of, or to, any individual, firm, association, or corporation whatsoever.
6. To become indebted and to issue and sell interest bearing bonds, warrants, noted or other obligations or evidences of indebtedness, to a principal amount not exceeding fifty percent of the assessed value of taxable property therein as determined for state taxation, in order to secure funds for the purchase, construction, lease or acquisition of any of the property described in subdivision 1 above or to be used in furtherance of any of the other powers or authorities granted in this amendment. Such obligations or evidences of indebtedness may (in addition to any pledge or pledges authorized by subdivision 8 of this amendment) be issued upon the full faith and credit of the municipality or may be limited as to the source of their payment.
7. To levy and collect annually, in addition to all other taxes now authorized or permitted, a special tax or taxes of not exceeding two percent on the value of all taxable property therein as determined for state taxation, in the same manner as other municipal taxes are levied and collected, provided the levying of such tax or taxes be first approved by a majority of the qualified electors of such municipality voting at an election held for such purpose. Such tax may be levied upon all property in the municipality or upon all property in any district the boundaries of which the governing body of such municipality would describe and which it would determine to be especially improved and benefited by any proposed use or expenditure of the proceeds of such tax.
8. To pledge to the payment of any bonds, warrants, notes or other obligations or evidences of indebtedness the annual proceeds from any such special tax or taxes and to obligate itself irrevocably to continue to levy and collect such taxes annually until such obligations or evidences of indebtedness are paid in full and to pledge thereto any rental or sales proceeds of property leased or sold by it.
9. To create a public authority or corporation having such powers, managed and governed by such board or governing body and subject to such limitations as the governing body of any municipality in Walker County may impose, by approving and filing a certificate to that effect in the office of the judge of probate or the secretary of state, or then respective successors in function, and to delegate to such public authority or corporation and its board or governing body all powers and authority conferred in this amendment upon any such municipality.
The recital in any bonds, warrants, notes or other obligations or evidences of indebtedness that they were issued pursuant to this amendment or that they were issued to provide funds to be used in furtherance of any power or authority herein authorized or that any special tax herein authorized has been pledged to the payment thereof would be conclusive; no purchaser or holder thereof need inquire further; and the levy and collection of such tax would continue until the principal of and interest on such obligations or evidences of indebtedness would have been paid in full. The bonds, warrants, notes or other obligations or evidences of indebtedness issued hereunder would not be considered an indebtedness of any municipality in Walker County for the purpose of determining the borrowing capacity of such municipality under sections 224 and 225 or the constitution; and the taxes herein authorized would be in addition to those provided for or permitted in sections 215 and 216 of the constitution and all amendments thereto.[1]
Election results
| Alabama Amendment 8 (December 1955) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 No | 182,580 | 86.63% | ||
| Yes | 28,175 | 13.37% | ||
Election results via: Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1959
See also
- Alabama 1955 ballot measures
- 1955 ballot measures
- List of Alabama ballot measures
- History of Initiative & Referendum in Alabama
External links
Footnotes
 |
State of Alabama Montgomery (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
