Bartlett discusses online taxing, entertainment lines and training tower
MADISON – Training, taxes and take-outs dominated the message in Mayor Ranae Bartlett’s “Madison Weekly” last week.
A group of 30-something city officials, business owners and community partners gathered to open the entertainment district in downtown Madison. “This designation opens the door to renewed economic energy, greater walkability and even more reasons for residents and visitors to spend time supporting our local businesses,” Bartlett said.
Adults can walk inside the defined district’s boundaries from storefront to storefront with a green cup that contains a potent potable. Available hours are Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Madison City Council conducted a work session on Dec. 3 and heard from Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox and his staff about concerns with the Simplified Sellers Use Tax or SSUT and how online sales affect local revenue. SSUT is the statewide system that collects sales tax on online purchases.
The City of Tuscaloosa and other Alabama municipalities and entities have opened litigation with the State of Alabama to seek a more equitable method of taxing online sales. Local leaders slammed the “DoorDash loophole,” taxing delivery-app purchases at SSUT’s eight percent instead of higher local tax rates — even when those purchases involve Madison restaurants. In a split decision, Madison City Council voted to enter the lawsuit last week.
The city dedicated its new Public Safety Training Tower on Dec. 6. The four-story structure is a major investment designed to increase emergency readiness for both Madison Fire and Rescue Department and Madison Police Department. The 2,560-square-foot modular facility at 400 Celtic Drive is built from eight Conex boxes and engineered with modular walls to allow rescue teams to vary training. For details, visit themadisonrecord.com.
Also last week, Mayor Bartlett and council members Billie Goodson, Kenneth Jackson, Alice Lessmann and Maura Wroblewski attended the Alabama Legislative Update, sponsored by Huntsville/ Madison County Chamber of Commerce. State legislators spoke as they prepare for the upcoming session. Topics included infrastructure, workforce development and education.
In positive news for Madison’s fourlegged friends, Bartlett reported that the city’s successful partnership with A New Leash on Life led to placement of all animals that were housed at Madison Animal Control’s facility on Celtic Drive. The website for A New Leash on Life has an inventory for their sheltered pets that need a warm home for the holidays.
“If you’re in the spirit of giving, our Madison Animal Control team needs donations of wired animal crates, straw for their outdoor enclosure, bully sticks and old igloos, for example. Please call 256-7725694 for more information,” Bartlett said.
For more information, madisonal.gov.
