By Alabama Public Radio
Montgomery. AL – A new poll of Alabama voters shows many of them hold little trust of the Legislature and Governor Bob Riley when it comes to state spending decisions.
The poll shows voters don't want lawmakers to raise taxes or cut programs on their own. 61 percent say they want lawmakers to develop a new plan for the people to vote on. Also, 82 percent of those polled agreed the state has serious financial problems.
The survey was conducted by the Alabama Education Association. It has a four percentage point margin of error.
Meanwhile, residents in Escambia County are preparing for a December 9th tax referendum that could determine the future of some popular education programs, including football.
The county's schools are reeling from recent budget cuts and a decline in tax revenues, and have already cut more than 30 teachers and curbed extracirricular and elective classes. The proposed 10-mill property tax increase would generate about 2-point-8 million dollars each year ... 23-percent of which would go to fund local education programs and projects.