CENTRE — The Cherokee County Commission voted unanimously Wednesday afternoon to help the Board of Education out of a financial jam by imposing a one-cent sales tax.

The agreement still depends on the Board of Education agreeing to several conditions, including a promise to keep the Career and Technology Center open for the life of the tax – however long that may be.

At Wednesday’s meeting, commissioners agreed only to a one-year lifespan for the tax, which would go into effect Oct. 1 if enacted. If the plan ultimately passes, the people of Cherokee County will be given the opportunity next spring to vote to extend the tax for several more years.

Meeting at 4 p.m. in the Administrative Building in Centre, commissioners Carlton Teague, Kimball Parker, Elbert St. Clair and Wade Sprouse immediately went into executive session for just over an hour. When they emerged around 5:15 p.m., there was a 15-minute public discussion involving all four commissioners and county attorneys Bill Hawkins and Dean Buttram, Jr. before the commissioners voted 4-0 in favor of the tax.

Before the vote, Hawkins laid out the commissioners’ terms for agreeing to pass the tax, including dropping a lawsuit filed earlier this year over the county’s payment of Board office expenses and agreeing to operate those offices exclusively from money generated by the tax for as long as the tax is in place.

Commissioners also asked that the Board revive three of the four Tech Center programs – art was excluded from the agreement – cut earlier this month due to budget constraints; use a portion of the funds to rehire a minimum of 10 teachers countywide; and, if sufficient funds can be raised, restore a additional month of payment to as many teachers as possible who had their contracts cut to nine months when the Board enacted its reduction in force plan.

Asked by Commissioner Parker to address the likelihood of reinstating those 10-month contracts, Superintendent Brian Johnson said the Board would be willing to look hard at the possibility.

“I think it would be wise for us to see what the total cost is going to be and what the total revenue coming in is going to be, and analyze that,” Johnson said. “But I’ll be the first to say, if the money’s there, it will be no problem. Lack of funding was the reason that went away, so money coming back would be a very good reason for that to come back.”

Board of Education members Mark Gossett, Don Stowe, Lynn Rochester and Dewandee Neyman all voiced their agreement with Johnson’s assessment. Board member Lisa McKissick was not in attendance.

Johnson also said he expected there would be enough money raised from the tax to restore the agriculture department at Sand Rock School and the home economics program at Gaylesville School.

The serious looks on the faces of the four commissioners as the meeting drew to a close gave a clear impression that their decisions had not been made lightly. Teague seemed to capture the feeling of all four elected officials when he spoke shortly after the vote was cast.

“These are tough times for all of us,” Teague said. “But we have to look at the children of the county. That Career and Tech Center is very viable for our county and we need to keep it open. That’s what we’re here tonight trying to do.”

When the meeting was over, many residents in the packed meeting chamber lined up to shake hands and offer words of encouragement to the commissioners before heading for the exits.

The Commission recessed until Friday morning at 9 a.m. to allow the Board to prepare a response to its conditions. The Board has already called an emergency meeting for Thursday night at 6 p.m.

If the Board accepts all the county’s conditions, the commissioners will vote again Friday morning to officially enact the tax.

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